The good, the bad, and the dumb of the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ 42-20 win over Ottawa

Photo courtesy: Arthur Ward/CFL.ca

They did it. They actually did it. The Saskatchewan Roughriders left no doubt as to who the better team was on Friday night.

Like a grader down a grid road, the Riders levelled the Ottawa Redblacks 42-20 on Rider Farm Show night in front of 29,789 fans at Mosaic Stadium.

For the first half, it looked like the Riders and their fans were in for another night where they let their opponent hang around and make a game far more interesting than it deserved to be. But then the second half rolled around, and it was basically all Green and White from there.

For everything this team accomplished last season en route to a Grey Cup championship, you didn’t see something like this all that often. To do it without the likes of Kian Schaffer-Baker, Sam Emilus and Rolan Milligan Jr. is even more impressive.

Here is the good, the bad, and the dumb of the Riders’ sixth win of the season.

The Good

A truly decisive victory wasn’t the only rare feat accomplished by the Riders against the Redblacks — they finally got an interception from a defensive back.

For the last couple of seasons, the likes of Milligan Jr., Tevaughn Campbell, and Marcus Sayles have feasted on quarterbacks from across the CFL. Coming into this one, the Riders defence had only managed two interceptions, both by linebacker Josh Woods.

One of the biggest questions for weeks has been who would be the first member of the Riders’ secondary to finally pick off an opposition quarterback. We got our answer on Friday night, and it was Jonathan Edouard.

The turnover came at just the right time for Corey Mace’s squad, as they had just taken a 28-14 lead after a rushing touchdown from Tommy Stevens. Four plays from the offence later, and Stevens was once again rushing into the end zone for yet another score, and the rout was on in Saskatchewan.

Would the outcome of this game have been different without that interception? Probably not, but it feels like it could have been closer.

The Bad

Mace has continued to say that he has confidence in his kicker, Alex Hale, but his actions continue to suggest otherwise.

Not only did they finally sign another kicker this week, but Mace again made an overly conservative decision to punt due to his kicker’s inability to make a field goal over 40 yards.

In the first quarter, Mace was faced with a third-and-three from the Redblacks’ 42-yard line. Most coaches in this league would send out their kicker for a 49-yard field goal, which a professional kicker should generally be able to make. Another acceptable option — which I would have chosen — would be to go for it and try to convert the first down.

Mace opted to punt.

At first, it appeared to be a decision that worked out, as the Riders forced a two-and-out and then they blocked a punt for a touchdown. However, the touchdown was called back after Devin Adams was flagged for unnecessary roughness on the long snapper. While there is certainly some debate about the call — I, for one, have no problem with it as there were angles shown on TSN that suggest Peter Adjey wasn’t fully in the play yet when he took the contact — but either way, the whole situation could have been avoided with better game management.

The Redblacks went on to score a touchdown on that drive to take a 6-3 lead. The football gods work in mysterious ways sometimes, but yet again, fortune favours the bold.

The Dumb

As we’ve discussed before, everything is wrestling, so as they say in that business, no one is more over in Saskatchewan right now than Tommy Stevens.

For the uninitiated, over means your gimmick is extremely popular with the fans. It’s usually used to describe the good guys or faces, but the bad guys or heels can also be over. In this case, Stevens is no doubt the face in Riderville.

Stevens has taken his play to another level this season and continues to play a bigger role in the offence. Last season, he was pretty much only used to convert first downs. This year, he’s also closing out games and scoring touchdowns from outside of the one-yard line.

Since joining the Riders, he’s earned the nickname “Stone Cold” Tommy Stevens. Every time he converts a first down, they play “Stone Cold” Steve Austin’s theme music at Mosaic Stadium. It’s safe to say that Stevens has embraced the moniker, as he celebrated as Austin would have following his third touchdown of the game.

I hope Tommy Stevens (@TMS_II) also buys donuts for the water boys who have to refill these…#CFL #Riders #RiderNation pic.twitter.com/CR7ON4DsJd

— 3DownNation (@3DownNation) August 8, 2026

The celebration would have been even better with a couple of beers, but that’s understandably not possible in the middle of the game.

Either way, Stevens-mania is reaching a fever pitch in Saskatchewan, and that’s the bottom line.