Riders head into bye on a high
REGINA The Saskatchewan Roughriders have won two straight CFL games and finally may be hitting their stride.
So, with the way their season has been going, it seems only fitting that the Roughriders have to take a break. Saskatchewan is now on a bye week.
“A bye could go one of two ways,” quarterback Darian Durant said after Saturday’s 20-18 victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Mosaic Stadium. “I’ve been a part of byes that came at a bad time. We were rolling and then we came back and we didn’t do much. And then I’ve been a part (of byes) where we’ve needed it and we took off afterwards. We’ll see.
“The main thing is we’re going into the bye with a good feeling, a winning feeling, and guys are going to come back a little rejuvenated and ready to go and try to get another W.”
The Roughriders improved to 3-10-0 with Saturday’s triumph. Their playoff chances remain slim — any combination of Saskatchewan losses and Edmonton Eskimos wins totalling two will eliminate the Roughriders from post-season contention — but they’ve played better of late.
One wonders, though, if the bye will blunt Saskatchewan’s newfound drive.
“It’s very easy to (lose the momentum), but I feel with the guys we have in this room, we won’t,” said defensive lineman Ese Mrabure. “I’ve just got that confidence.
“We’ve got something inside of us that’s telling me that this bye isn’t going to faze us. It’s going to be more of a positive than a negative.”
The Roughriders had their first bye of the season in Week 1, so they’ve played 13 straight games without a break. Many players and coaches will head home to recharge their batteries before returning to practice in early October.
Saskatchewan’s next game is set for Oct. 7 against the host Ottawa Redblacks.
The break will allow players who have been in the lineup to rest up, but it also will give regulars who have been sidelined a chance to heal and perhaps return to the field.
“A lot of teams sometimes go flat over the break,” admitted head coach-GM Chris Jones.
“But this is a young group, so I think that getting back off the bumps and bruises and getting off their legs a little bit is going to be beneficial to them.”
Durant didn’t finish Saturday’s game, so the bye could help him if he needs time to recuperate.
Late in the third quarter, Durant was tackled by Hamilton’s John Chick.
Durant’s helmet hit the ground and he stayed down for a few moments before walking off the field.
The veteran QB said he wanted to return to the game, but doctors ordered him to go through the CFL’s concussion protocol. As a result, he was a spectator for the rest of the contest.
“You sit there and you go, ‘Oh no,’ ’’ Jones said when asked how he reacted to Durant’s injury. “In this situation and at this point in time, it’s kind of hard to believe that your starter would have an injury of that magnitude.”