July 22, 2017

The Roughriders have been given a rough ride in Calgary

CALGARY — The last time the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders won a regular-season game at McMahon Stadium, Chris Jones was on the sideline … of the Calgary Stampeders.

Jones was Calgary’s defensive co-ordinator on Aug. 1, 2009, when Saskatchewan downed the home side 24-23.

“Is that right? It’s been that long?” said Jones, who’s now the Roughriders’ head coach and general manager. “It’s incredible. They are very tough at home and we’re looking forward to the football game.”

The Roughriders and Stampeders are to tangle today (7 p.m., CKRM, TSN) at McMahon Stadium. The teams have played 10 regular-season games in Calgary since that game in August of ’09 and the Stampeders have won nine straight — and they tied the 10th.

“It’s weird because (playing in Calgary) is kind of like a second home game,” Roughriders quarterback Kevin Glenn said, referring to the Saskatchewan fans who flock to McMahon.

“I saw it when I first got into the league (in 2001). I was on the Saskatchewan Roughriders and we came to play the Calgary Stampeders and there was so much green in the stands. It was like, ‘Man, this feels like a home game.’

“It’s kind of weird that (a Roughriders win in Calgary) hasn’t happened, but there’s always a first.”

The Stampeders also have won eight straight overall against Saskatchewan. The Roughriders’ most-recent victory over Calgary occurred July 5, 2013, when they downed the Stampeders 36-21 at Mosaic Stadium.

McMahon Stadium, however, has been less hospitable to the Green and White.

In that contest in ’09, Roughriders receiver Rob Bagg caught one pass for minus-one yard and tackled Calgary defensive back Dwight Anderson after an interception. Bagg was a tad surprised to discover the length of Saskatchewan’s regular-season drought in Calgary.

“That really is crazy,” he said. “They’re a great football team year in and year out. I’ve always thought Calgary has been good to us in terms of a place we play, but I guess the playoff wins cloud your perspective of things.”

Ah, yes — the playoff wins.

Saskatchewan defeated the host Stampeders 20-16 in the 2010 West Division final before falling 21-18 to the Montreal Alouettes in that year’s Grey Cup game.

The Roughriders also beat Calgary 35-13 at McMahon in the 2013 West Division final, then downed the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 45-23 in the Grey Cup game at Mosaic Stadium.

But the Stampeders have been a regular-season juggernaut at home. They’ve won 11 straight here, including all nine during the 2016 campaign.

“That’s what (head coach Dave Dickenson) preaches …,” said offensive tackle Derek Dennis, who spent one and a half seasons with the Stampeders before signing with Saskatchewan as a free agent in the off-season.

“You don’t ever want anybody to say that they could come into your house and slap you around. It’s like that in regular life: You don’t want anbody to walk into your home and take whatever they want and treat the people in your home however they want to. Of course you’re going to play a certain level and you’re going to play demanding a certain amount of respect.

“I know those guys. They love to protect home turf. They feed off that crowd, they love that crowd and they’re going to make sure they put on a show for the home crowd.”

The Stampeders traditionally have done that. The franchise has a home record of 374-203-10 in its regular-season history, including 74-34-5 against Saskatchewan.

“They probably have a good record against a lot of different teams in this league,” said Roughriders linebacker Henoc Muamba, who admitted he didn’t win too many games in Calgary during his days with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Montreal, either.

“(The Roughriders’ losing streak in Calgary) doesn’t necessarily surprise me. But it’s a new day and this defence is up for the challenge.”

All week, the Roughriders have given credit to the Stampeders.

Jones has repeatedly said Calgary is a well-coached, veteran-laden team that does a lot of things right on offence, defence and special teams. The Stampeders also are used to winning, Jones said, so the Roughriders will have to play “good, solid professional football.”

“That means doing a lot of little things right,” he added. “We’ve got to make sure we protect Kevin. We’ve got to get in and out of the huddle. (We) can’t take pre-snap penalties. (We’ve) got to hang on to the ball and do all the things that the good teams do.”

If the Roughriders can do those things, they will get a good idea of where they are as a team.

Calgary typically is considered a good measuring stick for other CFL teams because of its continued run of success. If Saskatchewan can prevail today, Glenn said it would be “a big character win for us.”

“You’ve always got to bring your best game,” noted Bagg. “Fortunately, we’ll have a lot of Rider support (at McMahon) as we always do, but clearly it hasn’t been enough over the last seven years.

“I’m excited about this opportunity. I love playing in Calgary. I love playing the best teams and this year especially with the parity around the league. It’s going to be a fun weekend. I feel like it’s going to be a character-defining moment for us, too.”