Rod Pedersen
CFL.ca
The Saskatchewan Roughriders are in brand new territory.
The Green & White clinched first place in the CFL West for the first time since 1976 Saturday night when they toppled the Calgary Stampeders 30-14 in Regina in a winner-take-all battle for top spot.
On a better-than-average November evening on the prairies, another sellout crowd of 30,945 fans crammed Mosaic Stadium to witness the third and final meeting of the year between the Riders and Stamps. It was a balmy +4 degrees Celsius with a mild south wind at the 6:00 kickoff and right from the get-go, it seemed to be the Riders’ night.
Saskatchewan scored a touchdown on their opening drive when Darian Durant found Chris Getzlaf in the endzone for an early 7-0 advantage. They would hold onto the lead throughout the entire game although the Stampeders threatened at every turn. Saskatchewan kept that 7-0 lead into the second quarter and upped their edge to 21-8 by halftime thanks to a Rob Bagg receiving touchdown, a Luca Congi field goal and a kickoff single by rookie Louie Sakoda.
John Hufnagel’s Stampeders closed the gap to 21-14 entering the fourth quarter however a one yard rushing touchdown by fullback Chris Szarka with 0:47 left to play gave Saskatchewan a 30-14 lead and proved to be the final dagger. The Riders clinched first place for the first time in 33 years, and a much-needed bye into the West Division Final.
“I was three years old the last time this happened!” gushed Rider lineman Gene Makowsky. “Finally! These fans deserve it. But we’re not done yet. We gotta prepare for the biggest game of the season but this is a great feeling. It’s a dream come true. It’s the last thing left I had to accomplish in my career.”
The importance, and relief, of finishing first can not be understated for the Roughriders especially for head coach Ken Miller and quarterback Darian Durant. As coach, Miller is endlessly second-guessed at every turn by the Rider Nation but in the end he came out on top.
“I am just so proud of the men,” Miller smiled. “It was a nail-biter. We jumped out ahead and then they controlled in the third quarter some but we were dynamite on offense late and our defense was consistent throughout the night.”
Miller’s preseason decision to go with the unproven Durant at quarterback turned out to be the right one, as Durant was named team MOP two days prior to the game. Durant became the first quarterback since the great Ron Lancaster to lead the Riders to a first-place finish. Miller is the first coach to do it since John Payne in 1976.
“Man this is huge,” Durant revealed. “To be a part of history and do something that hasn’t been done for a long time, is great. Jeremy (O’Day), Eddie (Davis) and Geno (Makowsky), those guys deserve this so much.”
Durant put up with endless criticism from some corners of the Rider Nation throughout the season, but he shrugged it off and used it as fuel for the fire.
“I feel great,” said Durant. “There were a lot of doubts about me at the beginning of the season and people thought I wasn’t the guy for this team. I’m not an internet guy, but my Mom is and she tells me. When we people say bad things, she tells me and that motivates me.”
Earning a bye into the West Final is new ground for the Riders, and Miller said the coaching staff would take a day off after the game and then plan the strategy ahead. They won’t play again until the WDF on Sunday, November 22 at Mosaic Stadium against the winner of Sunday’s Western Semifinal between Calgary and Edmonton at McMahon Stadium.
“We are off until Wednesday and it’s going to be good for these guys who’ve been battling so hard to have a few days to heal some bumps and bruises,” Miller said.As for Saturday night, it was celebration time for the Riders and their fans. It kicked off with Miller getting the Gatorade shower, and the party went well into the night.
“Oh my goodness, you could just feel it the last few minutes,” reported Rider defensive end John Chick. “It’s pure joy in that locker room right now. But we won’t get too high. We saw things that we have to improve on. Guys have their heads on straight and we’ll be back to work as soon as we can be.”
RIDER NOTES: The Western Final is not yet soldout. Tickets are available at the Rider ticket office, or online at www.riderville.com … Veteran defensive back Eddie Davis missed the last two games with a miniscus tear in his knee, but is expected to be in the lineup for the West Final … Rookie WR Johnny Quinn left the Calgary game with a miniscus tear and the severity of the injury has not yet been determined … The Riders announced their Most Outstanding Player list on the Thursday before the game. They are QB Darian Durant (MVP), OL Gene Makowsky (Lineman), DE John Chick (Defense), LB Jerrell Freeman (Rookie) and KOR/PR Jason Armstead (Special Teams).
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