Saskatchewan Roughriders quarterback Brandon Bridge throws the ball during first half CFL football action against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, in Hamilton, Ont., Thursday July 19, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Mark Blinch
HAMILTON — Brandon Bridge has the Hamilton Tiger-Cats’ number.
Bridge has posted three victories as the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ starting quarterback in his career — and all three have come against the Tiger-Cats.
The latest in that string occurred Thursday, when the Roughriders defeated Hamilton 31-20 in CFL action at Tim Hortons Field.
“We just had a great game plan,” Bridge said when asked to explain his success. “The offensive line was doing a heck of a job running the football, making gigantic holes for the running backs to run through, and gave us a lot of time at quarterback to throw the ball.
“It was just a great collective team win.”
The win — Saskatchewan’s fifth in a row against the Tiger-Cats — improved the Roughriders’ record this season to 3-2-0. Hamilton fell to 2-3-0.
The Roughriders trailed 17-7 at the half before going on a 24-3 spurt over the first 20 minutes of the second half to take control.
Bridge had one incompletion in the second half, going 9-for-10 for 73 yards. He finished the game with 17 completions in 22 pass attempts for 165 yards with one touchdown.
Slated to rotate with David Watford, Bridge played in all but two offensive series.
“He was having success on first-and-10 with what we were calling,” head coach-GM Chris Jones said. “When something’s going well (we stick with it). Last year, when (Kevin Glenn) would play well, you wouldn’t see Brandon Bridge.”
On Thursday, Watford was the backup who spent most of the game on the sideline as Bridge hit his stride.
“When you have a couple of drives under you, you start to feel it,” Bridge said. “I would definitely say I got into a rhythm.”
Saskatchewan, which went into the game with four offensive touchdowns this season, got two against the Tiger-Cats. The Roughriders had 394 yards of net offence.
That helped Saskatchewan post a season high for points in 2018. Its previous high was 27 in a season-opening victory over the Toronto Argonauts on June 15.
The Roughriders’ defence held Jeremiah Masoli to 184 yards passing, ending his string of consecutive games with 300 yards passing. The Hamilton quarterback had reached that mark in nine straight games, tying the CFL record set by Sam Etcheverry in 1956 and matched by Kent Austin in 1991.
Hamilton also managed just 238 yards of net offence in Thursday’s game.
The Roughriders opened the scoring with a 28-yard Brett Lauther field goal at 5:55 of the first quarter. The kick occurred five plays after Willie Jefferson stuffed Masoli on a third-and-inches play from the Hamilton 37-yard line.
The Tiger-Cats got on the board at 11:28 of the opening frame, when John White IV scored on a six-yard run. Lirim Hajrullahu added the convert and Hamilton led 7-3.
The Roughriders appeared to have the Tiger-Cats’ drive stopped on a Masoli incompletion on second-and-10, but Crezdon Butler was flagged for illegal contact on a receiver to extend the drive. Four plays later, White scored Hamilton’s first touchdown against the Roughriders this season.
Watford replaced Bridge on Saskatchewan’s next possession, but the Roughriders went two-and-out and had to punt.
Watford’s second opportunity to run the offence also ended in a punt, but this time, Frankie Williams made the Roughriders pay. He returned the Josh Bartel effort 98 yards for a touchdown at 3:09 of the second quarter, with Hajrullahu kicking the convert to make it 14-3.
A 52-yard single by Lauther made it 14-4 at 5:40; the miss snapped a string of 11 straight successful field-goal tries by the rookie kicker.
Lauther started another field-goal streak at 11:56 of the second frame, connecting from 36 yards to pull the Roughriders within seven points at 14-7.
Hajrullahu restored the 10-point lead with a 42-yard field goal at 14:22 and that was the score at the half.
It took the Roughriders just one offensive play to score in the second half.
Marcus Thigpen took a handoff from Bridge and went 80 yards right up the middle for a touchdown only 33 seconds into the third quarter. It was Thigpen’s first (and only) carry of the game.
Lauther added the convert and it was 17-14.
The longest rush of Thigpen’s CFL career also was the longest run by a Roughrider since Wes Cates had an 83-yard rush on July 17, 2010.
The Roughriders were back for more at 5:10 of the third quarter when Bridge found a wide-open Naaman Roosevelt with a 24-yard touchdown pass. Lauther’s convert gave Saskatchewan a 21-17 lead.
The TD pass — Bridge’s first of the season — came three plays after a bizarre decision by the Tiger-Cats.
On a third-and-13 play, Masoli punted out of shotgun formation with players onside behind him. But the punt didn’t cross the line of scrimmage, and Jefferson recovered the fumble at the Hamilton 47-yard line.
The Tiger-Cats cut into the lead on their next possession, with Hajrullahu kicking a 35-yard field goal at 8:32 of the third quarter.
Christion Jones provided the Roughriders’ next score, returning a Hajrullahu punt 61 yards for a touchdown. Lauther’s convert gave Saskatchewan a 28-20 lead at 13:46 of the third.
The return TD was the first of the season for Jones and his fourth in 17 career CFL games, playoffs included.
The Roughriders took a 31-20 lead at 5:33 of the fourth, when Lauther kicked a 35-yard field goal. That completed the scoring and gave Chris Jones a satisfying victory.
“Not very many sportswriters had us picked to win the football game — I think we were 11-point underdogs — so it’s pretty nice to come in and beat a very good Hamilton team,” he said. “They do a very good job, they’re very well-coached, their personnel is tremendous. They’re a very good football team.”
Saskatchewan returns to action July 28 against the visiting Calgary Stampeders.
