OUT OF THE TUNNEL: CLASSIC FINISH, NOT A CLASSIC GAME
BY: RODPEDERSEN.COM STAFF
The 2019 Labour Day Classic will not go into the record books as a classic game. However it did have a classic ending with Brett Lauther’s game winning 26-yard field goal to seal a 19-17 Saskatchewan Roughriders victory over the rival Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
This is a game that head coach Craig Dickenson (and most football coaches) will love. The game wasn’t entertaining but when things don’t go your way and the team can rally and find a way to win, it goes a long way on the road to a potential playoff run. That’s because Sunday’s win had more of a playoff feel than most during a CFL regular season.
Entering the game it was all set up for the Riders to fail. They came off an easy win over the Ottawa Redblacks the week before, to face a weakened Bomber offence without quarterback Matt Nichols and Andrew Harris.
There were a lot of things to like in the victory for the Roughriders:
First, they won their biggest game of the season against their biggest test of 2019. Winnipeg is the number one team in the CFL for a reason and the Riders ground them down. It’s a divisional game, a win at home and considering how bad the bottom half of the East Division is, it all but seals a playoff berth.
Secondly, it was a great defensive game plan drawn up to face a quarterback with only a handful of starts under his belt. The Riders really mixed things up and confused Chris Streveler especially in the first quarter. It looked like at times the Winnipeg pivot didn’t have a clue what was going on so he just decided to take off. The Bomber offence felt like it was a one-read and run.
The Riders did bend but didn’t break and other than the fourth quarter touchdown drive, and the 55-yard Johnny Augustine run, they didn’t give up much.
Finally, the Riders simply out-coached the Bombers. There were many odd decisions by the Bombers during the game beginning with the offensive game plan. Everyone in the park knew there were going to be a ton of hitches, screens and play action to start.
The Riders were also patient when things didn’t go well offensively. They played the field position game and it ended up in the 10-0 lead which held until late in the game.
The work of Cody Fajardo can’t be forgotten. It was a rough game by the Rider offensive line and if it wasn’t for Fajardo’s penchant for escaping and rolling out of pressure there may have been 10 sacks rolled up by the Bomber defence and not the five that were on the final stat sheet.
Also, it was awesome to see Naaman Roosevelt have a solid outing in the spotlight game of the season.
Now it’s the Banjo Bowl on Saturday in Winnipeg and the Riders will have to play the same greasy, ugly football on defence but offensively they will have to get better play from the offensive line and use the duo of William Powell and Marcus Thigpen out of the backfield both running and catching the ball.
It will be another low scoring affair in Winnipeg, but now that we say that the Riders and Bombers will probably light the scoreboard up. So goes the weekly fun of the CFL.
This Week in Canada West:
Everyone but the players and staff in the Regina Rams locker wrote off Steven Bryce’s team before the opening kickoff of the 2019 Canada West season. Well, the Rams balled up the paper and shoved it up the UBC Thunderbirds backside in a 46-16 blowout at Thunderbird Stadium.
In just his second start, redshirt freshman quarterback Josh Donnelly threw for 377 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He should be the Canada West player of the week for his efforts.
The week kicked off with the Saskatchewan Huskies learning the hard way that you can’t make a pile of mistakes and win in Winnipeg (Riders, please take note). The Manitoba Bisons were dominant on defence forcing five turnovers and picking up four sacks in a 43-19 victory over the Huskies.
The Bisons had a balanced offence with 163 yards in the air and almost 200 yards on the ground.
The pre-season favourite to win the Canada West title made quick work of their provincial rival in their season opener. The Calgary Dinos scored 21 points in the second quarter and rode it to the 41-31 victory over the Albert Golden Bears.
The Golden Bears couldn’t make up for their mistakes, giving up five turnovers including three interceptions.
Defending Hec Crighton trophy winner, Adam Sinagra was very average completing just over 50% of his passes with a touchdown and interception.
It’s going to be a great week two in the Canada West. If you want to see a pair of great games with early season implications head to Griffiths Stadium for the Thunderbirds and Huskies looking for their first win or Mosaic Stadium in Regina where the Rams have a chance to go 2-0 and keep the Golden Bears winless.
Week 2 Schedule (all times local):
Friday, September 6
Alberta (0-1) at Regina (1-0) 7:00pm Mosaic Stadium
Manitoba (1-0) at Calgary (1-0) 5:30pm McMahon Stadium
UBC (0-1) at Saskatchewan (0-1) 7:00pm Griffiths Stadium
This Week in the PFC:Great matchups in the Prairie Football conference this week with all three games being decided by one score.
The Winnipeg Rifles trailed by 10-points to the Regina Thunder with 1:35 left but grabbed a quick touchdown, recovered an onside kick and drilled a game-tying field goal to send the game to overtime tied 45-45.
The Thunder scored on their first possession and the Rifles were denied and Regina escaped with the 52-45 victory.
The Saskatoon Hilltops were down early to the Edmonton Huskies on the road but were able to remain undefeated (3-0) via the 24-22 win.
Finally, the Edmonton Wildcats grabbed their first win of the season knocking off the Calgary Colts 23-16.
Week 4 (all times local):
Saturday, September 7:
Regina Thunder (2-1) at Saskatoon Hilltops (3-0) 7:00pm SMF Field
Edmonton Wildcats (1-2) at Calgary Colts (0-3) 7:00pm McMahon Stadium
Bye: Edmonton Huskies, Winnipeg Rifles
Canadian to Watch in the NCAADB – Patrice Rene (Sr)
North Carolina (ACC)
6′ 2″ 208lbs.
Ottawa, Ont.
High School – Episcopal (Va.)
It was a tough start to the season as Rene had to sit out the first half of the Tar Heels season opener against the South Carolina Gamecocks. In the second half, Rene shutdown the Gamecocks top receiver helping North Carolina to the 24-20 upset victory.
In 2018 Rene started all 11 Tar Heel games at corner and collected a pair of interceptions. The senior will be one of the top ranked players in the 2020 CFL Draft and with his size will have a solid shot at the NFL.
(RODPEDERSEN.COM STAFF)
