Riders rough up rival Bombers
Glenn throws 3 TDs in Saskatchewan’s 38-24 victory over Winnipeg
REGINA (CP) — The Saskatchewan Roughriders are quickly becoming one of the hottest teams in the CFL.
Kevin Glenn threw three touchdown passes as the Riders beat the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 38-24 on Sunday for their third straight win.
The three-game winning streak has Saskatchewan above .500 at 5-4 and tied for fourth place in the West Division with the B.C. Lions. Saskatchewan trails Winnipeg and Edmonton, both tied for second place, by just four points.
“We’re just running our plays and everybody is in sync right now,” said Riders receiver Duron Carter. “When a football team is in sync, it’s hard to stop. Any play that we run is breaking through. We’re making a lot of plays right now and we’re a tough team to stop.”
Glenn has been the catalyst during the hot stretch. Saskatchewan has scored 133 points, averaged 44 points per game, over the past three contests.
Glenn, who was 26 of 36 for 386 yards against Winnipeg, connected with Naaman Roosevelt and Rob Bagg for first-quarter touchdowns.
Backup quarterback Vernon Adams added a rushing touchdown that pushed the Riders ahead 24-3 after the opening quarter.
Glenn hooked up with Carter in the second quarter on a 17-yard touchdown reception — his team-leading seventh major score — and Tyler Crapigna’s two field goals gave the home team a 34-16 lead at halftime.
“Say that a team comes out and scores three quick touchdowns and it’s 21-0, you would probably bet your money that that team was going to win the game,” Glenn said. “It doesn’t matter who’s playing, if a team has a fast start like that, typically you can control the game.”
A 10-yard touchdown reception from Andrew Harris brought the visitors to within 14 points at 37-23. But that was as close as the Bombers came to pulling off an improbable come-from-behind win.
“That’s never how you want to start a game,” said safety Taylor Loffler of Kelowna. “Once you dig yourself a hole like that, it’s pretty tough to climb out. We had a good run toward the end, but we had a lot to overcome and that makes it hard on everyone.”
The score and the noise from the sellout crowd at Mosaic Stadium was a deflating combination for the Bombers, who slipped to 7-3.