OUT OF THE TUNNEL: PAST DECADE TOP 10 GAMES AT MOSAIC STADIUM & TAYLOR FIELD

BY: RODPEDERSEN.COM STAFF

Not much to report on the possibility of a 2020 CFL season and that’s not good. If there was any sort of news it would be welcomed, good or bad. We would all love to hear the positive and an announcement of an abbreviated season but some of us would also reluctantly accept the stone cold possibility that there isn’t going to be a season. At least that would give us closure.

The toughest part is the apathy towards the CFL across the country. If it’s not Saskatchewan, Winnipeg and maybe Hamilton or Ottawa, there just are not a lot of people clamouring out loud for CFL football. This is the absolute worst outcome.

Right now we need strong, thoughtful and creative leadership from the CFL head office and from all nine teams but right now it doesn’t seem to be there. Commissioner Randy Ambrosie can’t do it alone, but doesn’t it seem like he is doing it alone?

That’s enough doom and gloom. The current state has us all still wading in nostalgia so let’s stick with thoughts of the good times. For our Top Ten this week we’re going right to the feels and the most memorable games at Mosaic Stadium(s) in the 2010’s. This won’t be the best games but the ones that quickly pop in our minds while going through the 90-plus home games during the decade. 

Four of them will probably be unanimous across Roughrider fandom and the other six are just our feels. We know we probably forgot a game or two, so let us know in the comments what your favourite game was and why. It could be anything, great game, fun with friends, first Rider game, anything that made the game special.

10. September 2, 2012 – The Saskatchewan Roughriders hammer on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 52-0 in the Labour Day Classic. Tied for the biggest margin of victory in Labour Day Classic history and the biggest shutout in Roughrider history. It always feels great to win the LDC but to beat the Blue Bombers to pieces is extra special. What won this game wasn’t a dynamic offence, but the Green and White defence held a hapless Winnipeg offence to just 142 total yards of offence. 

9. July 22, 2016 – This was one of the bright lights in a difficult first season in the Chris Jones tenure. The Ottawa Redblacks came into Mosaic Stadium to take on a beat up Roughrider club that started Mitchell Gale at quarterback. Well, old Mosaic Stadium had a penchant for creating one-game legends at quarterback and they did just that on this day with Gale in a 30-29 Saskatchewan victory. He was 21-36 for 354 yards in the victory that included a late fourth quarter drive that led to a Tyler Crapigna game winning field goal.

8. September 17, 2010 – There were four or five Roughrider home games that could be on this list and we have three of them beginning with this overtime classic. This was probably Darian Durant’s best passing game in his Rider career. Durant was 22-39 for 500 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the 43-37 victory over Henry Burris and the Calgary Stampeders. Andy Fantuz had 255 yards receiving (2nd best in Rider history) and two touchdowns. This was also special because it was Smilin’ Hank and Rider fans love to hate one of the best in CFL history.

7. November 10, 2013 (CFL West Semi-Final) – This game started the journey towards the 2013 Grey Cup victory. It was an incredible game that saw the Riders put together back-to-back field goal drives to take the lead and preserve the victory in the fourth quarter. It was “The Darian Durant Show” yet again but this time with his legs. He had 96 yards rushing with 76 of them coming in a 13-point fourth quarter for the 29-25 win.

6. November 14, 2010 (CFL West Semi-Final) – Back to the fantastic year of 2010 and this time a local boy etched his name in the Roughrider history books. This was an incredible back and forth affair that needed overtime to solve things. The Ridera and B.C. Lions exchanged touchdowns and two-point conversions before the Green and White held the Leos to a Paul McCallum field goal. Then Jason Clermont stepped up to beat his former team. Durant connected with the former Regina Ram for the 24-yard game winning touchdown and a berth in the West Final. 

5. August 1, 2019 – With “a sprinkle of Jesus”, a Roughrider legend was born. Cody Fajardo said hello to the CFL world with this 24-19 victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. In the third quarter, Fajardo was rolled up on and was working with a bad wheel but was still outstanding completing 80% of his passes for 313 yards along with leading the team with 56 yards on the ground. The short six-play, 42 yard drive that was finished with a five-yard Fajardo run where he stretched for the pylon is now etched in the minds of Rider fans. During a post-game press conference Fajardo told reporters he had help from a higher power to finish the game. 

4. October 29, 2016 – The final game at Mosaic Stadium/Taylor Field goes into the record books as a 24-6 loss but the 33,427 fans in attendance were there for more than that. It was the last time we all came together in a place we love and still love to talk about the many years of memories created at Taylor Field and then later named Mosaic Stadium. It was the end of something special but also set up the beginning of a new era of Saskatchewan Roughriders football.

3. July 1, 2017 – That gets us to the opening of new Mosaic Stadium. This game itself was a little more memorable in a 43-40 overtime loss to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. An old familiar face destroyed the Riders as Weston Dressler had 124 yards receiving and two touchdowns in the Bomber victory. In the second overtime round, Tyler Crapigna hit the uprights and allowed Winnipeg to take away the win. More than the game itself, with the opening of the new stadium, the Saskatchewan Roughriders entered a new age of football on the prairies.

2. July 1, 2010 – Our third entry from the 2010 season is one that Rider fans hold dear to their heart. Coming off the heartbreaking 13th man Grey Cup loss to the Montreal Alouettes, the Riders welcomed Anthony Calvillo and the Als to Mosaic Stadium to lift the lid on a memorable 2010 season. If there was a time and place for an oral history of a game, this would be it. The Riders were trailing 26-12 midway through the third quarter before the frantic comeback began. It was completed with a five yard completion to Andy Fantuz with 1:09 left to force overtime. In extra time, Weston Dressler caught Durant’s fifth touchdown pass of the game to seal the victory.

1. November 24, 2013 – This was, is, and always will be the most memorable game in Roughriders history. It was the culmination of over a century of football that ended with tears of joy from 44,710 fans at Mosaic Stadium that witnessed their Green and White finish off the Hamilton Ticats 45-23. The team on the field rode the wave of emotion right from the player announcements to the final gun. Dreams came true that cool November night and it will take years to top.

(RODPEDERSEN.COM STAFF)