RIDERS’ TIE WITH BOMBERS WAS A WIN IN MANY WAYS
It appeared that Justice had prevailed, but the Saskatchewan Roughriders had other ideas.
Undaunted by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ back-to-back touchdowns — including a goahead major by Justice Liggins with 1:44 remaining in the fourth quarter — the Roughriders rallied Saturday night to salvage a 25-25 tie in the introductory CFL pre-season game at Mosaic Stadium (the new one).
Quinn Van Gylswyk’s 38-yard field goal ensured that the Roughriders would not lose, which is always noteworthy.
They didn’t win, either, so the final verdict should be something in the range of (cue trumpets) moderately successful.
A superior grade can be applied to the $278.2-million edifice. From the comfort of the new and improved press box, it seemed that the final test event at the pristine pigskin palace went off without any major snags.
Kaitlyn Kasha set the tone, literally, with a wonderful rendition of the national anthem.
The basketball-court-sized MaxTron, situated in the south end zone, provided images that were stunning in their clarity.
The LED lights were fully operational in an instant. At antiquated Taylor Field, by contrast, it took eons for the lanterns to provide suitable illumination.
However, there was a semblance of the status quo. A mere 12 minutes after the clock struck 0:00, a train blocked Elphinstone Street. (The 2016 Roughriders weren’t as effective at blocking, but improvements have been made in that regard.)
Brandon Bridge had better timing than the railway. From the outset, he was calm and confident in command of the Roughriders’ offence, completing 20 of 26 passes for 201 yards, including a seven-yard payoff pitch to Duron Carter.
Bridge’s quarterback efficiency rating: An impressive 111.2.
Saskatchewan’s offensive line did a solid job of protecting the passer — Bridge in particular. After the game, Roughriders head coach, general manager and vice-president of football operations Chris Jones praised guard Dariusz Bladek, who was selected in the second round (11th overall) of the 2017 CFL draft.
Bryan Bennett, who during training-camp workouts has been the best quarterback not named Kevin Glenn, struggled in the pre-season opener. Bennett fumbled three times, resulting in two turnovers. Worth noting, though, is the fact that he delivers the football smoothly and with authority.
Marquise Williams, who did not join the Roughriders until the first week of training camp, was a surprising standout. He completed five of six passes for 38 yards late in the game and put his team in position for the game-tying field goal.
The offence as a whole played quite well despite the faulty finishing touch.
Ex-Bomber Cameron Marshall was impressive while rushing four times for 31 yards. He added two receptions for 19 yards. Bridge chipped in along the ground by advancing 19 yards on his only carry.
The receiving corps is, as advertised, deep and talented. Good luck to rival defensive backs who hope to contain
Carter and Naaman Roosevelt.
Defensively, the hyperactive Roughriders performed in sound fashion until the game’s latter stages. At that stage of a pre-season opener, a thrown-together defence is unlikely to perform cohesively.
Saskatchewan’s special teams were, for the most part, worthy of commendation.
Quincy Walden returned a missed field goal 87 yards to set up one of the Roughriders’ six field goals (in as many attempts). Tyler Crapigna hit a pair of 15-yarders before Van Gylswyk went 4-for-4.
The only special-teams glitch, if it can be so termed, was a 70-yard punt-return touchdown by former Roughriders receiver Ryan Lankford. The long-distance jaunt was negated by an offside penalty.
Lankford also made a nice 18-yard touchdown catch of a Dan LeFevour aerial with 4:39 left in the fourth quarter to help Winnipeg reduce its deficit to five points.
On Winnipeg ’s next possession, LeFevour found Liggins for a 24-yard, go-ahead score, and subsequently spotted Larry Raper for a two-point convert that gave Winnipeg a 25-22 lead.
Saskatchewan fumbled away the ball to begin its next offensive series, increasing the likelihood that Winnipeg would emerge with a comeback victory.
But, given one more opportunity, Williams — who erased some of Darian Durant’s records with the University of North Carolina Tar Heels — calmly and effectively moved the offence.
The big play was a 34-yard pass-interference penalty against Winnipeg. Williams was looking deep for Mitch Picton, who typically figured in the outcome at the new stadium.
On Oct. 1, Picton caught two touchdown passes to help the University of Regina Rams defeat the University of Saskatchewan Huskies 37-29 in the first test event. Then, came Saturday’s pivotal penalty.
Two short completions later, Van Gylswyk nailed a clutch kick and, shortly thereafter, there were handshakes. After all, CFL regulations do not call for a preseason contest to extend beyond 60 minutes.
And that was a shame. Had the rules allowed for overtime, who would have even noticed the train?