Corey Mace does not regret his third down gamble in the 2024 West Final at a sold-out Princess Auto Stadium with 32,343 fans in attendance.
He decided to leave the offence on the field for a third-and-three from Saskatchewan's own 24-yard line with over 12 minutes left in the fourth quarter and the Roughriders down 31-16 to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
"Risky. I felt at that time we hadn't gotten into a groove. It was time to hit the gas for us to try to build momentum. Looking back, you wish that you nailed it and we didn't, it put us in a jam, but I thought we needed to build momentum," Mace said after the 38-22 loss.
"Having faith in those guys... if we could go back, I'd probably still do it to be honest with you. I got faith in those guys. Seven's got the ball in his hands, I got nothing but faith in that, it didn't turn out our way."
Offensive coordinator Marc Mueller called a pass play, Trevor Harris targeted KeeSean Johnson but Canadian defensive back Tyrell Ford defended the football. That gave the Bombers a turnover on downs and two run plays later, Brady Oliveira was in the end zone to make it a three-score game.
"I felt like we had good answers, unfortunately we didn't make the play on third-and-three. I don't question the decision, we should have executed, made the first down and we didn't," Harris said.
Oliveira produced 119 rushing yards on 20 carries with one touchdown. Kenny Lawler caught four balls for 177 yards and three touchdowns, 44.25 yards per reception. While Zach Collaros completed 19-of-26 passes for 301 yards with four touchdowns and zero interceptions.
"The Bombers came ready to play. *hitty game plan. That's on my shoulders. They had their way through the air and on the ground, it puts you in a jam. When we look at the tape, there’s going to be busts for sure. I don’t care, that’s on me, I have to get them better prepared,” Mace said.
“I felt very confident in our game plan defensively. I tried to play it patient on defence instead of hitting the button more to force the issue, but those boys were on a role and that could have ended in a big play. You don’t want to have a slow death either — forcing the issue when it’s win or go home.”
The 38-year-old Mace finishes his first season as a head coach in Riderville with a 9-8-1 regular season record and home playoff game win. He's built a foundation the Green and White can build upon in 2025.
