Saskatchewan Roughriders running back Stuart Foord has his helmet knocked off as he is tackled by a pair of Calgary Stampeders defenders.
Photograph by: Troy Fleece, Canwest News Service
Regina
Photograph by: Troy Fleece, Canwest News Service
Regina
It was 20 minutes of proof that the Calgary Stampeders can still be a championship-calibre football team, followed by 40 minutes of reminders of why they won’t be this year.
And, beginning today as the Stampeders clean out their lockers at McMahon Stadium and leave them neat and tidy for the West Division champion Saskatchewan Roughriders, there will be seven months of questions about why they lost Sunday’s West final 27-17 at Mosaic Stadium after taking a 10-point lead early in the second quarter.
n Why did the Stamps go away from a scheme featuring an extra defensive back that worked so well in the first quarter in shutting down Darian Durant and the Riders?
n Why was running back and CFL rushing leader Joffrey Reynolds ignored for long stretches of the game? After carrying six times for 40 yards in the opening six minutes, he had just six more carries the rest of the game.
n Why did QB Henry Burris start looking like the first-time playoff starter, throwing three second-half interceptions (one when receiver Jeremaine Copeland slipped and fell), and not Durant, the man Burris had suggested a day earlier should be feeling the pressure?
n And why, in four attempts, couldn’t the Stamps find a way to beat the Riders this season?
“They showed true championship grit tonight,” said Burris. “Did we show enough? Oh, definitely not. I mean, we lost the game for that reason. We dominated in the first half at the line of scrimmage, but from that point on, they showed more grit than we did, showed more fight, and that’s why they won.”
“They showed true championship grit tonight,” said Burris. “Did we show enough? Oh, definitely not. I mean, we lost the game for that reason. We dominated in the first half at the line of scrimmage, but from that point on, they showed more grit than we did, showed more fight, and that’s why they won.”
The Roughriders also won because they were patient, and were able to take advantage of a sloppy Stampeder unit that was flagged nine times for 92 yards in the first half.
After the Stamps took the 10-0 lead early in the second quarter on Reynolds’ 17-yard touchdown run and a 47-yard Sandro DeAngelis field goal, they went back to their traditional three-linebacker five-defensive back scheme, and Durant started heating up.
“As a player, it’s our job just to execute what’s called, whether it’s personnel or the plays,” said safety Wes Lysack. “It was working (having six defensive backs), but we don’t question what’s called at that point or the
rest of the game. We just have to execute. And you know what? Give credit to them, they did that.”
Durant’s 10-yard scoring strike to, who else, Chris Getzlaf cut the lead to three, and Luca Congi tied it before halftime with an 18-yarder. Then the Riders took the lead for good early in the third quarter, sparked by a
75-yard kick return from Jason Armstead, leading to a nine-yard touchdown pass to Andy Fantuz. Later, Armstead took a handoff from Durant, than passed 42 yards to Rob Bagg; moments later, Bagg found the end zone on a 16-yard pass from Durant.
The next three Calgary drives were disastrous — a Burris interception ended the first. On the next, on a second-and-one play, the Stamps tried some misdirection and it resulted in a five-yard sack, forcing a punt. And on the third, Burris was picked off again on Copeland’s slip, and the celebration was underway at Mosaic.
“Obviously, they played a better game than we did this evening,” said Stamps coach and general manager
“Obviously, they played a better game than we did this evening,” said Stamps coach and general manager
John Hufnagel.
The Stamps were able to score inside the last two minutes when Burris found Copeland for a four-yard touchdown, but the two-point conversion attempt was picked off by Lance Frazier.
“We didn’t execute the way we’re supposed to,” said Copeland. “We controlled the first quarter the way we wanted to, and in the second quarter we let them take advantage, and the third quarter they got the big return that gave them momentum. It hurts, man, it always does, especially when you come this far and you expect to go home (for the Grey Cup).”
Burris said his team “didn’t respond well, especially in the second quarter.”
“We came out and did exactly what we wanted to do in terms of putting pressure on them, and we had them on their heels. But they responded well. They did what we did in the past.”
“We came out and did exactly what we wanted to do in terms of putting pressure on them, and we had them on their heels. But they responded well. They did what we did in the past.”
acameron@theherald.canwest.com
© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald
© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald
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