The Saskatchewan Roughriders

Games 13-15

“Around the Far Turn”

Game 13 v. British Columbia Lions (9/29/12):

The Riders played host to the CFL West leaders, the BC Lions before a packed house at Mosaic on a cool Saturday night in the prairies. The Lions went two n’ out on their opening drive and on then again on their second drive. Darian Durant then moved the ball to midfield, where the drive stalled and Chris Milo punted out. After a scoreless first quarter, the Riders got on the board first when they started at the 32 and 11 plays later, Durant connected with Weston Dressler on a 13-yard touchdown pass. After Paul McCallum punted out for BC, Durant hit Dressler on a 53-yard catch and run to put the Riders ahead 14-0. Midway through the quarter, McCallum banged in a single to make it 14-1. On the Riders’ next drive, a touchdown pass was negated by a penalty, so they had to settle for a 30-yard field goal by Sandro DeAngelis. The Lions’ Travis Lulay and Durant were both intercepted on successive plays. Milo then knocked in a single to give the Riders an 18-1 lead at the half.

The Lions suffered key injuries to wideouts Arland Bruce III and Geroy Simon in the first half and neither would return. Midway through the quarter, the Riders faced a third and inches at midfield and failed to convert. The Lions then took over on downs and McCallum knocked in a 40-yard field goal to make it 18-4. When the Riders got the ball back, Jock Sanders suffered a terrible knee injury and had to be helped off the field. Milo then banged in another single to make it 19-4. BC got the ball back and the Riders’ Tristan Jackson was flagged for pass interference, which put the ball at the 18. The Riders defense stiffened and BC had to settle for a 25-yard field goal from McCallum. On BC’s next drive, Lulay connected with Harvard’s Own Marco Ianuzzi on a 24-yard catch and run to tighten things at 20-14. Not to worry, as Durant connected with a wide open Gregg Carr on a 46-yard catch and run for the touchdown to make it 27-14. Three plays later, Lulay connected with Ianuzzi again for a touchdown and it was 27-21 with 1:18 remaining in the game. The Lions attempted an on sides kick and came up with the ball out of the scrum. On third-and-15, Lulay attempted a desperation heave into the end zone but his pass was intercepted and the Riders came away with a big divisional win over BC.

Game 14 at Toronto (10/8/12):

The Riders spent Canadian Thanksgiving in Toronto as they faced Jarious Jackson and the Argos. Ricky Ray was out of the Argos’ lineup with an injury. The Riders came decked out in all white uniforms. West had a fabulous return of the opening kickoff, fighting off tackles and returning the ball to the Argos’ 23. Weston Dressler gained 9 on a pass in the right flat from Darian Durant. Drew Willy then came in with the short yardage package and pounded ahead for the first down. After a five-yard penalty against Toronto, Kory Sheets was tripped up for no gain. Durant then threw an incomplete pass to McHenry, leaving Sandro DeAngelis to kick a chip shot field goal, giving the Riders an early 3-0 lead. DeAngelis kickoff went to the right and was fielded by Chad Owens. The ball bounced in front of Owens and Butler dove for the ball and last touched it before it rolled out of bounds. The play went under review after Butler was flagged for “illegal participation”. After review, the refs awarded possession to Toronto. Jackson was nearly intercepted on the Argos’ first play and his second pass was broken up by Tyvon Brackenridge, so Kyle Jones came on to punt. Dressler returned the punt back to midfield. Chris Getzlaf took a pass in the slot and lost three. Durant then hit Taj Smith, who was streaking down the right sideline and made a nice catch at the 3. Kory Sheets ripped up the middle and was dragged down shy of the goal line. Sheets again plunged into the line without success. Another off-sides call against the Argos pushed the ball ever closer. Willy came in and plunged into the line but the Argos wall held up. Not for long, as Willy took it again on second down and dove into the end zone. With DeAngelis’ kick, the Riders went ahead 10-0.  Owens then had a great return of the ensuing kickoff, going out near midfield. Kicker Chris Milo was injured on the play. The Argos moved the ball down to the 41 before the drive stalled and Swayze Waters boomed through a 48-yard field goal to put the Argos on the board.

The Riders came right back on their next possession and moved the ball into Argos’ territory where DeAngelis kicked a 45-yard field goal to make it 13-3, Riders. The Argos then had their best sustained drive of the game as they started at the 16 and methodically moved the ball down field and aided by a pass  interference call and two great catches by Maurice Mann, Jackson found Riggs wide open in the end zone from five yards out to make it 13-10. Late in the quarter, DeAngelis kicked another field goal to make it 16-10. The Argos then went two n’ out , giving the Riders another crack before halftime. DeAngelis then knocked in his fourth field goal to make it 19-10 Riders at the half.

