ROB VANSTONE: Resolute Roughriders won't give an inch down the stretch

Using a curling analogy, I hasten to assert that sweeping changes are not required for the Saskatchewan Roughriders to recapture their winning ways.

I am reminded of a lament often uttered by curlers when a crucial shot just misses: “We were on the wrong side of the inch.”

That phrase is most applicable to last Friday’s game in Vancouver — a 31-24 B.C. Lions victory over Saskatchewan.

“I remember being a kid and you’d hear all the time that football is a game of inches,” Roughriders receiver Kian Schaffer-Baker said. “I see it every single day in every single play.

“It really comes down to every little inch — every little blade of grass. So many things could go your way, or they could go the complete opposite way, just by an inch.”

Such was life for Schaffer-Baker versus the Lions.

In the first quarter, he was behind two B.C. defenders for what could have been a 19-yard touchdown pass. However, the pass by Trevor Harris hit an upright.

“If you were trying to hit the goal post, you probably wouldn’t ever hit it,” Schaffer-Baker observed. “They got lucky on that one. That’s all I’m going to say.”

But that’s not all!

On the Roughriders’ next possession, Schaffer-Baker navigated his way into the clear on a deep corner route — only to have Lions defensive back Robert Carter race over and make a sensational play, deflecting the pass.

Two inches, perhaps three, separated Saskatchewan from a 60-yard touchdown.

“I thought it was going to be a big one, but you’ve got to admire it,” Schaffer-Baker said. “It was a great play by him. They get paid on the other side of the ball, too, to go out there and make plays.

“It’s best on best at the end of the day. He got one, but he won’t get too many, though.”

Schaffer-Baker also figured prominently on his team’s next possession, which appeared to be doomed after the visitors found themselves in a first-and-30 predicament.

The Roughriders had other ideas.

Harris found Dylan Djete for 12 yards before spotting Schaffer-Baker for a 20-yarder that moved the chains. The Roughriders advanced as far as the Lions’ 16-yard line before settling for a field goal — three more points than a team typically receives after facing a first-and-1,080-inches nightmare.

“We got to first-and-20 and we had another holding call,” Harris said. “I was like, ‘Don’t accept it and make it first-and-30. They did.’ ”

The nerve!

“I was like, ‘All right, we’ll just try to get it to second-and-manageable,’ ” the Roughriders’ starting signal caller continued.

“I was kind of able to escape the pocket and move the pocket a little bit and get one to Dylan to make it second-and-18.

“Then I used my front shoulder to kind of freeze the interior defender. Schaff found a hole in the intermediate-plus area and we were able to layer it in there. He made a great catch and we were able to get a field goal on that drive.

“The problem is, we’ve got to go down there and get a touchdown. That’s kind of where we’re at — making sure that we capitalize on those opportunities.”

So many opportunities.

So close!

There is such a thin line between a big play and, to borrow baseball parlance this time, a loud out.

“It’s tight,” Harris concurred. “There was a run play (on second-and-six from B.C.’s 16-yard line) where they gave us a different blitz. I wish I would have used a little bit of cadence there. It changes everything.

“I hit a field-goal post. We had another time where we got stopped on third-and-one, which never happens. I don’t think it will ever happen again. We’ve got the best ever (Tommy Stevens) doing it for us.

“We’ve got to make sure that we get down there and get greedy in the red zone. I think we will this week.”

Harris and the Roughriders have lost back-to-back games, both on the road, leading into Friday’s home date with Calgary. A victory over the Stampeders would secure a playoff spot for the defending Grey Cup champions.

“We know where we're at in the standings,” Harris said. “Our backs are against the wall to some degree. It’s on us to come out swinging. That’s exactly the way this team is going to be.

“But with four games left, if you’re not coming out swinging, then who are you? Do you even want to contend? Do you want to win a championship? Do you want to be the team that’s there in the end?

“I know what this team is made of, so we’re going to come out with a great ferocity and intensity, regardless of where we’re at in the standings.”

Saskatchewan and B.C., both with 8-6 records, are tied for second in the West Division. The Lions have the upper hand by virtue of having just won the season series with Saskatchewan.

Saskatchewan and B.C. are both chasing the Edmonton Elks (11-4). The Winnipeg Blue Bombers (7-7) and Calgary (7-8) round out a very competitive division.

After Friday, the Roughriders will turn their attention to a home-and-home set with the Montreal Alouettes (11-3). The 2025 Grey Cup combatants are to meet Oct. 12 in Montreal and Oct. 17 at Mosaic Stadium. The latter facility will be the site of the CFL’s 2026 regular-season finale, between Saskatchewan and Edmonton on Oct. 24.

“I’m excited to see our response for these last four games,” said Harris, the 2025 Grey Cup MVP. “It starts this week — hopefully with getting a big win at home in front of an awesome crowd.”