Taylor Shire
Regina Leader-Post
The Saskatchewan Roughriders gave a record-breaking crowd something to cheer for on Sunday night.
In the 60th edition of the Labour Day Classic, the Roughriders hung on to a late fourth-quarter lead to beat the visiting Winnipeg Blue Bombers 34-30 in front of a standing-room only crowd of 34,243 at Mosaic Stadium in Week 13 of the CFL season.
“They don’t call it the Labour Day Classic for nothing,” said Roughriders quarterback Trevor Harris. “It was kind of interesting how last year’s game kind of ended in the opposite direction. We scored super late to possibly tie it up and then we didn’t get the two-point conversion.
“Very fortunate and happy to be out on the winning side of this one this year. There’s a lot to clean up and a lot to get better. But shoot, that’s what football is about and I just loved the grit of our team toward the end.”
Sunday’s attendance total was the highest-attended Roughrider game since new Mosaic Stadium opened in 2017. Last year’s Labour Day Classic, which saw Winnipeg win 35-33, was the previous record with 33,861 taking that game in.
“Most times, it’s just kind of like white noise and you’re dialed in — not tonight,” said Roughriders head coach Corey Mace. “It was unbelievably loud. Rider Nation, I love you. That was incredible.”
“I think Rider Nation needs to know that they made an impact tonight,” added Harris. “This is the place to play in the league; this is the place I’ve always wanted to be and where I’d love to retire.
“And this place is starting to rock now and these fans earn it, and they’ve deserved it for their steadfastness and their commitment to us.”
After a scoreless first quarter, Winnipeg opened up a 10-0 lead before the Roughriders scored two second-quarter touchdowns — one on a seven-yard run by A.J. Ouellette and another on a 69-yard pass from Harris to Tommy Nield — to take a 14-10 lead into halftime.
The Bombers then tied the game in the third quarter before the Roughriders went up by 14 thanks to two rushing touchdowns from rookie running back Mario Anderson.
“It just started with the preparation throughout the week,” said Anderson. “Being with the guys every single week, they push me every single day.
“It was just surreal feeling (for) my first CFL touchdown.”
Just when Saskatchewan — who also had a two-point convert catch by Ajou Ajou, who was making his season debut after signing on Thursday — was hoping to run down the clock and escape with a victory, things got interesting at Mosaic Stadium.
After a fumble on a punt return by Saskatchewan’s Mario Alford, Bombers’ quarterback Zach Collaros found Keric Wheatfall for a 33-yard touchdown strike to make it 31-24 with 3:59 left.
Saskatchewan’s offence was then hoping it could put together an extended drive to run out the clock but the Roughriders got to the Winnipeg 44-yard line before being stopped on second down. And instead of electing to attempt a 51-yard field goal to go up by 10, the Riders opted to catch Winnipeg off guard by having Harris punt the ball.
The quarterback hit an end-over-end 44-yard punt to the goal line which resulted in a conceded single point, after it was initially ruled a safety.
“Kind of fringy area right there for us,” said Mace. “Kicking towards Pil Country is always kind of tough; you never know.
“(That play) is something we actually talked about a little bit and it worked out. I think the coverage they gave us was perfect; they didn’t even have a free safety. I think they were zero coverage there.
“Obviously we got a single out of it — was hoping for the original call (of a safety) — but great execution in a pressure situation.”
“We always have that play in as a possibility,” added Harris, who said he’s never punted in practice aside from once in his rookie season in 2012. “I did it a couple times in college (in 2009).
“It’s been about 16 years since I brought the ol’ right leg out … I didn’t really have that on the bingo card that I’d punt for a possible safety.”
Not out of it yet, Collaros aired it out with just over a minute left to Nic Demski but Riders safety Jaxon Ford was flagged for pass interference, which gave Winnipeg a gain of 57 yards.
From there, Collaros hit Dalton Schoen in the end zone for his third touchdown pass of the game to make it 32-30, forcing Winnipeg to go for a two-point convert and tie the game.
And on the attempt, Collaros looked to the corner of the end zone but it was read — and intercepted by — Riders cornerback Tevaughn Campbell, who returned the pick 112 yards for two points to put Saskatchewan up 34-30 and essentially seal the game as the Bombers couldn’t recover the on-side kick with 30 seconds left.
“I just knew I had to jump the out (route); I knew it was coming,” said Campbell. “So just had to jump and make the play.”
“It was crucial,” said Mace. “T.C.’s one of the fastest guys on the team so (when) he catches the ball with a couple yards lead, I don’t believe there’s very many people that are going to catch him.
“Yet, I wasn’t going to say nothing until I saw him cross that goal line. Incredible play by him.”
Along with his 45-yard punt, Harris finished the game having completed 17 of 27 passes for 219 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. Seven different Riders caught a pass in the win.
“I thought from the middle of the second quarter on, I thought we did a great job of staying on the field (with) sustained drives,” said Harris. “But they’re a good defence, too. And so they took away some stuff.
“We tried to shoot it down the field and they did a good job when we tried to throw it over their heads.
“We were up 14 with three minutes left to go in the game and obviously didn’t close it out the way we wanted to, but there’s no finger pointing on the sideline. There’s no panic button. Moments never going to be too big for a group like this.”
On the ground, along with his touchdown, Ouellette had 89 rushing yards while Anderson chipped in with 34 yards.
Defensively, Malik Carney had a tackle for a loss and a sack in the first quarter before a strip sack fumble and recovery in the second quarter which led to Saskatchewan’s first touchdown.
“We preach complementary football,” said Carney. “There’s going to be ups and ups and downs to the game, and we were able to pick up the offence and the offence was able to pick us up.”
Micah Johnson, Jameer Thurman and Ali Saad also had sacks for the Riders while A.J. Allen had a forced fumble, which was recovered by Thurman. On the other side, the Riders had one fumble from Alford and another from Harris, who was only sacked once.
Collaros was 26 of 37 for 326 yards with three touchdowns and the lone interception to Campbell. Running back Brady Oliveira was held to just 24 yards on five carries.
With the win, the Roughriders rebounded from a loss to the Calgary Stampeders to improve to 9-2 on the season for just the third time in franchise history while the Bombers fell to 6-5 in the West Division playoff race.
These two teams will meet again on Saturday at 2 p.m. in Winnipeg in the second half of a home-and-home series in Week 14.
“We know we’re going into, for us, the most hostile environment in the league,” said Mace. “It’s a hard place to play.
“I think we know what we’re in for. And what a time. This is why you love the back-to-backs.
“They’re going to be even more dialed than they were tonight and we’ve got to match that intensity to be able to come out with a win. But it won’t be easy. There’s going to be a bunch of crazy stuff that’s happens and we just got to be we just got to be dialed in and fall in love with the details of each play and see where that leads us.”
