Murray Wood: Who's hot... and who's not
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The Saskatchewan Roughriders will have to wait a little longer to punch their ticket to the playoffs.
The Calgary Stampeders held off a late Saskatchewan push for a 37-31 win Friday night at Mosaic Stadium, preventing the Riders from clinching a post-season berth and handing the green and white a third straight loss.
Calgary quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. threw four touchdown passes as the Stampeders built a lead Saskatchewan spent most of the night trying to chase.
The Riders scored three touchdowns in the final 2:42, including one on the final play of the game, but missed all three two-point conversion attempts.
“We’ve got to take a hard look in the mirror because what product we’re putting on the field right now is just not good enough,” Riders quarterback Trevor Harris said.
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Saskatchewan’s night got off to a rough start when Quali Conley dropped a punt, giving Calgary the football deep in Riders territory.
The Stampeders quickly turned the mistake into a touchdown.
Saskatchewan responded through Kian Schaffer-Baker.
The receiver made several big catches as the Riders marched down the field before finishing the drive with a touchdown reception from Trevor Harris.
Calgary answered through the air and took a 17-10 lead into halftime.
The Riders had opportunities to make it closer before the break, but kicking troubles left points on the field.
Dawson Hodge missed twice in the second quarter, including a 53-yard attempt, while Calgary’s René Paredes connected from 51 yards.
“First half we scored a touchdown on our first drive, and then we got down toward like 35-ish, and unfortunately couldn’t convert and score touchdowns,” Harris said. “We settled for a few field goals, and that can’t happen.”
Both defences also began to settle in after an offence-heavy opening quarter.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders, seen here in a past game against Calgary, were once again beaten by the Stampeders. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh)
Different half
Saskatchewan opened the second half with a long drive but couldn’t finish it in the end zone, settling for a field goal.
Penalties then became an increasingly important part of the game.
A Riders sack was negated by an illegal-contact penalty, while a long Adams run was wiped out by a Calgary holding call.
Saskatchewan also had a catch erased following a successful Stampeders challenge for illegal contact downfield.
Another mistake hurt the Riders later in the third quarter. A time-count violation turned a third-and-two into third-and-seven, forcing Saskatchewan to punt.
The flags and reviews continued into the fourth quarter before Calgary created some separation.
Adams connected with Tevin Jones for a 19-yard touchdown with 9:13 remaining.
Calgary then appeared to come up with a turnover when Adrian Miller-Melancon intercepted Harris, but a review resulted in a pass-interference call against Stampeders defensive back Zaire Alexander, wiping out the interception.
Calgary added another touchdown when Adams found Jalen Philpot from four yards out with 5:19 remaining.
“I felt in the second half, specifically the fourth quarter, we couldn’t get off the field,” Riders head coach Corey Mace said. “We just failed to execute.”
Harris found Dhel Duncan-Busby for a 13-yard touchdown with 2:42 remaining, but the Riders couldn’t convert the ensuing two-point attempt.
Paredes answered with a 43-yard field goal with 2:05 left to make it 37-19.
Saskatchewan then scored twice in the final 64 seconds.
Harris connected with Duncan-Busby for a five-yard touchdown with 1:04 remaining. Saskatchewan again went for two and again came up empty.
The Riders got the football back and quickly moved downfield, helped by a 34-yard completion from Harris to Thomas Bertrand-Hudon.
On the final play of the game, Harris found Johnny Johnson III for an eight-yard touchdown.
Saskatchewan’s third two-point conversion attempt failed, sealing Calgary’s 37-31 win.
“I’m just going to keep fighting till the end, always,” Harris said. “I think that’s a big message for us right now: you continue to fight no matter what.”
Saskatchewan entered Friday at 8-6, knowing a victory would guarantee a playoff spot and secure the season series against Calgary.
Instead, the Riders’ losing streak reached three games as the West Division playoff race tightened further.
