Stampeders make it 5 in a row against Eskimos on Labour Day

Bo Levi Mitchell and the league-leading Calgary Stampeders used all their weapons and limited the Edmonton Eskimos' main threats in a 45-24 Labour Day victory on Monday.

With a strong southern Alberta wind affecting quarterbacks and kickers - 49 of the 69 points were scored by the team working with the wind - Calgary (8-1-1) built an early 21-point lead at McMahon Stadium, then defused Edmonton's pushback through two interceptions by defensive back Jamar Wall. Following Wall's second pick in the opening minute of the fourth quarter, Mitchell produced the game's first against-the-wind TD to cap a nine-play, 105-yard drive. Jerome Messam's backbreaking nine-yard rushing score with 9:33 to play re-opened a three-TD lead.

Calgary is unbeaten in nine games, along with having now defeated Edmonton on Labour Day five times in a row. Edmonton (5-5) fell back into fourth place in the West Division, although it still holds the lead for a crossover playoff berth. The Alberta rivals play again at Commonwealth Stadium on Saturday at 7 p.m. ET.

Mitchell was 25-of-32 for 380 yards and two touchdowns with one INT. Three of Calgary's five TDs came from Canadians. Messam had 18 rushes for 110 yards and two fourth-quarter scores. Wide receiver Anthony Parker made a sliding catch in the end zone for a 17-yard TD.

The Stampeders' offensive line - featuring centre Spencer Wilson, guards Shane Bergman and Brad Erdos, and tackles Ucambre Williams and Derek Dennis - did not allow a sack. Calgary has allowed only 10 through 10 games, the fewest in the CFL by a factor of nearly two. Edmonton is second in the league with 18 sacks allowed.

Slotback Bakari Grant made six receptions for 95 yards with one TD and a two-point convert. Return specialist Roy Finch contributed an 85-yard punt-return touchdown to the early onslaught and tallied 155 return yards. Rene Paredes was 3-of-3 on field goals, extending his streak of successful attempts to 31. Paredes also scored on a kickoff single.

Edmonton QB Mike Reilly didn't run a play in the red zone until 3:39 remained in the game. He went 23-of-36 for only 219 yards with one TD and two INT, rushing for a touchdown for the fourth game in a row.

Reilly's two best receivers, Adarius Bowman (seven receptions for 52 yards) and Derel Walker (five for 73 with one TD) were each kept well below their season averages. Rookie defensive back Kenny Ladler had a 65-yard interception-return touchdown, and punter Grant Shaw had three singles.

Outscoring Calgary 17-3 in the last three minutes of the second quarter kept Edmonton in range of the Stampeders, as Walker laid out in the end zone for a 36-yard TD with 2:49 left before halftime. Then, in the last minute of the half, Ladler made a diving interception, acrobatically regained his footing, and sprinted to the end zone. The pick ended Calgary's streak of 37 possessions without a turnover. With the wind at his back, Shaw also buried two kickoffs and a punt in the end zone for singles during that span.

Bowman became the first receiver to reach 1,000 yards this season, bringing his tally to 1,008.

Calgary's unbeaten streak is the franchise's longest since a 10-game win streak in 1994-95, when Doug Flutie was the Stamps' quarterback.