Saskatchewan defensive end Stevie Baggs tracks down Edmonton receiver Jamaica Rector.
Photograph by: Shaughn Butts, Edmonton Journal
Photograph by: Shaughn Butts, Edmonton Journal
EDMONTON — Slotback Jason Clermont's contribution to the Saskatchewan Roughriders' 23-20 victory over the Edmonton Eskimos on Saturday didn't appear on the scoresheet.
Clermont didn't have a reception in the battle of the West Division rivals but a pre-game meeting with his teammates may have helped the Riders prevail despite heading into the CFL contest with a 1-10 record in their past 11 games at Commonwealth Stadium.
"Jason brought up that we hadn't had much success playing in Edmonton,'' Riders centre Jeremy O'Day said after a Commonwealth Stadium-record crowd of 62,517 had departed. "He told us that there wasn't that much pressure on us. They were expected to win and he told us to relax and play football. We did that. It was one of the games where it was a boxing match and we were able to pull it out in the end.''
The result means the Riders (7-5) maintain a share of first place in the West Division with the Calgary Stampeders. The Eskimos fell to 6-6, third in the West. Edmonton has won the season series between the two teams on the strength of two victories at Mosaic Stadium.
"You always want to win the season series but there isn't anything we do about the two games before this,'' said O'Day. "All we can do is play well this week. We had a big task in front of us and we tried to practise on the grass as a change-up. Whether it helped us, I don't know. This says a lot about this team in a tough park with all of their fans.''
The weather challenged both teams. Winds of 80 kilometres per hour were forecast before the game, which resulted in a wind warning being issued for the Edmonton area. The weather forecasters weren't far off as the stadium was rocked by heavy winds.
The Riders were able to handle the windy conditions better than the Eskimos largely due to the performance of punter Jamie Boreham. Boreham used his rugby-style punts to cut through the winds. The punts also bounced around on the ground, which made them tough to field for the Eskimos' returners.
"We have a good scheme and it worked for us,'' said Boreham, who also extended a drive in the third quarter with a successful fake punt. "That was especially true under the conditions.''
A Boreham punt late in the second quarter led directly to a Roughriders touchdown. Bradley Robinson couldn't field the bouncing ball, which was eventually recovered in the end zone by Rey Williams for a touchdown. After Luca Congi's convert, the Roughriders had a 12-10 halftime lead.
The teams traded field goals in the third quarter, which was quite the feat considering the wind conditions. Edmonton, which had the wind, was held to a 42-yard Noel Prefontaine field goal. Congi connected on a 36-yard field goal into the wind.
In the fourth quarter, the Eskimos went ahead 19-15 on a 55-yard touchdown run by Arkee Whitlock. The Riders rebounded with a seven-play, 65-yard drive which was capped when Steven Jyles scored from the one-yard line.
Darian Durant and slotback Andy Fantuz connected on a two-point convert to provide the Riders with a 23-20 lead at 5:37 of the fourth quarter.
The Eskimos, who had pulled out a 31-27 win over the Riders last Sunday at Mosaic Stadium when Ricky Ray connected with Maurice Mann on a 68-yard touchdown pass with 69 seconds remaining, didn't have the same magic on Saturday. The Eskimos were left wondering what might have been had they been able to sweep the season series with the Riders.
"This was another opportunity we let slip through,'' Eskimos head coach Richie Hall told reporters. "At some point in time, for us to get where we want to be, we have to embrace prosperity. That means taking it and making it ours.''
Congi and Prefontaine each had two successful field-goal attempts despite trying weather conditions.
Ray was 15 of 29 for 244 yards and no touchdowns. Durant was 23 of 33 for 269 yards but was intercepted three times; one of them was returned 59 yards for a touchdown by Eskimos linebacker T.J. Hill.
It was a game of redemption for Riders veteran cornerback Omarr Morgan. He scored on a CFL record 108-yard fumble return in the loss to Edmonton then was burned on the game-winning touchdown pass from Ray to Mann. Mann didn't have a catch on Saturday.
"This means a lot to me especially after the low last week,'' said Morgan.
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