By Rob Vanstone, Leader-PostNovember 27,
CALGARY — The Saskatchewan Roughriders' list of Grey Cup victories is too short. So is their starting quarterback, according to his detractors.
Can 5-foot-11 Darian Durant play an instrumental role in the fourth championship season in the franchise's nearly 100 years of existence? If so, Durant will instantly become Roughriders royalty — an appropriate description, considering that a reference to Queen's is coming soon to a paragraph near you.
With their centennial looming, the Roughriders have hoisted the Grey Cup as often as the gridders from Queen's University, who won Earl Grey's grail as recently as 1924.
With their centennial looming, the Roughriders have hoisted the Grey Cup as often as the gridders from Queen's University, who won Earl Grey's grail as recently as 1924.
The Roughriders claimed their first Grey Cup a mere 42 years later. Since that landmark conquest in 1966, Roughriders championships have been a once-in-a-generation happening, with subsequent triumphs coming in 1989 and 2007.
At this rate, Saskatchewan should expect another title when its receiving corps includes Matt Dominguez Jr. Durant would love to alter the cycle, but appreciates that his team faces a formidable challenge — presented by the Montreal Alouettes.
Montreal has been installed as a 9 1/2-point favourite for Sunday's Grey Cup game at McMahon Stadium. Although a Montreal victory would hardly be a surprise, considering the calibre of the team and the pessimism of the oddsmakers, a defeat would be difficult to digest in the Rider Nation.
Consider the events of Oct. 31, when the Roughriders lost 24-6 to the host Hamilton Tiger-Cats in a game of marginal importance. A faction of the Rider Nation was in unrestrained panic mode after that eye-glazer. With that in mind, how would people react if Saskatchewan were to (gasp!) lose in the Grey Cup for a record 14th time in 17 appearances?
"Sometimes you wonder, 'How can expectations be so high when there are three Grey Cups in 100 years?' '' Durant said. "At the same time, our fans are very passionate. They love us. They love what we do and what we're able to accomplish, and it's understood. But organizations that are successful, they build. It doesn't happen overnight. You're going to have to take some lumps in order to reach the top.
"That's the story of my career, also. I've been shut down. I've been told I couldn't play. But if you give up, you're going to stay down. If you keep fighting, you'll make it to the top. That's one of the reasons I'm here now.''
Durant is a microcosm of his team, which has been discounted more often than a Value Village leisure suit.
A vast majority of the pre-season prognosticators, who shall remain aimless, envisioned that the Riders would finish last in the CFL's West Division.
A vast majority of the pre-season prognosticators, who shall remain aimless, envisioned that the Riders would finish last in the CFL's West Division.
These experts, whose judgment is infallible, considered uncertainty at football's marquee position when making their predictions. Durant was entering his first full season as a starting quarterback at the pro level and, outside the organization, there were doubts that he would still be atop the depth chart by year's end ... or even by Labour Day.
So here he is, quarterbacking the West Division champions in Sunday's Grey Cup.
Durant's opposite number is future Hall of Famer Anthony Calvillo, who has won the past two most-outstanding-player awards. Calvillo completed 72 per cent of his passes during the regular season, in which the Alouettes posted a 15-3-0 record, before throwing for five touchdowns in a 56-18 vivisection of the B.C. Lions in the East Division final.
Durant's opposite number is future Hall of Famer Anthony Calvillo, who has won the past two most-outstanding-player awards. Calvillo completed 72 per cent of his passes during the regular season, in which the Alouettes posted a 15-3-0 record, before throwing for five touchdowns in a 56-18 vivisection of the B.C. Lions in the East Division final.
To conserve time when announcing the East's all-star team, the CFL should have simply cut-and-pasted the Alouettes' roster into an e-mail. SEND.
Yes, the Alouettes are that good — machine-like in their efficiency.
That helps to explain why the Roughriders are underdogs, again. This hardly qualifies as news, considering that the Roughriders have dealt with the naysayers throughout this surprising season.
The Riders rebutted the skeptics by winning the West Division's regular-season title for the first time since 1976. Saskatchewan was also undefeated in four games against the Calgary Stampeders, who won the Grey Cup last year.
The reigning West Division champions have been playing pressure-packed games for several weeks now, whereas the Alouettes — easily the class of the East — coasted to the finish line before dismantling the Lions.
On paper, the Alouettes should win handily. But, on paper, the Roughriders should have missed the playoffs. So why bet against them now?
On paper, the Alouettes should win handily. But, on paper, the Roughriders should have missed the playoffs. So why bet against them now?
Saskatchewan 31, Montreal 28.
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