July 2, 2017

Winnipeg spoils the Roughriders’ party

The Saskatchewan Roughriders take on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in CFL action on July 1st, 2017 at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, SK. Derek Mortensen/Electric Umbrella

Through two regular-season games, the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders have suffered two losses by a grand total of four points.

But Roughriders head coach-GM Chris Jones won’t dare suggest that his team should be 2-0 instead of 0-2.

“You can’t sit there and say that,” Jones said after Saturday’s 43-40, double-overtime loss to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the grand opening of Mosaic Stadium.

“We’ve played two good football teams that are probably better than what people think and they’ve made enough plays to beat us. We’ve made enough plays to beat ourselves.”

The Roughriders opened the season with a 17-16 loss to the host Montreal Alouettes on June 22. Saskatchewan had a chance to win that game, but Tyler Crapigna’s 45-yard field-goal attempt on the final play of the game sailed wide.

On Saturday, Crapigna had a chance to give the Roughriders a 43-40 lead on their second possession of overtime, but his 33-yard attempt hit the left upright. The Bombers took over needing just a single to win — but Justin Medlock’s 28-yard field-goal try was true and Winnipeg prevailed by three.

“it’s part of the game,” Crapigna said. “I don’t know what to say. You make kicks, you miss kicks. It just so happens that I’ve happened to miss two in the last two games.”

The Roughriders now have lost five straight regular-season games. Saskatchewan completed the 2016 season with three consecutive losses before falling to Montreal in Week 1 and Winnipeg in Week 2.

The Roughriders’ last win occurred on Oct. 15, when they beat the Toronto Argonauts 29-11. Saskatchewan’s last home win was on Sept. 14, when it defeated the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 20-18.

The Tiger-Cats are to visit Mosaic Stadium on Saturday.

Saskatchewan quarterback Kevin Glenn twice put the blame on himself after Saturday’s loss, telling reporters after the game that the two interceptions he threw in the contest were fatal.

The fact that the veteran pivot completed 36 of 49 pass attempts for 377 yards and four touchdowns was of little consolation — especially since a sellout crowd of 33,350 couldn’t fully celebrate either the grand opening of the team’s new home or Canada Day.

“It was a great day for the fans — besides the loss,” Glenn said. “That would have set it off. They could have left this place with a big win and gone and watched some fireworks. But we didn’t get it done for them. I put that on myself. This one’s on me.”

Saskatchewan scored the first points for a CFL team in the new facility at 9:11 of the first quarter, when Crapigna hit a 48-yard field goal.

After Saskatchewan’s Jonathan Newsome intercepted a deflected Matt Nichols pass, Glenn hit Duron Carter for 36 yards to the Winnipeg 18-yard line. On the next play, Glenn found Caleb Holley for the first touchdown in a CFL regular-season game at the stadium.

Crapigna added the convert and the Roughriders led 10-0 at 13:40 of the first quarter.

After Medlock got Winnipeg on the board with a 30-yard field goal at 4:32 of the second quarter, the Roughriders replied with an 11-yard TD pass from Glenn to Bakari Grant. Crapigna’s convert made it 17-3 at 12:14 of the second quarter.

The Bombers’ offence came to life after the kickoff, driving 67 yards in seven plays for a touchdown. Nichols connected with Darvin Adams on a 31-yard scoring pass and Medlock added the convert to make it 17-10 at 13:56.

The Bombers got a 17-yard field goal from Medlock exactly a minute later. The three-pointer, which completed the first-half scoring, came four plays after Glenn was intercepted by former Roughriders linebacker Sam Hurl.

The Bombers struck quickly in the third quarter, as Nichols found a wide-open Weston Dressler for an 87-yard pass-and-run TD. Medlock kicked the convert and Winnipeg led 20-17 at 3:08.

Things went from bad to worse for Saskatchewan on the ensuing kickoff, as Greg Morris dropped the ball and Winnipeg recovered on the Roughriders’ nine-yard line.

One play later, Nichols found an uncovered Dressler for the major. Medlock converted the TD and the Bombers were up 27-17 at 4:02.

Crapigna kicked a 32-yard field goal at 7:58 of the third, but the Bombers responded on their next possession. Nichols hit L’Damian Washington for a 35-yard TD and Medlock kicked the convert to make it 34-20 at 10:12.

After Crapigna (35 yards) and Medlock (27 yards) traded field goals, the Roughriders pulled to within seven with 9:30 left in regulation time. Glenn found Nic Demski for a 35-yard TD and Crapigna added the convert to cut Winnipeg’s lead to 37-30.

The Roughriders tied the game with 1:51 left in regulation time, when Crapigna converted Naaman Roosevelt’s 16-yard TD reception.

The Bombers had the first possession in overtime and took the lead on a 35-yard field goal by Medlock. Crapigna answered from 30 yards out on Saskatchewan’s first possession and the contest went to a second mini-game.

The Roughriders’ possession ended when Crapigna hit the left upright. That set the stage of Medlock’s game-winner.

Demski had a fine game for the Roughriders, hauling in seven passes for 82 yards and returning nine punts for 82 yards. Holley added five receptions for 74 yards, Carter caught five passes for 69 yards, and Roosevelt recorded six catches for 59 yards.

Nichols finished with 23 completions in 36 pass attempts for 331 yards with four TDs. Dressler was his favourite target, catching six passes for 124 yards.

The Bombers had 392 yards of net offence — 20 more than the Roughriders — and that stuck in Jones’ craw.

“I’ll tell you exactly what I told (the players after the game),” the head coach-defensive co-ordinator told reporters. “I said, ‘It’s not necessarily the teams that we’re playing that are making plays, but we’re allowing them to have plays.’

“(It was the) same thing last week: We play very good defence against Montreal and they hit us with a 65-yard play because we don’t cover our guy. Tonight’s the same thing. We come out in the second half, we blow a coverage and they score (on Dressler’s 87-yard) touchdown.

“We’ve got to find a way to do things the correct way 100 per cent of the time and not just some of the time.”