RIDERS WIN !!

By Rob Vanstone, Leader-Post November 21, 2010 9:40 REGINA —

Brandon Browner ended up with more grabs than Andy Fantuz.

Ultimately, that was hugely beneficial to the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
Once again, Browner held Fantuz — the Roughriders' leading receiver — without a catch. But the officials caught Browner, at long last, and the CFL's West Division final irreversibly turned in favour of Saskatchewan.
If you appreciate karma, you have to like the Roughriders' 20-16 victory over the host Calgary Stampeders. The outcome looked as good on the Roughriders as it did on the Stampeders. Both sides got exactly what they deserved.

The Roughriders are off to Sunday's Grey Cup against the Montreal Alouettes.

The Stampeders are off, period.

Saskatchewan went ahead to stay with 2:10 remaining in the third quarter, when Wes Cates barged four yards to paydirt. On the previous play, Browner had been flagged for illegal contact on Fantuz, who was flagrantly held by the Stampeders' defensive back.

Truth be known, Fantuz had been repeatedly tugged and grabbed by Browner for the better part of two games. In defending Fantuz, the Stampeders opted for Greco-Roman coverage, as opposed to man-to-man or zone.

For the most part, it was successful. Fantuz, who amassed a league-high 1,380 receiving yards during the regular season, was held — literally — without a catch throughout two consecutive games against Calgary.
But when the Stampeders could ill afford an infraction, flags flew — in the very same end of McMahon Stadium where a too-many-men-on-the-field penalty scuttled the Roughriders' Grey Cup hopes against Montreal last Nov. 29.

Montreal ended up winning, 28-27, leaving the Roughriders to attempt to explain and digest what happened during the infamous 13th-man incident. That topic will certainly be raised every 3.2 seconds as Grey Cup week unfolds in Edmonton but, for now, the Roughriders have every reason to savour Sunday's conquest. The Stampeders, by contrast, have every reason to feel sheepish, even embarrassed, over a home-field loss. Perhaps Sunday's loss will prove to be the intervention the Stampeders needed.

For too long, the Stampeders have strutted and taunted and disrespected their opposition, not to mention their sport. Even while the Stampeders were assuming an 11-0 lead, their lack of discipline was evident. Calgary head coach John Hufnagel even lamented the disciplinary issue during a typically truncated interview at halftime.

So, naturally, the Stampeders failed to get the message. Romby Bryant was called for mindlessly taunting Riders safety James Patrick after a 36-yard reception. The 10-yard infraction moved the Stampeders out of field-goal range.

Earlier, Calgary's Dwight Anderson — the league's most notorious trash-talker — had been nailed for unnecessary roughness in the waning seconds of the first half, following a touchdown pass from Darian Durant to Cary Koch.

The penalty to Anderson should have served as a warning to the insufferably cocky Stampeders, but these guys don't get it. Chances are they never will.

The Roughriders are the worthiest of West Division champions because they are the antithesis of the flaky team they defeated on Sunday.

Do not misinterpret this. Saskatchewan's victory in the division final was not entirely attributable to Calgary's meltdowns, although they didn't hurt.

The tone was set on the game's opening play, when Stampeders running back Joffrey Reynolds was stuffed by a hobbling Barrin Simpson. With one hit, Simpson conveyed an emphatic message. It was going to be a
different game.

The Roughriders bent on occasion, as is inevitable in the CFL, but the Stampeders did not have nearly enough answers for Gary Etcheverry's unpredictable defence. Jerrell Freeman, in particular, gave the Stampeders fits while attacking them from every direction.
Were he a Stampeder, Freeman would have gyrated and very publicly congratulated himself after registering a tackle, a sack or a key hit. Freeman was excited, to be certain, but never excessive following a series of robust plays. His command performance is a major reason why the Roughriders will participate in the 98th Grey Cup.

The Rider Nation is understandably jubilant over Sunday's result. But the Roughriders' victory should also be applauded by people who enjoy seeing the game played the right way.

In every respect, the Roughriders are the class of the West Division.
rvanstone@leaderpost.canwest.com

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