Roughriders Game 5 v. Calgary Stampeders (7/30/11):

After last week’s upset win in Montréal, the 1-3 Riders returned to Mosaic for a Saturday night date with the 2-2 Stamps. Wes Cates suffered a lower body injury last week and he was questionable for this game. Hugh Charles was taking the reps this week at practice and appeared ready to go.

The Stamps went two n’ out on their opening drive after Henry Burris was sacked. The Riders started out at their 35 and Durant was sacked by Charleston Hughes on the first play. Durant completed a pass to Hugh Charles but it was short of the first down leading to a punt by Eddie Johnson. The Stamps started out their next drive at the 31 but Joffrey Reynolds’ rush was jammed up by the Riders’ line. On second and 7, Burris rushed up the middle for 15. Burris’ pass to Ken-Yon Rambo was good for 7 but his next pass was broken up by Tristan Jackson. After picking up a first down, the Riders moved the ball to their 30 but the drive stalled there and Johnson punted away. The Stamps started out at their 25 but Jon Cornish was stuffed on a second down rush and Rene Parades knocked in a field goal to give the Stamps an early 3-0 lead. The Riders started out their next drive at the 49. Durant connected with Weston Dressler on the left sideline for a first down. On second down, Durant’s pass intended for Chris Getzlaf was incomplete and Johnson punted away. A face mask call on Remond Willis moved the ball out to the 35. Burris then hit Romby Bryant in the right slot for a first down. On the final play of the quarter, Burris connected with Larry Taylor at the Riders’ 40 for another first down.

Burris connected with Johnny Forzani for 7 on the first play of the second quarter, but an illegal contact penalty on the Riders’ Jackson gave the Stamps another first down. From the 17, Reynolds carried up the middle for a first down. On the next play, Burris rolled left and then cut up the middle and into the end zone. On the ensuing drive, Durant completed two passes to Efrem Hill to bring the ball to midfield but he was sacked by Robert McCune and Johnson shanked his punt. The Stamps started out at the 30, where Burris hit Bryant for 5. Burris was then sacked and Dales punted out. Brandon West had a great punt return, ripping down the right sideline all the way to Calgary’s 25. Durant then connected with Neal Hughes down to the 12. From there, Durant took it up the gut on the quarterback draw and into the end zone. Larry Taylor returned the kick back to midfield. Burris was picked off by James Patrick on first down and Patrick returned the ball to the 40. Durant then found Terrence Nunn on the right flat for 8 and then Charles carried off right tackle for a first down at midfield. On second down, Geoff Tisdale was flagged for off sides but Durant’s next pass went incomplete and Johnson punted into the end zone for a single. From the 35, Taylor went off right end for 10. Reynolds then carried for 5. The Riders’ pass rush then hurried Burris and he threw away the ball. The Riders started out their next drive deep in their territory and went two n’ out. Taylor attempted a punt return but Bell made a great shoe-top tackle at the 37. On second down, Burris ripped up the middle on the draw inside Riders’ territory. From there, Burris took a couple of deep shots that were incomplete and the Riders took over at the 10. Johnson then punted out and the Stamps took over at the Riders’ 40 with one second on the clock. Rene Paredes then knocked in a 47-yarder as time expired to give Calgary a 13-7 lead at the half.

The Riders took the ball straight down the field on their opening drive of the second half and Durant connected with Dressler on a 57-yard touchdown pass. The ball was tipped by a Calgary defender and Dressler grabbed the ball in the air and raced into the end zone. With the point after, the Riders took a 14-13 lead. Burris was able to move the ball into Riders’ territory but the Stamps punted out with the Riders taking over deep in their territory. Johnson elected to run out of the end zone rather than punt away and the Stamps tied the score 15-15. Burris connected with Rambo for a first down and then found Forzani on the right sideline at the 35. After Forzani picked up 8 more, Rambo picked up another first down but his left toe looked as if it was out of bounds. Coach Marshall challenged the ruling of the catch and video review overturned the call. Dario Romero was injured on the play. From the 25, Paredes knocked in another field goal and the Stamps went ahead 18-15. The Riders started out again at their 25. Charles was knocked back for a 3-yard loss on first down. Durant then hit Nunn over the middle but it was far short of the first down, so Johnson punted away with Calgary taking over at the 40. On second down, Burris found Nik Lewis over the middle down to the 25. Reynolds was stacked up for a short gain on the next play. Burris’ next pass into the end zone went incomplete so Paredes’ field goal attempt went wide right and the Riders conceded the single. From the 35, Durant hit Getzlaf in the right slot for 15. On second down, Durant’s pass intended for Clermont was broken up but Calgary was hit with a roughing the passer call, giving the Riders new life. Durant hit Dressler for 8 on first down. Hugh Charles then carried up the middle for a first down. Charles then spun off right tackle down to the 11. On the final play of the quarter, Durant’s pass intended for Clermont was dropped in the end zone. After three quarters, the Stamps held a 19-15 lead.

Eddie Johnson kicked a chip shot field goal to open the fourth quarter and trim the deficit to one point. Johnson’s booming kick went out of the end zone. Burris hit Lewis for 8 and then Taylor picked up a first down on a swing pass to the right at the 40. Reynolds picked up 3 on a run off left tackle. On second down, Jerrell Freeman dragged Burris down after a gain of 2. After Dales’ punt, the Riders took over at their 27. Getzlaf dropped a pass in the left slot on first down and then Hughes sacked Durant again for a big loss. Johnson’s punt went for 65 yards but a “no yards” call against the Riders put the ball at the 32. The Stamps went two n’ out on their next drive and Dales punted away to West, who returned the ball to the 39. Clermont picked up 5 on first down and then Dressler made a nice diving catch but it bounced off the turf and Coach Hufnagel challenged the ruling. After video review, it was determined that the ball did hit the turf before Dressler caught it. Johnson hit a 54-yard punt that went out of bounds at the 12. Cornish then ripped up the middle, broke several tackles and carried up to the 35. Burris then scrambled up the middle for 6. Burris then rolled right and hit Lewis on the sideline for a first down at the 47. Reynolds then carried off right tackle for 26. A penalty against Calgary (illegal block) set the ball back to the 46. On second and 13, Burris’ protection broke down and he was hauled down by Freeman. Paredes then knocked in a long field goal to put the stamps ahead, 22-18. On first down from the 35, Clermont made a leaping catch for 8. At the three minute warning, the Riders had a first down at the 47. Durant then went for the downs with Getzlaf but his pass was too deep. Durant then carried up the middle for 1 and Johnson punted away. Another “no yards” call against the Riders put the ball at the 35. Lewis picked up 3 on a swing pass to the right. An illegal procedure call against Calgary’s Stanley Bryant set the ball back five yards. Burris then hit Lewis over the middle for a first down (that was a back breaker). On second and 7, Burris hit Romby Bryant for a first down but he took a wicked hit from Jackson and somehow hung on to the ball. Inside of a minute to play, the Riders called a timeout as the Stamps faced a second and 7. Calgary punted out with 19 seconds left on the clock and the Riders started out their final drive inside the 20 with 11 seconds left. After a nine-yard gain, Durant hit Clermont on the left flat but it was too late for the Riders. Burris is a great quarterback and made the key plays down the stretch to propel the Stamps to victory. The Riders are now 1-4 and Riderville has to be wondering when the offense will start kicking into gear.