Riders face another tough test against Esks
Help may be on the way for the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ struggling offence.
Quarterback Zach Collaros, who has been sidelined since Week 2 with a concussion, could return after the Riders’ second bye week.
“After the bye, he should be fine,” Chris Jones, the Riders’ head coach and general manager, said after Saturday’s 34-22 CFL loss to the visiting Calgary Stampeders.
Collaros may be progressing, but the Riders still have one more game to play before their second of three bye weeks. The Riders are to play the Edmonton Eskimos on Thursday at Commonwealth Stadium.
Edmonton defeated the Montreal Alouettes 44-23 on Thursday to improve to 4-2. The Riders fell to 3-3 after losing to the Stampeders (6-0).
“It’s from one tough team to another tough team,” Riders defensive end Tobi Antigha said. “(Edmonton) has a great quarterback in Mike Reilly and he’s one of the best in the league for a reason.
“It’s another game where we have to focus and do our jobs to the best of our abilities and stay disciplined. If we’re able to do that, we’re able to play with anyone in the league.”
The CFL schedule hasn’t made it easy for the Riders when it comes to playing the Eskimos for the first time this season. Edmonton will enter the game with a week’s rest, having played on Thursday night in Montreal.
The Riders, who were off Sunday, have only four days to prepare to play the Eskimos. However, Riders quarterback Brandon Bridge actually likes the short week.
“The bad taste that we had in our mouth, we can definitely spit it out,” he said. “We can get after it and put all of anger out on Edmonton.”
The Riders also have to count on Bridge, who struggled while making his fourth start since Collaros was placed on the injured list.
On Saturday, Bridge completed 19 of 29 passes for 147 yards and wasn’t able to generate an offensive touchdown. His longest completion was for 17 yards.
“Their defence likes to drop back and they like to rally to the football,” Bridge said. “They take away the deep throws and I just kept checking down because that’s what they were giving us.
“You don’ t want to put the ball in jeopardy with a team like that and a quarterback like that. Bo Levi Mitchell will definitely take advantage of that.”
The Riders are counting on a ball-control offence to slow the game down for Bridge and increase his passing percentage. That means shorter passes and committing to running the ball. Jones said the Riders’ offence is similar to what Calgary runs.
“We’re going to steal a little bit of what they’re doing, so you had better get used to it because we’re going to do some more of it,” Jones said.
“I can tell Edmonton right now: We’re going to run the football, we’re going to be running (bootlegs), we’re going to throw screens and that’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to get good at that and we’re going to play great defence and special teams.”
The Riders did play great defence after being placed in tough positions in the opening quarter. Calgary enjoyed a short field on three occasions, thanks to two turnovers and a no-yards penalty.
The Stampeders scored 17 of their 24 first-quarter points as a result of those possessions. Calgary also scored on a 78-yard punt return by Terry Williams en route to grabbing a 24-0 lead.
Jones was pleased with how the Riders rallied after falling behind.
“The one positive that comes out of this is the fact the guys have a good belief system and they kept on fighting on and scratching,” Jones said. “They made it a competitive game and Calgary had to play into the fourth quarter to win the game.”
All the Riders’ offensive points came courtesy of Brett Lauther, who was 5-for-5 on field goal attempts, including a 56-yarder.
Lauther also chipped in a convert after Antigha, who lined up at safety on the play, returned an interception 52 yards for a touchdown. It was the Roughriders’ fourth defensive touchdown in six games this season.
It’s another game where we have to focus and do our jobs to the best of our abilities and stay disciplined.