FAMOSO RECAP: ROUGHRIDERS 29 STAMPEDERS 24
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| Photo: Larry McDougal/CFL.ca |
CALGARY – The Saskatchewan Roughriders recovered their offence in a 29-24 win over the host Calgary Stampeders on Saturday.
After getting shut out 31-0 by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in their previous game, the Roughriders kept Calgary’s defence on the field and generated points from long drives.
“They’re the most solid, top to bottom, over the last 10, 12 years so it’s good to be able to come here and get the win in their place,” Saskatchewan head coach Chris Jones said.
“We asserted ourselves from the word ‘go.”
Saskatchewan (11-6) has a playoff berth locked down, but whether it will be at home or away has yet to be determined. The Roughriders have one game remaining in the regular season Saturday against the B.C. Lions.
The Stampeders (12-4) have lost two in a row at home. Calgary can still clinch first in the West Division with a win in one of its two remaining games, or with a Roughrider loss Saturday.
“It’s just important to get back on the winning track,” Calgary head coach Dave Dickenson said. “I want to win the west with a win. I know it’s going to be tough as well. Now we’re on the road again.
“Our team is building. We’re not where we need to be. We’ll never win it unless we get better.”
Calgary concludes the regular season on the road Friday in Winnipeg and Nov. 3 in Vancouver against the Lions.
Winnipeg and B.C. (9-7) are tied for third in the division ahead of the Edmonton Eskimos (8-9). A West Division team will cross over and claim a playoff spot in the East this season.
The Roughriders won the season series against Calgary 2-1 and could conceivably overtake the Stampeders atop the division. But Saskatchewan needs to win its last game and for the Stamps to lose out.
“If we were worried about that, we should have took care of that the first part of the season,” Jones said. “All we can worry about is what we control, try to come out next week and beat a very good B.C. team.”
Saskatchewan quarterback Zach Collaros completed 24 of 35 pass attempts for 352 yards. He had been pulled in the third quarter against Winnipeg.
“He’s from Stubenville, Ohio, and they don’t make soft people from Steubenville, Ohio,” Jones said. “He would always bounce back.
“Zach made good reads and good throws and I thought our receivers made some fantastic catches.”
Tre Mason and Nick Marshall scored rushing touchdown for the Roughriders. Brett Lauther kicked field goals from 50, 49, 31, 27 and 20 yards.
Calgary quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell went 18-for-25 for 221 yards, which put him over 5,000 in a season for the second time in his career. He threw a pair of touchdown passes and was intercepted once.
Calgary’s Romar Morris returned a punt for a touchdown. Lemar Durant and Markeith Ambles each had touchdown catches for the Stampeders.
Don Jackson added a two-point convert and Rene Paredes kicked a 25-yard field goal in front of an announced 30,868 at McMahon Stadium.
Saskatchewan’s time of possession was 34 minutes 40 seconds compared to Calgary’s 25:20.
“Unfortunately the defence, that’s been holding us in all year, we just couldn’t get off the field,” Dickenson said. “They made all the plays.”
A two-point convert that would have pulled Calgary within a field goal was challenged and overturned late in the fourth quarter when it was ruled Ambles didn’t cross the goal-line.
Ambles had just caught a 13-yard pass from Mitchell for a touchdown.
Trailing 22-18 late in the third quarter, Calgary turned the ball over when Roughrider safety Mike Edem intercepted Mitchell throwing to Eric Rogers in the end zone.
“If they score right there, I mean, it’s a different football game,” Jones said.
(Canadian Press/Donna Spencer)
POSTGAME COMMENTS FROM RIDER HEAD COACH CHRIS JONES
– It was a big team win. Offensively Mac, his staff, Zach and the O-line, when you have 490 yards and that many points against Calgary at their place, that’s a statement. Hopefully we can build on it as we move closer to the playoffs.
– We’ve got a great group of guys. We stubbed our toe socially this week and we need to get beyond that and I’m going to reiterate to the guys to do the right thing. We’ve got a good team, they work hard, and they do what we ask them to do. The preparation we’re putting hopefully will pay off down the stretch for us.
– I’m real proud of Josiah St. John and our rookie Schram too. Joe played head-to-head with a great player, #4, and did a great job.
– We played decent defense in the first half. They had that little drive in the first and returned that punt and then in the second half we weren’t very good on D. We’ve gotta man cover. He picked us on some things but to come into Calgary and win, that’s a big one.
– We’ve got our hands with BC. They’ve added that big ol’ back and Devier Posey. We’ve gotta make Sutton bounce. We can’t let him get off and get yardage early. They’re a big momentum team.
– We came out mostly healthy. Maggitt got a little something but overall, we came out pretty good.
RP
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