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Cornish secures Stampeders 1st in the West after rushing for 160 yards against Bombers

Action Images / Reuters

WINNIPEG - Jon Cornish ran nine yards for a touchdown with 1:25 remaining to ensure the Calgary Stampeders clinched first place in the CFL West Division with a 33-23 win Saturday over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Cornish finished with 21 carries for 160 yards.

Bo Levi Mitchell, who missed the last three games with knee and ankle injuries, threw TD passes to Brad Sinopoli and Joe West to up Calgary's record to 13-2 with its third straight win.

Winnipeg (6-10) lost its seventh game in a row in front of a season-low crowd of 22,320 at Investors Group Field on a cold, windy night.

The loss didn't officially eliminate the Bombers from playoff contention, but their hopes are slim as they host the B.C. Lions (8-7) next week in a game between clubs trying to get a cross-over berth into the East Division playoff picture.

Winnipeg running back Paris Cotton had touchdown runs of 35 and 10 yards, including one at 7:39 of the fourth quarter that squeezed Calgary's lead to 26-23.

Mitchell then engineered a nine-play, 60-yard drive that ended with Cornish plowing past defenders for his fifth rushing TD of the season at 13:35.

Mitchell completed 18-of-28 pass attempts for 258 yards with the two TDs and two interceptions.

Cornish, who's missed seven games this season, went into the match with 817 rushing yards — 32 behind league-leader Anthony Allen from Saskatchewan, who plays Sunday.

Cotton, who had 14 carries for 108 yards, got the nod to start his second straight game this week — a move that led to RB Nic Grigsby asking for and receiving his release.

Bombers quarterback Brian Brohm, making his first CFL start in place of injured Drew Willy (hand) was 14-of-23 for 194 yards with no TDs and no picks.

Brohm was injured late in the third quarter and replaced by Robert Marve, who finished 5-of-10 for 64 yards and rushed five times for 36 yards.

Calgary backup QB Drew Tate had a one-yard TD run, while Stamps placekicker Rene Paredes booted a 41-yard field goal and punter Rob Maver had a pair of singles.

Winnipeg placekicker Lirim Hajrullahu was good on field goals from 26 and 29 yards and went wide on a 37-yard attempt that was brought out. He added a punt single and Calgary conceded a safety for another pair of points.

Calgary had a 14-0 lead by 8:34 of the first quarter and led 16-6 at halftime.

The Stampeders scored points on their first four possessions.

They began by efficiently using the game's opening drive to march from their own 41-yard line for Sinopoli's 25-yard TD catch at 5:54, a toss from Mitchell when Calgary was facing second-and-15.

Sinopoli was injured on the play and didn't return to the game.

Winnipeg's first possession was a two-and-out.

Calgary then started again from its own 41-yard line and the three-play, 69-yard drive was capped with West's TD at 8:34 as he got behind the Bombers' defence and was wide open.

The Bombers responded with Hajrullahu's 26-yarder to make it 14-3 at 12:59.

The Stampeders started at their own 41-yard line for the third straight drive, but this time they only scored on Maver's 66-yard punt single as time expired on the first quarter.

Cotton had a 24-yard run in a drive finished by Hajrullahu's 29-yard field goal at 2:41 for the 15-6 score.

Injuries then hit the Bombers, with defensive lineman Greg Peach going down with what appeared to be a leg injury and then defensive back Demond Washington getting hurt. Both didn't return to the game.

Calgary's fourth possession of the game ended with a punt single at 6:17 of the second quarter.

Winnipeg receiver Clarence Denmark's juggling 54-yard catch while fighting off defensive back Joshua Bell got the Bombers to Calgary's eight-yard- line, but the highlight catch was for nothing.

Stamps defensive lineman Shawn Lemon forced Brohm to fumble and Calgary's Junior Turner recovered the ball at his own 17-yard line.

Calgary offensive lineman Brander Craighead was injured on the drive, which ended quickly when Bombers DB Chris Randle intercepted Mitchell. Craighead didn't return.

The Stamps were also called for pass interference on the play and Winnipeg started at Calgary's 49-yard line, but they couldn't take advantage of the turnover and had to punt to keep the score 16-6.

Bombers linebacker Don Unamba intercepted Mitchell with 21 seconds left in the half, but nothing came out of it.

Washington and Winnipeg receiver Nick Moore, who suffered a "lower-body" injury late in the second quarter, didn't return for the second half.

Winnipeg scored 10 points in the third quarter to squeeze Calgary's lead to 23-16.

Hajrullahu had a punt single at 1:51 of the third quarter, but the Stamps had help with a Winnipeg unnecessary-roughness penalty and Tate plunged over the line for his TD at 5:02 to stretch the lead 23-7.

Calgary was flagged for pass interference and roughing the passer with 8:04 left in the third quarter, a play that had a shaken-up Brohm go off the field and not return.

Marve replaced Brohm and engineered a drive that ended with Hajrullahu's missed 37-yard attempt that was run out of the end zone.

Cotton showed a burst of speed in Winnipeg's five-play, 60-yard drive with his 35-yard bolt for a TD as time ran out on the third quarter to make the score 23-16.

Paredes nailed 41-yard field goal at 4:18 of the fourth, but Cotton notched his second TD for the 26-23 score.

It was Calgary's 10th straight win over the Bombers. The teams meet again in Calgary on Nov. 1.

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