The Riders got the ball to open the third quarter and Neil Hughes made a great catch and run good for 28 yards, which set up DeAngelis’ fifth field goal of the game, this one from 31 yards out. Jackson could do nothing against the Riders’ defense, which thwarted him at every turn. Late in the quarter, Sheets streaked up the middle on a 48-yard touchdown gallop and the Riders had put this one away at 29-10. The Argos then went two n’ out on their next drive. Durant quickly found Dressler on a 78-yard catch and run and the Riders increased the lead to 36-10.

The Argos then had a good drive, moving the ball deep into Riders’ territory but Jackson was intercepted by Chris McKenzie in the end zone and the Riders came away with a very satisfying 36-10 road win.

 

Game 15 at Edmonton Eskimos (10/13/12):

Looking to make it four in a row, the 8-6 Riders traveled to Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton for a Saturday afternoon date with the 6-8 Eskimos. It was a perfect day for football. The Riders won the toss and elected to receive. Brandon West returned the kickoff back to the 37. Darian Durant’s pass intended for Taj Smith at the left sideline was overthrown. Chris Getzlaf then grabbed a pass at the left sideline but went out of bounds just short of the first down marker. The Riders elected to go for it on third down.  Drew Willy plunged into the middle of the line and barely made the first down at the 48. Durant then found Smith coming out of the backfield for 8 yards. Durant then hit Kory Sheets with a shovel pass but Sheets was hauled down for no gain. Sandro DeAngelis came in to punt and the Eskimos started out at their 10. The ageless Kerry Joseph brought out the Edmonton offense and immediately hit Gary Koch for 12. The drive stalled at the 22 and Grant Shaw punted out. Tristan Jackson fumbled Shaw’s 58-yard punt and Brian King recovered at the 28 for Edmonton. Joseph’s pass on first down was fumbled by Koch. Craig Butler recovered and raced down to the 25. On first down, Sheets went off left tackle for 11. Durant then took a shot into the end zone but his pass intended for Dressler was overthrown. Smith then caught a pass over the middle and carried down to the 2. On first and goal, Durant rolled left and found Weston Dressler wide open at the goal line for the touchdown. With DeAngelis’ point after, the Riders took a 7-0 lead midway through the quarter. Edmonton started out at the 36 and former Rider Hugh Charles gained 2. The drive went no further and Shaw punted out. Jackson returned Shaw’s punt back to the 23. Sheets plowed into the line for a couple but the drive stalled at the 25. DeAngelis muffed the snap and Edmonton took over at the Riders’ 22. On the play, the Eskimos’ Miller suffered a knee injury and needed help off the field. On the first play, Joseph found Fred Stamps streaking down the right sideline and Stamps made a nice over-the-shoulder catch for the game tying touchdown. Jackson returned the kick back to the 40. Sheets then caught a pass out of the backfield and ran around left end for 11. Sheets ran up the middle for 9 more.  Sheets was then abruptly brought down for no gain setting up a third and 1. Willy dove ahead for the first down but an off-sides call against Edmonton made it moot. Sheets was hauled down by J.C. Sherritt, the CFL’s leading tackler. Smith bobbled a pass and it was third down. DeAngelis attempted a 52-yard field goal, but a five-yard procedure call against the Riders negated that and DeAngelis punted out. The ball bounced out of bounds at the 22.

 

