THERE ISN'T A QUARTERBACK CONTERVERSY

Saskatchewan Roughriders quarterback Darian Durant dodges a Hamilton Tiger-Cats defender in first half of CFL action on Aug. 16 at Mosaic Stadium in Regina.
Photograph by: Troy Fleece, Leader-Post files

REGINA — There isn't a quarterback controversy in the Saskatchewan Roughriders' camp.
It's more of a quarterback co-operative, especially after Sunday's 33-23 victory over the visiting Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Darian Durant started and finished the game for the Riders, who improved to 4-3 and maintained a share of first place in the West Division with the Edmonton Eskimos.

Backup quarterback Steven Jyles also contributed by throwing for a touchdown and rushing for another as the Riders raced into a 23-0 lead. After the Tiger-Cats rallied to tie the contest 23-23, Durant generated 10 fourth-quarter points. A touchdown came on a four-play 42-yard drive that culminated in Weston Dressler running for a 13-yard touchdown. Placekicker Luca Congi added a 15-yard field goal.

"In this locker room, we know what the deal is,'' Durant said Sunday. "I don't think there is a quarterback controversy. We have two good quarterbacks and we can both spell each other at any given time. Steven and I understand that I'm the guy until we see anything different. We want everyone to realize that it's not just my show. He's a great quarterback too and whenever he gets his opportunity he shows it.''

Jyles's opportunities occurred Sunday in short-yardage situations. He connected with defensive tackle Keith Shologan on a one-yard pass, that combined with Congi's convert gave the Riders a 7-0 lead. Jyles later scored on a two-yard run, which provided the Riders with a 17-0 second-quarter lead.

"What happened to me is thanks to Durant and the whole offence,'' Jyles said after offence rolled up 27 first downs and 388 yards of total offence. "They got me in position to do that. The short-yardage goal line is all mine but without them I couldn't get down there to score.''

Durant moved the team, especially in the first half when the Tiger-Cats weren't able to generate much offence. The Riders had 253 total yards of offence to Hamilton's 16. Durants also helped the offence's cause by rushing for 49 yards on five carries.

"It was a positive game for us, especially for Durant,'' said Jyles. "He started and finished the game, which is big on his part. I'm proud of him because he did what we know he can do.''
The offence was grounded in the third quarter as the Tiger-Cats rallied to tie the contest 23-23. Durant's only completion in six third-quarter attempts was a 14-yard pass to Dressler. Durant was also sacked for an 11-yard loss.

But it was in the fourth quarter when the Riders' offence returned. Durant was 5-for-7 for 63 yards in the final quarter as the Riders were able to pull out the victory. Veteran tailback Wes Cates also rushed for 43 of his total 117 total yards in the last frame.

"I got the win and it wasn't pretty, especially in the second half when I made a couple of bone-headed decisions,'' said Durant. "At the end of the day, all that counts is winning. I hope everyone looks at the big picture and that's winning.''

The Riders were off Monday. They return to the practice field today to begin on-field preparations for Friday's game in Montreal against the Alouettes. It's a short week for the Roughriders but Miller said the coaches doubled up on their preparations last week. They worked on a game plan for Sunday's game and created one for Friday's game.

"The most important thing for our players to was to get some rest,'' said Miller. "We'll have a game plan that has a lot of similarities to (Sunday's game) both offensively and defensively.''

mmccormick@leaderpost.canwest.com

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