Saskatchewan Roughriders’ head coach Corey Mace wanted to give his team an energy boost but his third-down decision went the other way.
With his Green and White squad trailing 31-16 in the fourth quarter, Mace decided to keep the offence on the field and go for a third-and-three from Saskatchewan’s 24-yard line. There were over 12 minutes left on the game clock in the West Final matchup against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
“I felt like we had good answers, unfortunately we didn’t make the play on third-and-three. I don’t question the decision, we should have executed, made the first down and we didn’t,” quarterback Trevor Harris said.
The 38-year-old Harris targeted KeeSean Johnson but Canadian defensive back Tyrell Ford knocked the ball away and forced a turnover on downs. Winnipeg running back Brady Oliveira ripped off a 21-yard run and then surged into the end zone for a three-yard touchdown run, that made the score 38-16.
“Risky. I felt at that time we hadn’t gotten into a groove. It was time to hit the gas for us to try to build momentum. Looking back, you wish that you nailed it and we didn’t. It put us in a jam, but I thought we needed to build momentum,” Mace said post-game.
“Having faith in those guys… if we could go back, I’d probably still do it to be honest with you. I got faith in those guys. Seven’s got the ball in his hands, I got nothing but faith in that, it didn’t turn out our way. The Bombers came ready to play.”
Winnipeg flew to a 14-0 lead via Zach Collaros touchdown strikes to Kenny Lawler as the Blue Bombers led 24-9 at halftime with the final score 38-22. Collaros completed 19-of-26 passes for 301 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions. Lawler recorded four receptions for 177 yards and three majors. Oliveira rushed 20 times for 119 yards and one TD while catching two passes for 22 yards.
“They had their way through the air and on the ground — it puts you in a jam. When we look at the tape, there’s going to be busts for sure. I don’t care, that’s on me, I have to get them better prepared. Shitty game plan. That’s on my shoulders,” Mace said.
“I felt very confident in our game plan defensively. I tried to play it patient on defence instead of hitting the button more to force the issue, but those boys were on a role and that could have ended in a big play. You don’t want to have a slow death either — forcing the issue when it’s win or go home.”
Mace’s first season as a CFL head coach comes to an end. He compiled a 9-8-1 regular season record, while playing six games without his No. 1 QB, and secured the Riders first home playoff game since 2021. Saskatchewan beat the B.C. Lions 28-19 in the West Semi-Final at Mosaic Stadium and lost to the Bombers in the West Final.