It was on to the second quarter, where Koch made a leaping catch over the middle good for 8. Jerome Messam then banged ahead for a first down. Charles rushed for 7 more but an unnecessary roughness call against Koch set the ball back to the 22. Nate Coehoorn caught a pass in the right slot and was hauled down for a 19 yard gain. Joseph then scrambled ahead for another first down before getting shoved out of bounds and then the Riders were hit with a 15-yard unnecessary roughness call that put the ball at the Riders’ 39. On first down, Charles rushed around right end and was tackled at the 23. On second down, Stamps nearly made a tremendous catch in the end zone but the ball popped out of his hands. Shaw then knocked in a 30-yard field goal to put the Esks ahead, 10-7. Jackson had a 40-yard return of the ensuing kick, but Sherritt intercepted Durant’s pass on first down. Chambers grabbed a pass for 12, good for another first down at the Riders’ 20. Joseph then carried on the quarterback draw down to the 3. Messam went into the line and lost a yard. On second down, Joseph found Koch in the back of the end zone for the touchdown to make it 17-7. The Riders started out their next drive at the 25. Sheets pushed ahead for 12. Brandon Lang then batted down Durant’s pass attempt. A screen pass then went nowhere as Sherritt sniffed it out for no gain. Coehoorn was then wide open for a pass but dropped the ball. Joseph’s pass was right on the money but Coehoorn dropped it. Coehoorn redeemed himself on the next play as he caught a pass over the middle for 25. At the three-minute warning, Shaw knocked in a 30-yard field goal to put Edmonton ahead, 20-7. West returned Shaw’s kick back to the 35. Dressler gained 13 on a pass out of the backfield. On the next play, Durant was sacked for a big loss.  With 1:46 left in the half, Durant hit Getzlaf at the left sideline inside the 40. Durant then scrambled up the middle, sliding down at the 25. Durant then threw wildly at the left sideline for Taj Smith but his pass fell incomplete. On second and 10, Durant heaved a long one into the end zone but Getzlaf couldn’t haul it in. Reid then sacked Durant for a loss on the next play, so DeAngelis kicked a 29-yard field goal to make it 20-10, Edmonton. On the Eskimos next drive, Chambers hauled in a pass at midfield. Nate Coehoorn then picked up another first down at the Riders’ 40. With five seconds left, Stamps caught a pass and went out of bounds with a second left. Grant Shaw’s field goal attempt went wide right and Tristan Jackson returned the ball back to the ball back to the 40 as the half came to an end.

Edmonton started out the second half with the ball and Charles made his former team pay, throwing one pass for a long gain and then rushing in for a 28-yard touchdown to make it 27-10. When the Riders got the ball back, Durant moved the ball out to midfield before his pass down the right sideline was intercepted by Joe Burnett.  That was his second interception. On first down, Coehoorn gained 12 on a catch and run. Charles then had another long gainer on a pitch left. After a holding call on Edmonton, Joseph connected with Chambers for 8 and Henry for 27 more. Jerome Messam then fumbled the ball at the 10 and the Riders recovered.  On first down, Sheets carried up the middle for 8. Sheets was then stoned cold on a rush up the middle for a loss. Milo punted out and the Riders were hit with a no-yards call, which placed the ball at the 40. Henry then took a pass at the right sideline at the 23. Charles then broke a couple of tackles and was hauled down at the 11. Joseph then fired into the end zone but the pass went in and out of Koch’s hands. It was no problem for Edmonton as Joseph found Coehoorn in the end zone on the next play and the rout was on at 34-10. Brandon West then returned the ensuing kick back to the 25. McHenry then picked up a first down on a pass in the left flat. Dressler then grabbed a pass at midfield for another first down. Getzlaf then gained 17 on a pass over the middle. Taj Smith then took a pass and raced down the right sideline, getting shoved out of bounds at the 2. Smith plunged into the line and was wrapped up by Jermaine Reid for no gain. Scott McHenry then caught a pass at the goal line for the touchdown.  The Riders elected to go for two and Durant scrambled into the end zone to make it 34-18.

Moving into the fourth quarter, Edmonton moved the ball to the 32. Joe Loebedahl nearly picked off Joseph’s shovel pass. Brackenridge was then hit with a pass interference call for brushing up against Koch. The Riders were incensed with the call. From the Riders’ 47, Stamps gained 8 on a rush right. Charles then moved the ball down to the 33. Charles then rushed right down to the 25. Charled ran again for a short gain, leaving a third and short. The Esks elected to go for it and Matt Nichols came in with the short yardage package and fell forward to the 21, as the Eskimos continued to kill the clock. A procedure call on the Esks pushed the ball back to the 26. Charles then rushed right, then left and was tackled at the 11. Nichols came in and rushed for a first down. Another penalty against Edmonton moved the ball to the 12. Shaw then banged in a 19-yarder to make it 37-18. 38,678 was the announced attendance at Commonwealth. Weston Dressler then took a pass and was pushed out of bounds at the 53. The drive stalled there and Milo punted out. From the 15, Joseph found Koch for a first down at the 35 but the drive stalled there. Tristan Jackson then moved the ball back to midfield. With 3:38 remaining, the Riders started out again. Willy replaced Durant and connected with McHenry for a short gain. Willy was then able to move the ball down to the 29. From there, McHenry hauled in a pass at the 7. Willy was then sacked for a 15-yard loss. The Riders then turned over the ball on downs with 1:14 left. The three-game winning game streak came to a screeching halt and the Riders’ playoff hopes took a hit.