The Tiger-Cats lost a close one on the prairies on Sunday afternoon, as the Roughriders came from behind to defeat the Black and Gold 30-29 at Mosaic Stadium. Quinton Porter threw for 300 yards and three touchdowns and Ticats defenders intercepted four passes in the loss.
The kickers opened the game’s scoring with singles at the end of each team’s drive, as Nick Setta’s 83 yard punt found it’s way into the Riders end zone and Luca Congi’s first field goal attempt missed wide right.
Newcomer Chris Davis made a huge play to score the game’s first major. Davis caught a Quinton Porter pass at the Riders 35-yard line, cut left, and outran a couple of Saskatchewan defenders en route to his first touchdown as a Ticat. Davis’ 52-yard touchdown reception gave the Black and Gold a 8-1 lead with 8:57 remaining in the opening quarter.
Before the first quarter would expire, Chris Thompson intercepted his eight pass of the season – tying him with B.C.’s Barron Miles for the CFL lead.
The Riders tied the game early in the second quarter when quarterback Darian Durant found receiver Chris Getzlaf for a 22-yard touchdown pass at 13:06 of the second frame.
After Nick Setta booted a 38-yard field goal to give the Black and Gold a three-point lead, rookie defensive back Geoff Tisdale ended two straight Saskatchewan drives with back-to-back interceptions.
With Darian Durant benched after throwing three picks, Steven Jyles took over the Roughriders offensive reigns. The home side would tie the game once again with two minutes to go with a 55-yard field goal by Congi.
The Ticats would head into halftime with a slim lead however, as Setta’s second punt single of the game gave the Black and Gold a 12-11 advantage after two quarters.
Saskatchewan struck first in the second half. First, the Riders defence forced Hamilton to surrender a safety with the Ticats pinned deep in their own end facing a strong prairie wind. Saskatchewan extended their lead on the following possession, as Jyles finished off a four-play drive with a 13-yard touchdown pass to fullback Neal Hughes, giving the home side a 20-12 lead after three quarters.
Rookie receiver Scott Mitchell helped the Ticats reduce their deficit early in the final quarter. With the Black and Gold in Rider territory, Porter threw a 40-yard jump ball to Mitchell, who made a spectacular grab to make the score 20-19.
A few plays later, the Ticats would reclaim the lead thanks to the continued stellar play of their defence. Jykine Bradley stepped in front of a Steven Jyles pass and returned it 22 yards the other way for a touchdown to give the Cats their fourth interception – and more importantly, a 26-20 lead with 13:36 left in the game.
After a Nick Setta field goal increased the Ticats lead to nine, the Roughriders mounted a comeback.
First, Wes Cates finished a five-play Riders drive with a 15-yard touchdown run with 6:37 to go. After Saskatchewan’s defence was able to shut down the Cats offensive attack, Jyles and the Riders offence took over with 4:32 remaining. Jyles and Cates used short runs to move the ball down the field, setting up a 36-yard field goal by Luca Congi to give Saskatchewan a 30-29 lead with just 46 seconds left on the clock.
With little time remaining and a lot of room to make up, Quinton Porter marched the Cats to the Roughriders 47-yard line with just one second left, giving kicker Nick Setta a chance to win the game with a long 54-yard kick.
Unfortunately for the Black and Gold, Setta’s attempt had the distance, but missed wide right, and Saskatchewan kick returner Weston Dressler ran the ball out of the end zone to give the Roughriders a 30-29 win at Mosaic Stadium.
