Riders are ‘different team’ since Stamps thrashing
Saskatchewan got ‘wake-up call’ in July, ready for a big test against Calgary Friday
CALGARY T h e S a s k a t c h e w a n Roughriders absorbed more than a 37-10 thrashing when they last played the Calgary Stampeders.
“It was a wake-up call and a slap in the face,” Riders guard Dariusz Bladek said in advance of Friday’s rematch at Mcmahon Stadium.
“As crazy as it sounds, it was one of those things that sometimes you need. It happened and we learned from it. We’ve continued to grow since then and that’s week in and week out. We’re all playing with a chip on our shoulder to prove that we’re as good as our record.”
Calgary’s Eric Rogers, however, doesn’t believe the Riders are as good as their 10-4 record, which has the Green and White atop the CFL’S West Division and ahead of the second-place Stampeders (95).
Rogers told Postmedia’s Daniel Austin that the Stampeders “beat up on them and pretty much dominated them the most out of any team” on July 6 at Mosaic Stadium.
“Hopefully that comes back and we do the same thing,” Rogers said. “Their quarterback didn’t play too well against our defence last time and we took what they gave us and had some good shots at icing the game at the end.
“Just because they’ve been beating other teams doesn’t mean they can just come in and do that to us. We’ll see if they can come in and play better and get a win. Then I might change (my opinion), but so far I’m just telling the truth.”
The Riders feel they are better than the team that had a 1-3 record after the loss to Calgary. Since that game, Saskatchewan has gone 9-1.
“We’re a different team in terms of confidence,” Riders middle linebacker Solomon Elimimian said. “When we started early on in the season, there were a lot of different players in different positions from different teams. Guys have meshed really well since. They know their roles and know what the coaches are asking them to do and they are executing at a higher level.”
The Riders resembled a team that was still coming together against the Stampeders while struggling in all three phases of the game.
“We got humbled, for sure,” said head coach Craig Dickenson. “It’s hard to be too cocky when you’re 1-2, which we were at the time. We felt like we could beat Calgary. Then they came in there with a new quarterback and he just really put it on us.”
The game featured backup quarterbacks starting for their respective teams. Calgary’s Nick Arbuckle made his first start for an injured Bo Levi Mitchell (pectoral). Arbuckle carved up the Riders’ defence for 19 completions in 22 attempts for 262 yards and two touchdowns.
For the Riders, Cody Fajardo was making his third CFL start since No. 1 quarterback Zach Collaros was sidelined during the third play of the regular season after suffering a concussion on an illegal hit.
Fajardo was held to 89 passing yards, was intercepted twice by Tre Roberson (one of which he returned for a pick six) and was sacked four times.
“I remember being an inexperienced quarterback against zone coverage and it was pretty frustrating,” Fajardo said. “I threw two picks in that game and just felt like I couldn’t get into a rhythm. I took a lot of sacks that were on me, personally.”
The Stampeders are also a different team. Mitchell is 4-1 since returning from his injury and has thrown for 1,669 yards and six touchdowns in those five starts.
Mitchell, however, hasn’t faced a Riders’ defence that has improved since July 6. Charleston Hughes leads the CFL with 15 sacks and defensive back Ed Gainey appears to be regaining his earlier ball-hawking form with interceptions in back-to-back games.
“The season could have gone south after that game,” Elimimian said. “However, Coach Dickenson reinforced that he believed in us, that we had the right group of guys on this team and that we’re not listening to any outside pressure and that things will get better.”