After a challenging summer in which both Sharon and I had broken arms, we are hoping for a more routine fall. I was able to attend the Hamilton Tiger Cat game on Aug. 16 and look forward to the rest of the season.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders won that game 29-9.
For the first time in a long time, the wind was a significant factor in a Rider home game. At the old Taylor Field the wind was a presence in virtually every game and sometimes dominated the game. Most often I remember the wind blasting out of the north. It was intimidating, frustrating, and occasionally dramatic.
I was there when Paul McCallum kicked his CFL record 63-yard field goal against the then Edmonton Eskimos. It was a sunny October afternoon with a strong wind out of the north. It is the only time I have been present at a game where the ball was snapped on the kicking team’s side of the 55-yard line. The wind was behind him and the ball sailed through the uprights. I am sure it would have been good from 70 yards away.
I admit I was glad earlier this season when Sergio Castillo of the Blue Bombers tied but did not break Dave’s record.
On Saturday afternoon Riders head coach Corey Mace described the wind as crazy. He said it was so crazy they were sometimes going for a 2-point convert.
Usually the configuration of the new Mosaic Stadium and being sunk into the ground prevents the wind from being an issue. In particular, the winds out of the north are prevented from sweeping down the field. In Saturday’s game the wind was out of the south.
Before the game Mace said it was tough watching both returners trying to catch kicked balls.
Rider rookie returner Drae McCray struggled to catch kickoffs and punts in a real Saskatchewan wind.
On his fumbled punt, I could see Hamilton punter Nik Constantinou’s kick spiraling high up into the sky and when it turned over it appeared to be coming straight down. It reminded me of a towering popup on a ball field when there is wind and how hard it can be to catch the ball coming down.
It was no surprise to me when it bounced off McCray’s chest. Trying to catch it, as usual, with his hands at his waist was almost impossible. Had he put his hands up to catch it at head height or higher like an infielder it would have been just as difficult as it is unnatural for kick returners.
While Mace understood the difficulty, he said if you touch it, you’re supposed to catch it.
The wind also affected the quarterbacks. Trevor Harris said when throwing with the wind, that it lifted the ball up. He was able to adjust better than Bo Levi Mitchell who was consistently high, especially on intermediate and longer pass routes. Rolan Milligan said the ball was sailing a bit. Mitchell also faced a lot of pressure, confirmed by six Rider sacks, as he was throwing the ball.
On Milligan’s end zone interception that effectively quashed a Tiger Cat comeback he said he was eyeing Mitchell as he dropped back. He was playing Mitchell on the play as Kiondre Smith ran an out and up. It would have taken a perfect throw to Smith. It was a hero throw. Mitchell periodically attempts throws that are exceedingly difficult. When the ball was a touch high with the wind this time, Milligan was in perfect position to intercept the ball.
Everyone knows Brett Lauther had a hard afternoon. He missed three field goals, two of them against the wind. He said he was terrible like most of the year.
As the game went on, having missed twice to the right and then hitting the left upright, I asked him if was over-compensating. He replied it was not an issue of compensating but not being really good enough on Saturday.
He had little interest in talking about the 59-yard field goal he made to end the first half. He said he was just trying to make kicks.
The 59-yarder did go through easily. Mace said, having watched Lauther’s pre-game kicks and talking with Lauther and special teams coach Kent Maugeri, they would have been comfortable with him attempting it from another seven yards further out.
Lauther never mentioned the wind as a problem.
He looked really down in the locker room. I asked him if he was discouraged. He said he was not feeling discouraged. He said he had never had more support from the team than this year and he was trying his best.
I admire him being available to talk after the game. He may not be present if he has had a good day but he will be there if it has been a hard day. He shoulders responsibility for his play. The weight of a tough season is heavy upon him. I wish him well. He is a good kicker.
Bill Selnes, who’s based in Melfort, has written about the Saskatchewan Roughriders since the late 1970s. He was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, Football Reporters of Canada wing on Nov. 24, 2013.
