WINNIPEG -- After getting their season off to a great start, the Saskatchewan Roughriders have run into the hardest of times -- and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers were more than happy to take advantage during the Banjo Bowl on Saturday afternoon in Winnipeg.
Winnipeg scored 10 fourth-quarter points and went on to a 26-21 victory in the Labour Day Classic rematch, marking the fifth-straight contest Saskatchewan was within a touchdown of finding victory.
The Roughriders are now winless in their last seven games and have seen their record fall to 5-7-1 heading into their bye week. That’s good enough for third place in the Canadian Football League’s West Division, but thanks to Calgary and Edmonton now sitting a single win back, Saskatchewan could find themselves in last place heading into their next contest.
“It’s just tough, man, you have to tell everyone to look themselves in the mirror, myself included,” Roughriders coach Corey Mace told CKRM Roughrider Radio’s Luc Mullinder after the game. “I know it’s cliche, but it has to be done. But also, we just went 10 straight, so go rest up, come back with a new focus, some accountability and we have to come back swinging because we’re still in a position to make a playoff push.”
When asked what he himself could do to help right the ship, Mace answered with his usual candour.
“First things first for myself, it’s just understanding the full flow of the game,” he said. “We’re constantly trying to get better a clock management stuff, and there were a couple situations here where I was thinking ‘maybe we kick a field goal, but we could pin them deep’, then there’s the weather stuff, playing with the wind and without the wind and constantly working on things like that.
“Then as a play-caller defensively, continue to understand the situations where we can’t give up seven or potentially get them out of field goal range, etcetera, etcetera.”
The key to it all is simply getting the same results across the board from everyone on the team.
“There are 100 things, we constantly do that, and we’re just asking nothing more of the players than we ask of ourselves as coaches,” Mace said.
Things didn’t get off to the greatest of starts for the Roughriders, as after putting together a four-play drive to mid-field, they’d have their first punt of the game blocked. Bombers offensive lineman Willie Jefferson got his big paw on the kick by Adam Korsak, setting Winnipeg up at the Saskatchewan 43.
Three players later, Sergio Castillo would split the uprights with a 46-yard field goal and the Bombers had the quick 3-0 lead.
It took only two plays for Winnipeg to get the ball back after the game’s first points, this time when Tyrell Ford intercepted a pass by Riders quarterback Trevor Harris and ran the ball back to the Saskatchewan 40.
Six plays later and Winnipeg had the game’s first touchdown, thanks to a two-yard off-tackle run by Chris Streveler. The 10-0 lead came only eight minutes into the game, with the big play on the drive coming on an 18-yard pass to Brandon Oliviera that was aided by an objectionable conduct penalty to Jameer Thurman, putting the Bombers at the Riders’ five-yard line.
Saskatchewan needed some momentum to get back in the game, and they immediately got it.
A 54-yard pass from Harris to Samuel Emilius set Saskatchewan up at the Winnipeg 10-yard line, and two plays later, KeeSean Johnson hauled in a pass just over the goalline to get the Riders back within three with 3:06 to play in the first quarter.
The drive saw a couple of milestones, with the big one coming on the Emilius catch. The play gave Harris over 90 yards passing for the game and moved him past former Roughriders standout Darian Durant into 16th overall on the CFL all-time passing yardage list.
The score also kept Johnson’s touchdown streak going, giving him majors in the last four games.
Winnipeg put together a sustained series to put up the first points of the second quarter, with the 10-play drive taking 5:20 and resulting in a 26-yard Castillo field goal with 8:44 until halftime.
The Roughriders were able to respond immediately, taking four plays and two minutes to cover 40 yards and set up Brett Lauther for a 50-yard field goal, making it a 13-10 Winnipeg lead.
The two defences stiffened over the final minutes of the half, and the teams went into the dressing room with the Bombers’ three-point edge.
It was Saskatchewan’s turn to get off to a fast start in the third quarter, and it was one of the Roughriders’ big playmakers who got the job done.
Kian Schaffer-Baker hauled in a pass at the Riders’ 50 and rumbled all the way down to the Winnipeg eight, and one play later Emilus caught the short pass for the touchdown. Three plays, 2:12 and all of a sudden Saskatchewan was up 17-13.
Zach Collaros put together a four-play drive to get Winnipeg in field goal range on their next possession, and Castillo finished it off with a 35-yard kick to get the Bombers back within one.
A great punt by Korsak and an ensuing two-and-out gave the Riders solid field position at the Winnipeg 47 on their next possession, resulting in the Saskatchewan kicker punting for a rouge and an 18-17 lead with 4:55 to play in the third.
Winnipeg went on the march immediately after getting the ball back, with the nine-play drive aided by a marginal roughing the passer call on Miles Brown that knocked Streveler from the game. Bombers receiver Kenny Lawler made three straight catches at the end of the drive, finishing it off with a six-yard catch on the first play of the fourth quarter.
Saskatchewan replied with a drive of their own over the next five minutes, culminating in nine plays to the Winnipeg 27 and a 35-yard field goal by Lauther, getting the Riders within a pair 23-21.
Winnipeg put together a solid time-killing drive on their next possession, taking 2:36 off the clock on eight plays and ending with a 39-yard Castillo field goal with 1:08 remaining on the clock.
The Riders went to work with 58 seconds remaining, looking for another miracle comeback similar to the Labour Day Classic a week earlier, but Tyrell Harris hauled in his second interception of the game with 45 seconds remaining and Winnipeg went into victory formation.
Trevor Harris was 21-for-33 passing for 287 yards and two interceptions, with Kian Schaffer-Baker hauling in six passes for 120 yards, Emilius four for 66 yards. Frankie Hickson had nine carries for 46 yards.
Collaros had similar numbers to his counterpart, going 21-for-31 and 231 yards, but the lack of interceptions was crucial. Lawler had six catches for 64 yards, Oliveira six catches for 60 yards to go along with 11 carries for 43 yards.
