MISSING IN ACTION
Where’s Riders’ offence?
Lights Out Night at Mosaic Stadium was a disappointment. They should have killed the lights when the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ offence was on the field.
Save for one belated, illusory touchdown, the Roughriders’ offence continued to be a running (and passing) joke, with unusually dire consequences — a 30-25 loss to the visiting Ottawa Redblacks on Saturday.
It has been written many times, many ways: This being the CFL, even the finest defences are destined to have a rough night at some point.
And so it was on Saturday, when the Roughriders were lacerated for 481 yards by Redblacks quarterback Trevor Harris and associates. Harris threw for 334 yards and two touchdowns. His quarterbackefficiency rating: 128.8.
Saskatchewan was also sliced and diced by William Powell, who rushed for 148 yards — including majors of 69 and 19 yards.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, there was the chronic liability that is the Saskatchewan offence — if it can be so termed.
Saskatchewan eked out 12 first downs, four of which resulted from penalties. The Roughriders rushed for four first downs and moved the chains an equal number of times through the air.
That, dear reader, is the Riders’ idea of a balanced offence.
Saskatchewan scored two special-teams touchdowns, reducing the pressure on the offence to fill in the blanks, and it was still a mess.
It was such a noxious performance that some of the 33,350 spectators booed the home side after some fourth-quarter failures.
“I’d have booed us, too,” Collaros said. “We were playing pretty bad.”
Saskatchewan’ s offensive touch down drought swelled to 118 minutes 26 seconds (nearly two full games) before Collaros found a wide-open Naaman Roosevelt for a 34-yard score with 2:42 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Collaros also had completions of 46 yards (to Shaq Evans) and 40 yards (to Kyran Moore) while quarterbacking a Saskatchewan side that was actually aggressive through the air.
Subtract those three completions and Collaros was 7-for-24 for 42 yards. Two of those passes were intercepted. Quarterback rating: A microscopic 39.4.
Evans dropped two passes that Duron Carter would have caught.
The somniferous strategy of two-and-out co-ordinator Stephen Mcadoo was such that some of the doomed plays were being called in the press box, shortly before the ball was snapped. (Chorus: “Screen pass!”)
Honestly, if a few gormless media mongrels can anticipate what is coming, chances are that the opposition is salivating.
The critics, too, have to be slobbering after a display like that.
The Roughriders, from Collaros to Mcadoo to head coach/ Gm/defensive co-ordinator Chris Jones, are certainly fair game after Saturday’s stinker.
If the Roughriders could have managed even a fair game on offence, they would have won.
Instead, the Green and White subjected the Roughriders’ fourth consecutive sellout crowd to the usual parade of punts, with a pair of interceptions thrown in for variety.
Saskatchewan’s last chance was extinguished when Collaros was picked off. Only then did the fans do The Wave.
Oops. That was actually the sight of everybody getting up to leave. Turn out the lights ...