MONDAY COMMENTARY – WELCOME TO “UP WEEK”

(Listen daily for the Rod Pedersen Commentary on Cat Country 98 FM & Rock 98.5 FM)

RETURNING HOME TO SASKATCHEWAN FOR YOURS TRULY HAS COINCIDED WITH AN “UP WEEK”.

REMEMBER WHEN WE USED TO CALL IT THAT? IT’S THE SEVEN DAYS FOLLOWING A ROUGHRIDERS VICTORY AND THAT’S WHAT WE’RE FACING FOLLOWING SASKATCHEWAN’S 20-17 WIN AT CALGARY ON SATURDAY NIGHT.

IN CASE YOU HAVEN’T NOTICED, WE’RE IN THE STRETCH DRIVE OF THE CFL SEASON. THIS COVID-SHORTENED 14-GAME SCHEDULE MEANS THE HOMESTRETCH STARTED AWHILE AGO SO IT WASN’T AN IDEAL TIME FOR THE RIDERS TO GO INTO A TAILSPIN.

BUT IT APPEARS HEAD COACH CRAIG DICKENSON AVERTED THE NOSEDIVE OVER LAST WEEK’S BYE, AS THE RIDERS GOT THAT MUCH-NEEDED WIN AT MCMAHON STADIUM ON SATURDAY.

IT WAS A FUN GAME, EVEN IF THE RIDERS STARTED SLOWLY. SASKATCHEWAN’S OPENING DRIVE ENDED WITH A CODY FAJARDO INTERCEPTION AND HE WAS UNDER PRESSURE A LOT OF THE NIGHT.

HOWEVER CALGARY DIDN’T SEEM TO WANT IT EITHER, AS MY BUDDY BO LEVI MITCHELL HEAVED THREE INTERCEPTIONS, WHICH HAS BEEN UNCHARACTERISTIC FOR HIS CAREER.

WHILE THE OTHER TWO CFL GAMES ON SATURDAY WERE BLOWOUTS AND OVER BY HALFTIME, THIS ONE ON SATURDAY NIGHT TRULY PROVED WHY IT WAS CANADA’S GAME OF THE WEEK.

IT WENT DOWN TO THE FINAL MOMENTS WHEN RIDER NEWCOMER DUKE WILLIAMS RECOVERED A CALGARY ONSIDE KICK ATTEMPT AND IT CAPPED THE RIDERS WIN.

SO IT’S AN UP WEEK AS THE RIDERS PREPARE TO HEAD INTO MONTREAL AND FACE AN ALOUETTES TEAM WHICH HAS WON FOUR IN A ROW.

LIKE I SAID, THIS IS AN ENJOYABLE PLACE TO COME BACK TO AFTER A RIDER WIN.

BUT AFTER A LOSS AND ENDURING A DOWN WEEK, THIS CAN BE A TOUGH PLACE TO BE.

THAT’S TODAY’S ROD PEDERSEN COMMENTARY