The Saskatchewan Roughriders defence is taking plenty of heat for allowing some big plays to the B.C. Lions in the Saturday’s Western Semi-Final, but that’s not the only reason why the team lost.
Riders legendary quarterback and SportsCage regular Darian Durant is instead putting his focus on the offence.
“I just saw the inability to put the ball in the end zone,” Durant said on his weekly Monday segment. “That’s what it came down to.”
The Riders fell 33-26 to the Lions on Saturday, a defeat that ended their season.
They went 1-for-3 in the red zone, the only touchdown coming from a four-yard run from short-yardage quarterback Tommy Stevens. They needed six field goals from Brett Lauther to record the bulk of their offensive production.
The Riders had all kinds of problems finishing drives and putting points on the board in the weeks leading up to their playoff game.
They scored 16 or fewer points in three of their six post-Labour Day regular season contests.
“It just seemed like the Riders offence would stall as it got into the scoring zone, and this is just another example of that this past weekend,” Durant said. “You get on B.C.’s side of the field eight times and come away with six field goals and only one touchdown. It’s just not enough.”
Durant felt that type of success rate perhaps could have cut it versus the Edmonton Elks, who, he said, aren’t as explosive offensively as the Lions.
B.C.’s ability to strike quickly, which is exactly what came to fruition with a 69-yard touchdown from Stanley Berryhill III and a 70-yard major from Jevon Cottoy, required more potency from the Riders.
“Against Nathan Rourke and this B.C. Lions team, they can get hot so fast,” Durant said. “You just can’t settle for field goals.
“If I just had to point my finger at one thing and one problem the Riders had, it would just be the inability to put the ball in the end zone.”
The Riders looked like they were shot out of a cannon in the first quarter.
Jameer Thurman forced a fumble on the first B.C. play from scrimmage. The defence was dialled in. The offence controlled the ball with 9:36 of possession.
The score, however, favoured them only 6-3.
“When the Riders were settling for these field goals, and the score is 6-3 and then 9-3, you get a feeling that they’re letting B.C. hang around,” Durant said. “B.C., you know how explosive they are. They’re one play away from just changing the entire momentum of the game.”
Though Stevens’ touchdown but the Riders up 17-3, the Lions did their thing like the snap of a finger courtesy of Rourke’s bomb to a wide-open Berryhill in the second quarter.
“As soon as the Lions get the ball back, that’s when it happens,” Durrant said. “I hear some criticism of (defensive coordinator) Josh Bell and the difficulties of this defence, but it was the perfect defensive call.
“You get (James) Vaughters coming off the edge and then (Josh) Woods had a chance at Nathan Rourke as well. You hear in the locker room about X’s and O’s, well, this was about Nathan Rourke.”
That changed the game, Durant said. The problem was the offence never answered.
So, according to Durant, the loss should be pegged on that side of the ball at least as much as it is on the defence – and maybe more.
