Stampeders hang on against Bombers

Ken-Yon Rambo hadn't played a meaningful snap in more than a year, but it didn't take him long to make his presence felt Saturday.

The Calgary receiver caught a 20-yard touchdown pass just over five minutes in as the Stampeders got off to quick start and never looked back, beating the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 23-20.

"[It] felt great to get the ball in the end zone early," said Rambo, who suffered a torn knee ligament against the B.C. Lions on July 24, 2009. "It took me about three plays, four plays to get back in that groove. After I got going, it felt pretty good."

Deon Murphy also caught a touchdown pass from quarterback Henry Burris, while Rob Maver kicked three field goals.

Nik Lewis didn't get into the end zone for Calgary (4-1) but had a strong game with 10 catches for 160 yards.

"I go around, I go through and I go over," said Lewis, who leapt over Winnipeg defensive end Brady Browne for a key 18-yard gain in the fourth quarter. "I'm going to do what it takes to move the ball. I sell out my body and everything else for this team. Luckily I made it."

Having Rambo back in the lineup fired up the rest of the Stampeders, Lewis added.

"It was inspirational just to see him on the field," said Lewis, who has at least catch in all 110 games he's played with Calgary. "To see him go through what he went through … it's good to see him back on the field feeling comfortable and knocking the rust off."

Fred Reid ran for a touchdown for the Bombers (2-3), while quarterback Steven Jyles tossed a TD pass to Terrence Edwards to close the gap in the fourth. Alexis Serna added a field goal and a single for Winnipeg, which also recorded a safety on the game's final play.

"I told the team I was proud of their effort," said Winnipeg head coach Paul LaPolice. "We put ourselves in a position to win the game, but unfortunately we didn't make enough plays to win it. Hats off to them, they're a good defensive unit."

Edwards, who finished with six catches for 162 yards, agreed with his coach's assessment.

"That's a real good team and we fought with them," Edwards said. "I'm proud of my guys for the effort we put in."

Calgary had the lone points of the first quarter when Rambo caught a TD pass one play after the Stampeders were penalized for holding. Two plays earlier, Lewis hauled in a pass from Burris for a 64-yard gain to put Calgary on the Winnipeg 10-yard line.

The Stamps built their lead to 10-0 early in the second after a 45-yard field goal by Maver — the rookie's longest of the season.

The Bombers pulled to within three points after Reid ran for a 46-yard touchdown to cap off a six-play, 75-yard drive.

Following a 66-yard single by Serna, Burris engineered an eight-play, 75-yard drive that culminated with a four-yard TD pass to Murphy for his second career touchdown and a 17-8 halftime lead.

Burris marched the Stampeders from their own four-yard line deep into Winnipeg territory in the third quarter, but the drive came to an abrupt halt when he fumbled after being sacked by Winnipeg defensive end Odell Willis. The Bombers capitalized a short time later when Serna booted a 33-yard field goal.

After Maver kicked a 37-yarder early in the fourth quarter, the Bombers pulled to within two points when Jyles tossed a 61-yard TD pass to Edwards.

Maver then kicked his second 45-yard field goal of the game at 11:38 to put the Stampeders up 23-18.

The Blue Bombers threatened to pull ahead when Edwards hauled in a 44-yard catch to get Winnipeg to the Calgary 30-yard line, but Jyles then threw three straight incompletions to end the threat.

"It was a little panicky on the sidelines, but that's football," Rambo said. "Our defence did their job and came up big. They played well the whole game."

On the last play of the game, Burris threw the ball into his own end zone to Romby Bryant, who was tackled for a safety as time expired.