Saskatchewan was a little windier on Friday night, thanks to the sighs of relief from Rider Nation.
That’s because, for the first time since November 2021, the Saskatchewan Roughriders have won a game after Labour Day.
It’s been a long haul, one that’s been made worse by the fact that the current edition of the Riders hadn’t won a game since the middle of July. Seven straight games without a win had fans wondering if another good start to the season would be flushed away with a crappy finish.
The antidote to all of that losing came in Calgary, as the Riders’ offence scored on all but four of their drives and rode a hot start to a 37-29 win over the Calgary Stampeders.
Here’s the good, the bad, and the dumb of the Riders’ sixth win of the season.
The Good
It would be an understatement to say it was a good night for offensive coordinator Marc Mueller’s unit.
As mentioned, the Riders scored on seven of their 11 drives. Their 11th time with the ball would be the game’s final one, when no more scoring was needed.
Leading the way was new running back Ryquell Armstead. The former Ottawa Redblack not only provided a jolt to an anemic Rider running game — it was dead last in the CFL coming into this game– but put up the best performance from a running back this season in the CFL. He finished the night with 207 yards along the ground — the fourth-highest single-game total in franchise history. According to the team’s Rob Vanstone, it was also the most rushing yards ever by a Rider running back in their first game in green and white.
Armstead’s running allowed Mueller and Harris to pick their spots when it came to throwing the ball. Harris finished the night 16-for-18 for 248 yards and most of that was in the first half. His one touchdown pass did come in the second half.
Credit also needs to be given to Mueller for sticking with the hot hand in Armstead, something he hasn’t always done. You may remember Frankie Hickson rushed for nearly 100 yards in the first half earlier this year and was ignored in the second half of a game against Montreal.
There’s no doubt that Armstead produces, the question remains if he’ll be able to avoid the discipline problems that plagued him in Ottawa and led to his release. If he can, he’ll provide something the Riders haven’t had all season.
The Bad
This game really shouldn’t have been as close as it was.
Just before the half, Harris led the offence on what should have been a game-changing seven-play, 92-yard touchdown drive to give his team a 24-9 lead at the half. Finally, it felt like the Riders had gotten the play that escaped them over most of this winless streak.
Instead, Calgary made some significant adjustments and opened the second half with a touchdown drive of their own. They would score majors on their first three drives of the half. It wasn’t until their final drive with under two minutes to go that the Riders would finally get the stop they’d needed to end the game, as linebacker Jameer Thurman intercepted Jake Maier’s third-and-one pass over the middle.
Giving up three straight touchdown drives to allow your opponent to hang around probably won’t sit too well with head coach and defensive coordinator Corey Mace. Even without the team’s likely Most Outstanding Player nominee Rolan Milligan Jr., you would have liked to have seen the defence step up and make a play earlier.
The Dumb
You know it was a pretty good night for your team when the strangest thing that happened should have been far worse than it was.
One of Harris’ two incomplete passes came in the second quarter when there appeared to be a mix-up between himself and receiver Keesean Johnson. The pass ended up in between Johnson and another Stampeders defender but luckily for Harris, the pass to nowhere ended up hitting defensive back Demerio Houston in the face before falling incomplete.
An interception there might have changed the game. It was a break the Riders hadn’t gotten in several weeks. It turned out to be a sign of things to come.
