Game 5 at Calgary (8/1/09)

The Riders pulled off a thrilling come from behind victory on Saturday night as Darian Durant hit Chris Getzlaf on a 65-yard touchdown pass with 1:17 on the clock, giving Saskatchewan a 24-23 win at McMahon Stadium.

The Riders scored on their opening drive as Durant hit Getzlaf with a 9-yard touchdown pass, capping off a 6-play, 75 yard drive to go up 7-0. Late in the quarter, the Stamps embarked on a lengthy drive which culminated in a 10-yard td pass from Burris to Cornish. Moving into the second quarter, the Stamps were trapped deep in their territory, but Burris patiently engineered a 99-yard drive which featured two lengthy runs by Joffrey Reynolds that was capped off by a short field goal by DeAngelis, putting Calgary on top, 10-7. On Calgary’s next possession, Burris led the offense to Saskatchewan’s 28, before the drive stalled and the Stamps had to settle for a 35-yard field goal by DeAngelis to go ahead 13-7. With five and a half minutes remaining in the half, Steven Jyles took over as quarterback for the Riders and led the offense from their 25 to Calgary’s 11, where Luca Congi hit a short field goal with one second left on the clock. At the half, the score was 13-10 Calgary.

Both teams went two and out to open the third quarter. On the Riders second possession, Durant came back in and moved the ball about 20 yards before Congi missed a 53-yard field goal attempt. On their next possession, Walker returned a punt 47 yards, setting up the Rider offense at their 47. Durant hit Quinn on a 38-yard pass and two plays later, found Wes Dressler on a 19-yard pass play to put Saskatchewan on top 17-13. Calgary went two and out on the ensuing drive and the Riders took over at their 44 with about four minutes left in the quarter. Durant was able to get the ball into the red zone on a 25-yard pass to Dressler, but early in the fourth quarter, Congi’s 25-yard attempt struck the crossbar and the score remained 17-13. Burris got the ball back and began to move the ball. On a pass to Thelwell and a run by Reynolds, 27 yards were gained in the first two plays. A pass interference call against the Riders’ Omarr Morgan moved the ball to midfield. Two more completions moved the ball to Saskatchewan’s 23. Two plays later, Burris ran it in from the 18, and the Stamps were back on top 20-17 with 8:37 remaining.
After the Riders went two and out on their next series, Calgary took over at midfield and Reynolds ran for 17 and Burris connected with Jackson for another 17. The drive stalled at the 19 and the Stamps had to settle for a 26-yard DeAngelis field goal with 4:40 left and a 23-17 lead. The Riders were stymied on their next possession, giving Calgary the ball at midfield, but Stevie Baggs stopped Reynolds cold on two straight carries. The Stamps tried a long field goal that went wide, but Dressler returned the kick 55 yards to the Rider 45. Two plays later, Durant connected with Getzlaf on a 65-yard touchdown pass with 1:27 left in the game and the Riders ahead 24-23! Calgary had two more chances to score in the waning moments, but Burris’ desperation passes were knocked away by the secondary. With the win, the Riders now go back atop the standings in the CFL West.