SECOND IN THE WEST
Surging Riders serious contenders
Jess Moskaluke performed three songs, then left the stage to considerable applause. It was a notable improvement over the twoand-outs that have characterized the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ offence this season.
Whereas the Langenburg-born Moskaluke wowed the crowd at halftime of Sunday’s Labour Day Classic, the Roughriders didn’t merit comparably effusive reviews at that point.
The home team’s offence was merely a rumour over the first 30 minutes against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
Saskatchewan’s defence, meanwhile, was atypically porous, having been sliced and diced by Winnipeg ’s fine running back, Andrew Harris.
So, while Moskaluke royally entertained a sellout crowd of 33,350, the Roughriders’ coaches clearly went to work making the requisite strategic alterations.
The result: Saskatchewan clearly changed its tune during the second half en route to posting a 31-23 victory that extended the team’s winning streak to three games.
“We did what we had to do in the second half and basically put that (first) half behind us,” Roughriders head coach and general manager Chris Jones said.
The Riders held Winnipeg to a pair of field goals over the final 30 minutes, while consistently pressuring Bombers quarterback Matt Nichols.
The Roughriders scored two second-half touchdowns — giving them three offensive majors in a game for the first time this season — while displaying some creativity and daring.
And there was elation in Rider Nation.
At 6-4, the Roughriders are in the thick of the CFL’S West Division playoff race. A home playoff game, seemingly a writeoff a month ago, is now a real possibility.
Such is the reasonable expectation in Year 3 of the Jones regime.
Last season, the Roughriders went 10-8 and finished fourth in the West, thereby earning a crossover berth in the East playoffs. They subsequently advanced to the division final and were one defensive stop away from reaching the Grey Cup.
Flirting with a berth in the big game elevated expectations for the 2018 Roughriders. It was imperative that they become a factor in the West, and that is most certainly the case after Sunday’s superlative second-half showing.
Harris wasn’t held entirely in check after halftime, but the Roughriders did prevent Winnipeg from dictating the proceedings along the ground.
When a defensive stop was imperative, Ed Gainey made a leaping interception — his immaculately timed first pick of the year — with 55 seconds remaining to effectively seal the win.
The contrast in the statistics, from one half to the next, is pronounced.
Net offence at halftime: Winnipeg 230, Saskatchewan 97.
Net offence in the second half: Winnipeg 128, Saskatchewan 235.
Yards rushing at halftime: Winnipeg 132, Saskatchewan 21.
Yards rushing in the second half: Winnipeg 61, Saskatchewan 70.
First downs at halftime: Winnipeg 13, Saskatchewan 8.
First downs in the second half: Winnipeg 8, Saskatchewan 14.
Most impressively, the Roughriders — so unproductive over the opening 30 minutes — came out of their shell during the game’s critical stages.
With just under two minutes left, and Saskatchewan clinging to a tenuous 24-23 lead, the Roughriders were second-andthree on Winnipeg ’s 42-yard line.
Would the Roughriders run? Or attempt a short pass? Those seemed to be the options.
Defying convention, Riders quarterback Zach Collaros went over the top and found Jordan Williams-lambert for a 39-yard advance that set up a touchdown.
“You can’t play not to lose,” Jones said. “You’ve got to play to win the game. That’s what we try to do in all three phases.”
Consider, too, Saskatchewan’s strategy in the early stages of the fourth quarter.
On first-and-10 from Winnipeg ’s 25-yard line, Collaros looked downfield and found a wide-open Marcus Thigpen in the end zone to erase Winnipeg ’s 20-17 lead.
It seems that the Roughriders’ nickel-and-dime strategy lulls the opposition into a false sense of security. The foe is left to assume that the Roughriders will run up the middle or attempt a short- to intermediate-length pass.
Once the rival defence is appropriately manipulated, boom!
Over the top to Thigpen. Over the top to Williamslambert.
Over the hump for the Jones administration.