REGINA -- Giving up big plays at inopportune times, surrendering turnovers on promising drives and getting absolutely no luck when it comes to the replay command centre.
It’s safe to say the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ 27-21 defeat at the hands of the B.C. Lions on the final night of the Canadian Football League regular season was a microcosm of nearly every one of their losses this season. Thankfully for the Green and White, there were a whole bunch of caveats to go along with it.
Many of the Riders’ starters played sparingly throughout the contest, with starting quarterback Trevor Harris and running back A.J. Ouelllette each playing a quarter-and-a-half before being taken out for the evening. By the time the fourth quarter hit, almost everyone in Saskatchewan’s line-up had seen at least a series or two. And with the Riders having locked down their spot at hosts of the West Final weeks ago, the intensity to win wasn’t nearly as high as it will be in two weeks time.
The Lions, on the other hand, had a ton to play for -- the win sees B.C. finish second in the West Division with an 11-7 record, and as a result, they’ll now host the Calgary Stampeders in the West Semi-Final on Saturday, November 1. A loss would have meant a fourth place finish and a trip to Montreal to face the Alouettes in the East Semi-Final.
So, another narrow loss to close out the season, but one that still left the Riders with some positives to take away from things.
“I told the guys, again, gritty, gritty, gritty performance,” said head coach Corey Mace, who sees his crew finish the regular season with a 12-6 record. “They played their tails off like they did last week versus Winnipeg. Both of those teams, they came in hot with something to prove and I thought we swung with them all the way till the end of the game. There were a couple calls here and there, I wish the football Gods were on our side, but that's how it goes. Excited to gear up here for the West Final.”
The football Gods were especially ornery when it came to the Roughriders and the CFL command centre, as Saskatchewan couldn’t catch a break on a handful of plays that could have completely swung the game.
The first came early in the third quarter when B.C. receiver Keon Hatcher fumbled at the goal line, Saskatchewan’s Tevaughn Campbell picked up the ball and went the distance the other way for an apparent touchdown. The score would have given the Riders a 21-13 lead and all the momentum, but it was instead called back due to the officials having blown the whistle at the moment of the fumble. Mace, who sits on the CFL rules committee, explained how that all worked.
“They can award you the football, but anything gained after that, you can't advance the ball after a whistle has been blown whether it's justified or not.” he said. “That's the rule that we have. We kept them out of the end zone, but unfortunately we didn't come away at those points. They end up being pretty crucial, so it is what it is.”
The command centre also broke the Lions’ way on what would stand as the game-winning points in the fourth quarter. Lions' quarterback Nathan Rourke scrambled out of danger and flipped a pass that was hauled in by Hatcher in the Riders' end zone. The on-field officials initially ruled no catch, but after a lengthy review, the call was overturned and B.C. awarded the touchdown.
The major came with four minutes and 11 seconds to play and marked the final points in the game. As tough as the two turn of events were, Mace was happy with how his troops were able to shrug things off and try and get back in the game.
“As far as the guys, they know what it is,” he said. “This is ball. We build and pride ourselves on adapt and conquer. You got to adapt. This is the situation that we're in. It's football, it's about the ball, let’s keep playing.”
One Roughrider who had an exceptional showing was linebacker Aubrey Miller Jr., who came into the game backing up Jameer Thurman but ended up leading the team with nine tackles. As well as things went for himself personally, the 26-year-old sounded almost despondent with how things turned out in the contest.
“I wanted to demolish these guys and show that we can all play,” he said. “No matter what the number is on the depth chart, we got guys. I wanted to finish strong, man, so I'm kind of disappointed.”
Asked what more he could have done himself to create a better result -- even with his near double-digit tackle total -- Miller Jr. didn’t beat around the bush.
“None of the stats matter to me if we don't win,” he said. “I don't know, I might be too hard on myself, but I love winning. When you get the opportunity to lead in something, the only thing you want to do is win. I don't like coming up short. The guys still played a hell of a game, my teammates did, but I wanted to win.”
While the final result wasn’t what the Riders wanted, there were some good takeaways: Harris and Ouellette were exceptionally effective when they played, helping stake Saskatchewan to an 18-13 lead. Harris finished 10-of-11 passing for 112 yards in his 25-or-so minutes of work, Ouellette had 11 carries for 43 yards. Jake Maeir had flashes of brilliance for the Riders in the final three quarters and was 16-of-24 passing for 154 yards.
Then there was kicker Michael Hughes, who made his debut in place of Brett Lauther and was four-for-four on kicks, with two field goals -- a long of 42 -- and two extra points.
Over on the other side of the field, Rourke ended up 23-of-28 passing for 368 yards -- the vast majority of those on big plays, including a 63-yard touchdown by Ayden Eberhardt on the first play of the game, with three touchdowns and one interception.
“He sees it so well, man.” Mace said when asked about what it is that makes Rourke dangerous. “He can make all the throws and certainly if you get any kind of mental lapses, he's going to find it. He certainly did on the first day of playing the game.
“But you know, I thought our guys did a good job putting some added pressure on him and we got a turnover there… we feel that if we get a chance to see them again, it'll be a good tilt, like tonight was.”
The Roughriders have the week off to rest and repair while the West and East Semi-Finals take place on Saturday, November 1. Saskatchewan hosts the West Final on Saturday, November 8 at Mosaic Stadium, facing the winner between the Calgary Stampeders and B.C. Lions.
