MOSAIC PLACE RECAP: RIDERS 37 ARGOS 9
REGINA (CP) – Will Ford wasn’t sure if he’d be the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ starting running back when he signed with the CFL club earlier in the week.
But after a three-touchdown performance Saturday night to lead the Riders over the visiting Toronto Argonauts 37-9 at Mosaic Stadium, Ford made a strong case for himself.
An East Division All-Star with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 2013, Ford says he came to Regina ready for any chance he’d get.
“Opportunities are limited, so you’ve got to take advantage of them no matter what,” he said. “I came here to work and put the team in a position to win.”
The newly signed running back scored first-half touchdowns of 20, three and two yards in his debut for Saskatchewan (2-2), while running for a total of 113 yards. He also had 24 receiving yards.
Ford’s three touchdowns on the ground were one shy of the single-game franchise record held by Ferd Burket, Milson Jones and George Reed.
The injury-depleted Argonauts (1-4) meanwhile, dropped their third straight game. Toronto’s lone victory came against the Riders at Rogers Centre in Week 2.
As good as Ford was in his debut, Saskatchewan quarterback Darian Durant held off on referring to him as the team’s “answer at running back.”
“Man, you can never crown anyone off of one game – it’s a long way to go,” said Durant, who connected on nine of 17 pass attempts for 155 yards and an interception. “I think Will still has some improving to do … He did a great job of running the ball in key situations.
“But we all have to pick our game up.”
Ford echoed his quarterback’s words.
“It’s going to take time,” he said. “I’ve got a few mistakes that I’ve got to work on. I stay down on myself when I make mistakes. I’m going to watch film, correct those mistakes and see what happens.”
Roughriders coach Corey Chamblin said he wasn’t expecting a perfect game from Ford.
“He hadn’t even been close to a training camp for us,” Chamblin said of his new running back. “Just throwing him in there, we expected some mistakes. But we just wanted to play fast in spite of it, and I thought the guys did that.”
Durant surpassed the 2,500 career rushing yards mark, picking up 28 yards on the ground and running in a touchdown during the game.
Argos quarterback Ricky Ray, meanwhile, was 23-of-35 passing for 221 yards and two interceptions. Toronto backup Trevor Harris completed 8-of-12 passes for 80 yards.
While Durant and Ford took care of the offence, Saskatchewan’s defence also played its part, stifling Ray and the Argos throughout the game.
Toronto running back Curtis Steele was held to just 32 yards on the ground on seven carries. Maurice Mann led Argos receivers with 62 yards.
Tyron Brackenridge intercepted Ray on his first pass attempt of the night, and Tearrius George forced and recovered a Ray fumble when the Argonauts returned to the field – the second of six turnovers forced by Saskatchewan.
The Riders also forced Toronto to punt on four second-quarter possessions. Mark Legree notched a late second-half interception, shortly before the half ended with the Riders up 28-6.
Roughriders kicker Chris Milo nailed a 39-yard field goal in the third quarter, and booted field goals from 38 and 43 yards in the fourth.
Toronto kicker Swayze Waters replied with field goals of 17, 16 and 40 yards for the only Argos points of the game.
Durant opened the scoring, taking advantage of the Brackenridge interception with a 10-yard touchdown run on the Riders’ first possession.
Ford scored his first touchdown two minutes later to give the Riders a 14-0 edge.
Waters replied with two field goals to get the Argos to within eight points as the first quarter drew to a close.
Ford’s second TD made it a 21-6 game less than a minute into the second quarter, and his third two minutes later gave the Riders a 28-6 advantage.
The Riders visit the Ottawa Redblacks Saturday while the Argos host the Montreal Alouettes on Friday.
I think we Will a Ford no matter what the cost will be. Great game tonight by all.
Oskee Wee Wee,
Oskee Waa Waa
Holy MAKINAW !
Tiger Cats one game back of Roughriders !!!!
There could be a rush on "FORD NATION" t-shirts at the Rider Store in a few weeks if our new running back continues to rack up yards and TD's !
I can see why the Riders would love having Saturday night home games in the summer. The number of beer cans in the stands suggests a high revenue night for beer sales. Heck the two guys beside me polished off a dozen before stumbling out in the 4th quarter. Mr. Hopson is wise to fight to maximize Saturday night games and profits in the future.
Kudos to Richie Hall and his defense on an outstanding game plan and effort!
Sask.Rrs thanks you Winnipeg Blue Bombers for your running back reject. He had a decent outing.
Mark Legree=stud. Who brought him in?? Yes, that's right, that would be your favourite whipping boy Brendan Taman. Hey Taman-haters, shove it up your a_ _!!
Huh ! It was the scouting dept.who found him. fire taman !
Way to go Riders. Coach Chamblin must have twisted Richie's ear during the bye week because he actually called some blitzes and surprise, surprise it worked. Go Riders go.
Actually no, your not. You have played more games.
Oskee lick my b@!!s
We might have a running back now. But let me make one thing perfectly clear, our GM didn't find him, Winnipeg screwed up.
Who the heck signed him…Santa Claus??
The Rock
Mr Jeremy O'Day !
Its hilarious that anyone can come on here and complain about the riders after such a sound defeat. The riders played great today and showed they are a great team. Also anyone using injuries as an excuse is pathetic. Good teams have depth and can win regardless of injuries.
I like Saturday evening games. It gives people out of town time to drive in and stay for the night. Our team looked pretty good last night, but we can still improve on some things. Go Riders!
Outstanding game Riders.
Re: beer sales there would be more beer sold in the hot sun!
brack sure made good on his screwup last week….that's how "leaders" lead!…see john chick(what a MONSTER!)…
" Our GM didn't find him, Winnipeg screwed up"…. LOL…. By that logic no one is responsible for finding anyone ever…. Maybe the best negative post I've seen in awhile.
Dan R.
Beating an Argo team depleted of their starting line up iof receivers is exactly what was needed last night. It's 2 points we really need to stay in the a West race. The O-line blew open some nice holes for Will Ford. The defence played well but again when RR 's go to receiver is a 2 year removed player that came back 2 help in a pinch. The defence should have a stellar game. So no disappointment there. I do have a bit of a concern and that is the time it's taking for DD and his receiving crew… Read more »
Very happy to know the Roughriders won their game. A couple observations: 1) As I vacation in a major U.S city I have attended MLB games. 43,000 fans at last nights game. Not once did I hear a curse word, certainly not an F-bomb, and everyone was well behaved. Beer is cheap in the U.S, and not one person was out of line. Contrast that with the last Rider game where they are hammered walking into the game, and stumbling walking out and have filthy mouths for hours on end. 2) Just putting this out there, but in the U.S… Read more »
not one single person out of 43000 got too drunk? sounds legit.
ahhh. nothing better than a "well behaved" sports crowd. #golf clap. # tea anyone?
Will Ford is a very pleasant surprise, hopefully he can continue to do well and grow into his role with the Riders. I am anxious to see Messom at some point too, they could be a great combination for us. But the one stand out for me in this game was Tyron Brackenridge. I am a huge fan of his and have to admit feeling disappointed in the Toronto game that he didn't have the same kind of game. Feeling a bit of a buzz all of a sudden. Ricky Ray is a tough guy to beat but the defense… Read more »
I guess I can go back to wearing my Roughrider pajamas. The last couple of weeks I was scared to Wear them in case I had a house ire during the night.