Calgary Stampeders' Juwan Simpson, right, tries to catch Saskatchewan Roughriders' Wes Cates during their game at McMahon Stadium in Calgary on Saturday night.
Photograph by: Leah Hennel, Calgary Herald
CALGARY — The Saskatchewan Roughriders are no longer perfect.
Not that they ever admitted to being that but it was clearly evident in Calgary on Saturday that there is still loads of room for improvement despite opening the 2010 CFL season with three straight victories.
Not that they ever admitted to being that but it was clearly evident in Calgary on Saturday that there is still loads of room for improvement despite opening the 2010 CFL season with three straight victories.
The Calgary Stampeders beat the Roughriders 40-20 on Saturday. Calgary's win accomplished three things — it helped the Stampeders improve to 3-1, knocked the Riders to 3-1 and the teams now share first place in the West Division.
"We're still in first place,'' said Riders running back Wes Cates. "We just took a nice little butt kicking. Nobody has anything to hang their heads about. We have to see what we did wrong and get ready for next week.''
There are a lot of things that went wrong before Saturday's sold-out crowd of 35,650 for the Roughriders. Head coach Ken Miller felt they were outplayed in all three facets of the game.
"They played very well in the second half and we didn't play nearly up to our capability,'' Miller said. "We turned over the ball on offence and we couldn't get them stopped on defence. Our (special) teams were just average.''
"They played very well in the second half and we didn't play nearly up to our capability,'' Miller said. "We turned over the ball on offence and we couldn't get them stopped on defence. Our (special) teams were just average.''
Average was not the way to describe Calgary's run over the Riders. The Stampeders bounced back from a 27-24 loss to the Toronto Argonauts on July 14 with the lopsided victory over the Riders.
"It was a good win,'' said Stampeders head coach John Hufnagel. "We knew coming into the game that to do what we want to accomplish this year, we need to beat Saskatchewan. We need to keep level heads, it's only one game in the season. There's still a lot of football to play, but I thought our team took a step to get better tonight.''
The Riders felt it was one of those games that tends to surface during the long CFL season.
"It just seemed like it was one of those games where everything we did in the second half didn't go our way,'' said Riders cornerback Omarr Morgan.
"It just seemed like it was one of those games where everything we did in the second half didn't go our way,'' said Riders cornerback Omarr Morgan.
That was true early in the second half. The Riders and Stampeders were tied 7-7 after the first half. On Saskatchewan's first offensive possession of the third quarter, Cates rushed for nine yards. Cates was held to minus three yards on his next carry.
Two plays later, Romby Bryant slipped behind Morgan for a 67-yard touchdown pass. The Stampeders had a 13-7 lead and never looked back.
"That was a huge momentum shift,'' said Cates, who had 16 carries for 83 yards and a first-half touchdown. "We got good yardage on first down and then we got caught in a bad call on the second one. They got the ball and made a big play. If we sustain a drive there or even put up a field goal, it's a completely different second half. That's the way the game goes and you have to commend the Stamps for taking advantage of the opportunity.''
Bryant paced the Stampeders with six receptions for 116 yards and two second-half touchdowns. Receivers Nik Lewis and P.K. Sam, and running back Joffrey Reynolds also scored for the Stampeders. Rookie placekicker Rob Maver connected on a 21-yard field goal attempt.
Riders placekicker Luca Congi had a field goal and a single. Saskatchewan slotback Weston Dressler scored late in the fourth quarter but by then the game was out of hand.
Riders placekicker Luca Congi had a field goal and a single. Saskatchewan slotback Weston Dressler scored late in the fourth quarter but by then the game was out of hand.
Saskatchewan quarterback Darian Durant was 22 for 37 pass attempts for 354 yards and the touchdown pass to Dressler. He was also intercepted once in the first half and twice in the
second half.
"That was pretty bad,'' said Durant. "It was one of those days and every game isn't going to be perfect. You have to give Calgary a lot of credit. They made a lot of plays.''
Calgary opened the scoring in the first half when Burris connected with Sam on an eight-yard touchdown pass. The Riders responded when Cates scored on a 16-yard run in the second quarter.
Calgary opened the scoring in the first half when Burris connected with Sam on an eight-yard touchdown pass. The Riders responded when Cates scored on a 16-yard run in the second quarter.
Saskatchewan safety James Patrick did his part to contribute to the defensive struggle. Patrick intercepted Burris twice in the end zone to snuff out Calgary drives.
"It was great play by the defensive line to get great pressure on him to get rid of the ball,'' said Patrick said. "We didn't contain him as well in the second half as we did in the first. We'll correct the mistakes we made and be ready for next week.''
Burris was 22 of 32 pass attempts for 277 yards. He didn't have any interceptions in the second half.
"We learned a lot tonight,'' Burris told reporters. "More than anything else. Saskatchewan is a great team and our defence played a heck of a game. They gave us opportunity after opportunity. I had those two interceptions in the first half; it's the same thing, I had to learn some things about our offence tonight and I had to learn it that way. But I think we found our identity, of how we need to play on offence, and we were able to come out and respond in the second half and take the pressure off our defence.''
NOTES: The Riders scratches were OL Joel Bell, SB Obed Cetoute, P Louie Sakoda and LB Byron Bullock ... The Riders are off Monday before returning to practice on Tuesday. Practices are to be held at the University of Regina field due to the Bon Jovi concert at Mosaic Stadium on Wednesday ... The Roughriders play host to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Saturday.
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