SASKATOON — Saskatchewan Roughriders head coach Corey Mace likely said it best after seeing his team get a final-minute touchdown to defeat the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in Canadian Football League pre-season action on Sunday night.
“Of course that was supposed to happen like that.”
While the game-winning play at Griffiths Stadium in Saskatoon was special in itself, it evolved into an exceptionally memorable moment given who came up with the catch — none other than former University of Saskatchewan Huskies receiver Daniel Wiebe, who capped a record-setting USports campaign at that very same field this past fall.
After Saskatchewan quarterback Brayden Schlager had engineered a stellar drive to get the Riders to first-and-goal with less than a minute remaining, Wiebe would haul in a three-yard catch with a defender on his back for the winning score in the 31-27 victory.
As incredible a moment as there can be for someone who grew up in Rosetown before becoming a Huskies legend.
“Honestly, I thought the game was very up and down, so I was happy to end it that way, but looking back there’s lots to improve on for sure,” Wiebe said during post-game interviews. “I’m glad I got to end it well, but I’m trying to play the game well the whole game. So it was good, but there’s lots to work on, for sure.
Needless to say, having it all go down on a field where he’s seen so much success made it all even more enjoyable.
“It means a ton,” Wiebe said. “To do it at Huskies Stadium here is crazy, it means a lot. I had tons of family supporting me here, friends too, and it doesn’t quite feel real yet but I’m super excited for sure… it’s been a lot, but it’s been awesome.”
Mace himself had plenty of praise for Wiebe, especially to come up that big after a handful of tough plays earlier in the game.
“I’m so incredibly proud of that kid, I’m super happy he was able to have that moment here,” Mace said. “He’s been working his tail off. I challenged the kid in the off-season and he’s answered so many questions that we had for him and he deserved that today.”
Wiebe admitted he’d have liked to have played better overall, but hoped he’d shown enough that the team brass will keep him around once camp wraps up.
“There’s still a lot I want to do, I’m trying to make the team at the end of the day and I think there were plays that helped me get there and there were plays that took me back,” Wiebe said. “So I’m trying to get better, and at the end of the day, I want to be making plays like that in-season when it matters the most. So I’m just trying to get better.”
That includes battling through whatever adversity comes his way, as was the case on Sunday.
“You gotta stay ready, you gotta be locked in and work on these things now and come back from it,” said Wiebe, who had a pass go off his hands for an interception in the third quarter. “The third quarter and fourth quarter were a little bit of a mental battle, but it was good to be able to respond. Now I know what it feels like, too, and I’m just going to keep on rolling and keep on trying to get better.”
That the touchdown pass happened at all was a product of a stellar drive engineered by Schlager, who himself had a solid showing in his second pre-season appearance with the Riders.
“I thought he showed that he’s more than willing to be a good quarterback in this league and we have a few guys in that locker room who can do the same,” Mace said. “That’s huge for us, it’s how you respond to adversity, bounce back, not backwards. He had his helmet ripped off and got poked in the eye, he threw that pick six, and in the end went down there and threw the touchdown to the local boy, too. That was pretty cool.”
Saskatchewan now begins the long wait, with three weeks between Saturday’s game and their CFL season opener on Saturday, June 13 against the B.C. Lions at Mosaic Stadium.
