Sometimes a feeling about the game to be played comes from Saskatchewan Roughrider fans coming into the stadium.
On Oct. 2 it was a subdued crowd. The excited buzz of fans looking forward to a win was absent. Instead, the fans were quietly walking through the park and almost silently entering the stadium. Rider Nation was feeling dread about the game against the Calgary Stampeders. Their feeling was apt as the Riders trailed the Stampeders after the first drive of the game and were never ahead. The game ended 37-31 for Calgary.
As with most games, the better team on the offensive and defensive lines was the winner.
The Rider running game was ineffective. The Riders had a net of 30 yards on 10 carries for a three yard average. Rider centre Logan Ferland summed up the problem concisely after the game. He said they could not get the running game going because of missed assignments, one at a time. He said they have to do a better job running the ball. On how they can do a better job he said each player had to look in the mirror and take responsibility for their play.
When I said the line had done a good job protecting quarterback Trevor Harris during the game he was not accepting praise for the line. He said the two sacks they gave up are two too many.
I am confident the offensive line will be fired up to take on the Montreal Alouettes on Thanksgiving Day.
Defensive tackle Mike Rose said they did not play well. He gave credit to the Stampeders saying they played well and singled out Vernon Adams Jr. for doing a good job.
The key drive of the game may have been Calgary’s eight minute drive that used up the last two minutes of the third quarter and the opening six minutes of the fourth quarter. They traveled 107 yards to go up two touchdowns.
Riders head coach Corey Mace said the drive was tough, that the defence, especially in the fourth quarter, could not get off the field. They got Calgary in second and long situations but Adams scrambled or they ran a hitch or a curl at the sticks. He said it was disappointing. He said the defence knew the situation but failed to execute.
Rose said the defence needed to work better as a complete unit. He said the effort was there but not the execution.
Defensive end James Vaughters said Adams did not beat the Riders with his legs. He said Adams made the throws needed for the win. He acknowledged the Riders contained the Stampeder running game.
On what they needed to do against the Alouettes Vaughters said they needed to make plays. He added it is not overly complicated.
I thought the defensive line missed Derick Roberson. The pass rush by committee needs him to be effective.
I thought the secondary missed Tevaughn Campbell even more. It was already going to be a challenge going against the talented Alouette receivers. If he is out there the odds improve significantly.
Despite everything going against them the Riders had a crazy chance late in the game. Down 34-13 with five minutes and saying they had a chance was to echo the movie Dumb and Dumber. Yet they managed to score three touchdowns in the last three minutes of the game. I cannot recall seeing that happen and Trevor Harris said he had not been part of such a situation.
Even with Calgary getting a field goal the Riders could have tied the game with three successful two-point converts to go with the three touchdowns. Unfortunately, they failed on all three two-point attempts.
In those frantic minutes I thought there was a pair of key decisions for Mace involving those converts as the Riders tried to close the point differential. If they could have gotten to losing by three points they would have split the season series with Calgary and been tied in the same number of points scored and given up and, if tied with Calgary in the standings, would have gone to the second tiebreaker for standings which is records against division opponents. The Riders are currently 4-5 and the Stampeders 3-5.
I understood going for the two-point convert after the first touchdown. Had it succeeded the Riders would have been down 34-21. If they could score another touchdown and kick a field goal they would have lost by three reaching a tie on points.
I question going for the two-point convert after the second touchdown. Calgary had kicked a field goal so the score was 37-25 following the Rider touchdown. Going for the two-point convert pulls them within 10 so that if they get the third touchdown they are at the three points down mark.
I consider the two-point convert harder to get than the single point convert. Had they gone for the single convert they would have been 11 points down. It would mean that if they get the third touchdown they needed the two-point convert to get within three points.
I think the odds favour going for the two-point convert on the last touchdown, which would have been the third touchdown.
When they missed the second two-point convert after the second touchdown they had no chance with another touchdown of closing the points differential to three.
On the two-point converts Mace said they were “just trying to get that first one, then it gives us a little bit of options as we go down, if we can get in position to score the other touchdowns. But we need to get it down to a certain score. I was just trying to get it as close as possible.”
On why all three two-point converts failed Trevor explained the plays. He said on the first he said he threw a corner route to Johnny Johnson and the Calgary guy made a play. On the second they covered what he wanted to do outside and he reset to try to fit it in on a dig route and defensive back Damon Webb played over the top and made a play. On the third he tried to flip back to the field and Jaylon Hutchings got in the backfield and sacked him.
I did not think anything could make me smile after that game but I looked at my phone after the post-game interviews and my younger son, Michael, had sent a reel of Bomber quarterback Zach Collaros talking on a podcast. He said they have some good neighbours on their street in Winnipeg. He knows the kids. He said they come to his house. The girls ask if his daughters, Sierra and Capri, can come out to play and the boys ask if “Zach will you come play football with us”. He goes out and plays touch football with the boys on their street. I was impressed. A link to the reel on Instagram is here.
