SASK 27-OTTAWA 22, Riders Go To 3-1
Photo: CFL
OTTAWA — Mathew Sexton’s punt return touchdown helped swing a back-and-forth contest on Friday night at TD Place Stadium, as the Saskatchewan Roughriders held on to defeat the Ottawa REDBLACKS 27-22 in FanDuel Canada Day Weekend action.
The Riders weathered Ottawa pressure in the first and final quarters, with Sexton providing the key special teams score and Trevor Harris taking control of the offence. Saskatchewan’s pivot finished with 243 yards and two touchdowns, surpassing Tom Clements for 12th on the CFL’s all-time passing yards leaderboard with a third-quarter completion to Johnny Johnson III.
The REDBLACKS were sharp across all three phases to start. A.J. Allen set the tone, intercepting a deflected pass on the opening series against his former team, and Cade McDonald followed with a catch-and-run from out of the flat for his first CFL major. On special teams, Brian Cole broke through to block Oscar Chapman’s punt off his helmet, setting up a short Brett Lauther field goal.
It was a different story in the second quarter. Harris got the Riders on the board, finishing a 10-play, 75-yard drive with a pass to Dhel Duncan-Busby for the score. On the ensuing kickoff, Kalil Pimpleton had his pocket picked by Nick Wiebe, and Saskatchewan eventually tied the game on Alex Hale’s three-pointer.
KeeSean Johnson was active throughout the half, hauling in all seven of his targets for 99 yards as the REDBLACKS secondary kept throws contested. The third-year receiver finished with a game-high 137 yards on nine receptions.
Saskatchewan built on its momentum out of the break, forcing a quick two-and-out from Jake Maier and company before Sexton walked the sideline and returned Noah Gettman’s punt for a touchdown. Harris added on to end the third, leading the Riders through the air and pinning one to Johnson to make it 27-16.
Ottawa had its counter-punch in the fourth, lining up at the one after Eugene Lewis hauled in a deep ball through double coverage. Bryson Barnes leapt over the pile for his first CFL touchdown, but Greg Bell was stopped on the two-point convert, keeping it a five-point game.
With the threat of a comeback still lingering past the three-minute warning, Saskatchewan’s defence came up with a stop, stuffing Bryson Barnes on a third-down sneak to turn it over on downs. The Riders’ ground game brought it home, with Tommy Stevens taking five touches for 29 yards to set Harris up in victory formation.
Maier finished the day with 259 passing yards on a season-high 76 per cent clip. Justin Hardy led all Ottawa receivers with 92 yards on five receptions.
(CFL.ca)
