Saskatchewan Roughriders receiver Weston Dressler (7) celebrates with his teammates Jason Clermont (82) and Cole Bergquist (17) after the team's win on Sunday.
Photograph by: Todd Korol, Reuters
CALGARY — This time, there was a party in Calgary.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders earned a second consecutive trip to the Grey Cup game with Sunday’s 20-16 victory over the Calgary
Stampeders in the West Division final at a frigid McMahon Stadium. The Riders are to play the Montreal Alouettes in Edmonton on Sunday, setting up a rematch of the 2009 Grey Cup played last year in Calgary.
The Alouettes won the 2009 Grey Cup game 28-27 on a Damon Duval 33-yard field goal with no time remaining. One play earlier, it appeared the Riders had won the fourth Grey Cup in franchise history when Duval missed on a 43-yard field-goal attempt.
That miss was wiped out when the Riders were penalized for having too many men on the field and the sombre locker room at McMahon Stadium reflected how hard they took the loss.
The mood in the locker room Sunday was in stark contrast to the atmosphere last year. This time there was music, dancing and huge smiles as the players celebrated winning a West Division title for the third time in four years.
“We’re back in the Cup and we have another opportunity after coming so close,” said Riders veteran defensive halfback Lance Frazier. “We’re playing a team that we’re confident about playing. It’s a matter of getting it done.”
Sunday’s win comes in a season when the Riders at times had problems getting it done. The Riders (10-8-0) finished second in the West after losing four of their last five regular-season games. They beat the Edmonton Eskimos 31-23 in the final regular-season game played at Mosaic Stadium. The Roughriders then defeated the visiting B.C. Lions 41-38 in double overtime on Nov. 14 in the West Division semifinal.
Quarterback Darian Durant said there may have been some doubters about the team reaching the Grey Cup, but none of the pessimism had invaded the locker room.
“We know what city we play in and we know how the fans get,” said Durant, who completed two touchdown passes in the Riders’ win. “The veterans who have been here realize how it was going to be. Even during our losing streak, everyone stayed confident. We showed that we are still a good team.”
It wasn’t easy. The Riders rebounded from an 11-0 first-quarter deficit to eke out the win. Slotback Chris Getzlaf, who led all receivers with eight receptions for 109 yards, scored his lone touchdown on a six-yard pass from Durant in the second quarter.
Saskatchewan safety James Patrick then returned a Henry Burris interception 50 yards, setting up the Riders on Calgary’s 12-yard line.
Three plays later, Durant hit rookie wide receiver Cary Koch on a six-yard touchdown pass that gave the Riders a 14-11 lead heading into halftime.
Three plays later, Durant hit rookie wide receiver Cary Koch on a six-yard touchdown pass that gave the Riders a 14-11 lead heading into halftime.
“I really thought Patrick was going to score,” Koch said. “It actually put pressure on us to score. To end the half like that gave us such a momentum shift. The crowd felt that we weren’t going to lay down at all.”
The offence kept building off the touchdown with a game-changing drive in the third quarter. Durant engineered an 11-play, 75-yard march that culminated in Wes Cates scoring on a four-yard touchdown run. The drive also consumed six minutes and 40 seconds and gave the Riders a 20-15 third-quarter lead.
There was drama when Cates fumbled on the second possession of the drive. The on-field officials ruled that Justin Phillips, who stripped Cates of the ball, had recovered on Saskatchewan’s 46. Riders head coach Ken Miller challenged the call and the ruling was overturned when it was determined Cates was already down by contact before losing the ball.
“I felt that I was down when the ball came out,” said Cates, who had 12 carries for 60 yards. “I should have done a better job of protecting the ball. I knew my knee was down and I hoped there was a good enough angle on the replay. I was blessed that there was.”
The Riders were also feeling blessed in the fourth quarter when returner Ryan Grice-Mullen mishandled a 40-yard punt from Burke Dales. The ball bounced into the end zone, where it was eventually recovered by Jerrell Freeman. Calgary’s Wes Lysack had an opportunity to grab the bouncing ball, but couldn’t corral it.
“That’s a play that I should make,” Grice-Mullen said. “It shows you why this is a team game and I’m just glad that the guys played all the way through to the whistle. Freeman made the big play of the game there.”
Freeman also contributed on defence. He led the Riders with nine defensive tackles and a fourth-quarter sack of Calgary quarterback Henry Burris. He also helped limit Calgary’s vaunted running attack to 86 yards. Arjei Franklin scored Calgary’s lone major on a 22-yard pass from Burris.
“We still have to sharpen up on special teams,” Freeman said with a chuckle. “We let them have a couple of good returns. Still, we trust our offence that they are going to do what they have to do and we just have to keep making stops. We did that.”
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