Notebook: The Roughriders were wowed by their loud crowd

Kevin Glenn is looking for payback.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders quarterback was impressed with the work of the 33,350 fans who attended Saturday’s official grand opening of Mosaic Stadium.

Glenn noted the patrons “did a great job” by getting loud during the first CFL game played at the new facility. The only problem was that they saw their team drop a 43-40, double-overtime decision to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

“The 13^th Man came out to support us,” he said. “We’ve just got to make sure that we start giving back to them and put some wins on the board.”

Defensive tackle Zach Minter echoed Glenn’s thoughts on the loud crowd, calling it “lovely.” But that only made the outcome worse for Minter.

“(The fans) did their part,” he said. “They were loud. The stadium was full and they were great. When you can’t get that win, it’s hard — not only on us but on them, too.”

During the off-season, receiver Rob Bagg talked about his eagerness to see the new stadium filled with people and coming alive with sound.

On Saturday, he described the atmosphere as “beautiful” after seeing and hearing everything. But he also thinks there can be more life inside the building.

“I think the fans are falling into a bit of the same struggle that the players are,” Bagg said. “I feel they’re kind of anticipating things to go wrong regardless of the situation.

“In my first few years here, when we’re down by 10 and the defence is on the field needing a big stop, (the fans) are loud. The stadium wasn’t like that all the time (Saturday). Of course, we’ve got to play — it’s not like the fans win the game — but I feel there’s a negative energy we need to overcome.

“It’s this self-fulfilling prophecy that things aren’t going to go our way. We need to just keep our heads up … and to reinstall that belief that we’re never out of a football game.”

•••

Caleb Holley will forever be the answer to a trivia question.

The Roughriders’ second-year receiver was the first CFL player to score a touchdown in the new stadium, hauling in an 18-yard pass from Glenn at 13:40 of Saturday’s first quarter.

“I haven’t even thought about (the magnitude of) it yet,” Holley said. “It hasn’t hit me because I’m so distracted by what has happened. Once I calm down and once everything settles down, it’ll be an amazing feeling to have the first touchdown in a brand-new stadium.”

The crowd understandably went off when Glenn found Holley behind coverage for the major which, when converted by Tyler Crapigna, gave the Roughriders a 10-0 lead. Reminded of the fans’ reactions, Holley started to realize what he had done.

“If the fans love it, that’s all I really care about,” he said. “If the fans love it, I love it.”

•••

Like many patrons in the stadium and others who were watching on TV, Glenn saw slotback Bakari Grant come open in the end zone during the second overtime period Saturday.

For Glenn, discretion was the better part of valour.

With the scored tied at 40, the Roughriders had a second-and-five from Winnipeg’s 30-yard line on their second possession of OT. Grant broke open on a corner route in the end zone, but Glenn — spying a Winnipeg defensive back starting to sag off Bagg toward Grant — opted to throw a six-yard pass to Bagg for a first down.

“I throw the ball to Bakari and it may be a bang-bang play,” Glenn explained. “I throw the ball to Rob, we get a first down and we still can continue to keep moving the chains.

“Those are the split-second decisions that you have to make sometimes and you can’t second-guess yourself. If you second-guess yourself, you hold (the ball), a guy comes from behind and knocks the ball out and it’s a fumble and they pick it up and we don’t get any points.”

Three plays after Glenn checked down to Bagg, Crapigna’s 33-yard field-goal attempt hit the left upright. Four plays after that, Justin Medlock kicked a 28-yard field goal to give the Bombers the victory.

•••

Nic Demski is on a roll.

The Roughriders’ third-year receiver had seven catches for 82 yards (including a 35-yard touchdown) against Winnipeg. In Saskatchewan’s season-opening 17-16 loss to the Montreal Alouettes on June 22, Demski had seven receptions for 87 yards.

Demski, whose stated goal has been to be more consistent this season, has been targeted 14 times so far — and has 14 catches.

“(His play reflects) growing confidence and knowing that I can do this,” he said. “I want to come in every week and make plays.”

Demski also handled Saskatchewan’s punt returns Saturday in the absences of Chad Owens and Ricky Collins Jr. Demski had nine returns for 82 yards, with a long of 18.

“I’m the type of player who it takes a couple of hits for me to get going,” he said. “When I get on a punt return before I go on the offensive side of the ball, it definitely helps me get into the game quicker.”