Roughriders Game 6 at British Columbia Lions (8/5/11):

The 1-4 Riders traveled to Empire Field in Vancouver for a Friday night date with the winless Lions. This would be a big test for the Riders as a loss here would put them in a rough spot. Last year the Lions started off 1-7 yet rebounded to make the playoffs and gave the Riders a real scare in the Western semis. Wes Cates remained out of the lineup so Hugh Charles would start at running back.

Riders won the toss but deferred until the second half. The Lions started their opening drive at the 37. Travis Lulay carried off right end for 3. Lulay then hit Shawn Gore over the middle for a first down. The drive stalled at midfield after Barrin Simpson dragged down Lulay. Paul McCallum’s punt put the ball deep in the Riders’ end at the 12. On first down, Durant hit Neil Hughes on the left sideline for 21. Charles ripped up the middle for 8 and then picked up the first down at the 44. Durant threw two incompletions and Eddie Johnson punted away. It was a short punt and the Lions took over at the 44. Jamal Robertson carried up the middle for three and then Lulay hit Peterson for a first down at midfield. A penalty against Dario Romero put the ball at the 45. Gore then moved left on a shovel pass and he broke two tackles and carried down to the Riders’ 19. On second down, Gene Shoulagan sacked Lulay at the 26. From there, McCallum knocked in a 33-yard field goal to give BC an early 3-0 lead. The Riders went two n’ out on their next drive and Johnson punted away. Tim Brown returned the punt to the 45. Brown carried up the middle for 6 but Lulay threw an incomplete pass and McCallum punted away and pinned the Riders deep in their end at the 20. Efrem Hill picked up 11 on a swing pass and then Durant hit Weston Dressler in the right slot at the 50. Durant was sacked at the 39 and Johnson punted away. Brown returned the ball to the 35 but a penalty against the Riders put the ball at midfield. Lulay was then dragged down for a short loss but Robertson carried up the gut on the next play for a first down.

Going into the second quarter, Lulay hit Geroy Simon down to the Riders’ 17. Lulay then connected with Simon for 8 and then Simon grabbed another pass down to the 1. From there, Tim Brown went off right tackle for the touchdown. With the point after, BC was ahead, 10-0. The Riders started out their next drive at the 35 but went two n’ out. Johnson punted away and the Lions took over at their 47. On first down, Lulay hit Simon streaking down the right sideline and Simon took it to the house, 17-0 BC. Simon ran a straight go-route and easily beat Graham and McKenzie. With that catch, Simon went into 4th place all-time in CFL receiving yards. On the Riders’ next drive, Durant hit Dressler at midfield for a first down. Clermont picked up another first down at the 37 but the drive stalled there and Johnson knocked in a 44-yard field goal to put the Riders on the board. On the Lions next drive, Lulay connected with Kamau Peterson in the left slot for a first down. From the 50, Simon grabbed a pass for another first down at the Riders’ 40. Nick Moore then took a pass over the middle at the 25. Lulay followed with a rush around left end for 9. Lulay was then sacked by Dario Romero back at the 25. McCallum then knocked in a field goal and BC went up 20-3. Hugh Charles returned the kick up to the 40. On second down, Durant escaped a rush and hit Dressler over the middle at midfield. Charles then carried off left tackle for 8 and picked up a first down on the next play. On the next play, Clermont caught a pass in traffic at the 28. From there, Durant rushed to the left to the 15. Durant then connected with Getzlaf in the right corner of the end zone for the touchdown. With the point after, the Riders were back in it at 20-10 with 26 seconds left in the half. Lulay was able to advance the ball to midfield on a pair of completions but took a knee as time expired.

The Riders opened the third quarter with the ball at the 45. Durant quickly found Dressler for 6, but Durant’s next pass was dropped by Getzlaf so Johnson punted away with the Lions taking over deep in their territory. Starting at the 15, Lulay hit Simon for a first down at the 30. Gore then picked up another 10 on a hitch n’ go. But the drive stalled and McCallum punted away. Durant scrambled left for a first down and Charles picked up another on a rush up the middle. Durant then hit Hughes for 9 at the 40. Durant then connected with Charles on a modified screen for 5 but over threw his next pass badly but Johnson’s field goal attempt struck the upright and the Lions dodged a bullet. On second down, Lulay’s long pass down the right sideline was intercepted by Tristan Jackson at the 48. From there, Durant found Nunn for 6 and then Getzlaf over the middle for a first down. Charles then ripped one up the middle for 9. After Charles picked up another first down, the Lions’ Taylor went out with a knee injury. Durant then carried up the middle for short yardage, Johnson’s field goal attempt went wide right but BC conceded the single. On the final play of the quarter, the Riders stacked up Robertson as he tried to rush up the middle for a first down.

The Lions picked up the first down when Gore took a pass in the right slot at midfield. But Lulay couldn’t advance the ball any further so the Lions punted out and the Riders took over deep in their territory. The next drive went nowhere. Johnson shanked his punt and a “no yards” call against the Riders put the ball at the Riders’ 30. The Lions moved the ball to the 23, where McCallum kicked a field goal to make it 23-11. The Riders stuck to the ground as they opened their next drive, moving the ball into BC’s side of the field. On second down, Durant was sacked by Williams and Johnson punted away. Gore picked up a first down at midfield with a catch at the left sideline. A penalty against the Riders gave BC another first down at the 40. The drive stalled there and McCallum’s punt went into the end zone for a single. As the three minute warning approached, the Riders had the ball at the 45, needing two scores. Charles gained 6 on a screen pass and then Durant hit Getzlaf on the left sideline at the 25. But a penalty wiped out the long gain. On third down, the Riders tried a desperation pass that fell about three yards short. Robertson carried twice to bring the ball to the Riders’ 50 as the Lions brought the clock inside of a minute to play. The Riders got the ball back at their 10 with 30 seconds left to play. Getzlaf picked up a first down and fell out of bounds to stop the clock but Durant was sacked by Johnson on the next play and that was that. Riders lose 24-11, and fall to 1-5, tied for last place with BC.