ROBSERVATIONS: Rough night for Riders … 44 years ago today: Riders won 53-8! … Mosaic milestone
Rob Vanstone
Nothing adds up except the frustration.
By perusing the yardsticks, one could easily jump to the conclusion that the Saskatchewan Roughriders won handily against the visiting Calgary Stampeders on Friday.
First downs: 30-21, Saskatchewan.
Passing yards: 453-242, Roughriders.
Total offence: 470-326, Green and White.
On top of that, the Roughriders punted only twice.
But a golden opportunity was punted away.
With a chance to clinch a CFL playoff berth by defeating Calgary, the Roughriders fell behind 34-13 in the fourth quarter and ultimately lost 37-31 to a team that arrived in Regina with a sub-.500 record.
For the first time with Corey Mace as Head Coach and Trevor Harris as the starting quarterback, the Roughriders have lost three games in succession.
“We’ve got to take a hard look in the mirror, because the product we’re putting on the field right now is just not good enough,” Harris said after throwing four touchdown passes for the second time as a Roughrider.
“It’s all phases. It’s all of us taking a look in the mirror and finding out how we can be better and finding out how we can be dominant. This team has that capability, but we’re not doing it.
“It’s frustrating.”
With an 8-7 record, the Roughriders are third in the West Division, just ahead of Calgary (8-8) and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (7-7).
The Riders’ slump began on Sept. 12 with a 19-6 loss in Winnipeg.
Then came a 31-24 defeat at the hands of the surging B.C. Lions (now 8-6) on Sept. 25.
On Friday, the Roughriders lost the season series to a divisional foe for the third consecutive game.
The latest loss may resonate longer than usual, because the Roughriders do not return to action until they face the host Montreal Alouettes in an Oct. 12 rematch of the 2025 Grey Cup finalists.
Last night, the home side dressed 25 players who were on the active roster when the Roughriders defeated Montreal 25-17 on Nov. 16 in Winnipeg.
“I think we do have that same spark,” centre Logan Ferland said. “We’ve just got to hit a run. It starts with getting a win.
“It really comes down to all the details we need to fix … small details.”
How small?
“It’s a matter of finding whatever that one per cent is,” Harris said. “Once you turn the corner and make something happen and win a game, things turn.
“I’ve been on teams where we’ve been 9-9 and got hot late and won it all. I’ve been on a team that went 8-9-1 and won a Grey Cup. It’s about getting hot late, finding some momentum, and doing that.
“But for us to do that, we can’t talk about that right now. We’ve got to talk about what we need to do to fix what is going on right now.
“I can tell you this: There won’t be anybody who’s working harder to do exactly that at the quarterback position around the league than I will.”
That is the commitment from someone who is enjoying one of the finest seasons of any Roughriders quarterback.
With three regular-season games remaining, Harris has 29 TD passes — six shy of Kent Austin’s team-record total from 1992 — and 4,874 aerial yards (fourth best in franchise history).
The 2025 Grey Cup MVP is doing all of this as a 40-year-old. He is a marvel.
“Me at my age, you don’t know how many of these you have left, so I’m going to grind,” Harris stated. I’m going to continue to fight.
“I’m going to continue to put one foot in front of the other and do everything I can to make sure that we get this right, because this province deserves a great product on the field and we’re not delivering that currently.”
ON A BRIGHTER NOTE …
Oct. 2 versus Calgary did not go well.
Oct. 3 versus Calgary? A much different story!
Forty-four years ago today, the Roughriders eviscerated the Stampeders 53-8 at Taylor Field.
It was a much better day for the Roughriders than it was for the Stampeders or, for that matter, NBC.
During the 1982 NFL players’ strike, NBC sent crews northward to televise CFL games. One of the chosen contests was played Oct. 3 in the greater Regina area.
Don Criqui and John Brodie were in the booth for NBC when Saskatchewan scored on its first play from scrimmage — an 83-yard pass from Joe (747) Adams to Dwight Edwards.
Adams subsequently found Joey Walters for a pair of touchdown passes.
Michael Washington rushed for 105 yards and two more scores.
Saskatchewan enjoyed a 40-0 third-quarter lead before Calgary got on the board with a 24-yard touchdown pass from Phil Kessel to Alton Alexis. Kessel then found Willie Armstead for a two-point conversion to complete the Stampeders’ scoring.
Gerry Dattilio handled the quarterbacking for Calgary in the first half before being replaced by Kessel — whose son and namesake scored 413 goals in 1,286 NHL regular-season games.
MOSAIC MILESTONE
This past Thursday marked the 10th anniversary of the first game of any description to be held at new Mosaic Stadium.
In a test event, the University of Regina Rams posted a 37-29 Canada West football victory over the University of Saskatchewan Huskies on Oct. 1, 2016.
A crowd of 16,500 watched the Rams’ Noah Picton throw for 370 yards and four touchdowns. Two of the TD passes were caught by his cousin — future Roughriders receiver Mitch Picton.
The Rams’ Ryan Scheinbein added 13 receptions for 189 yards. He scored the first TD, period, at the new facility.
The Roughriders’ first game at Mosaic Stadium 2.0 was a June 10, 2017 CFL pre-season matchup with Winnipeg.
The first tackle at the new stadium — on the return of the opening kickoff — was made by rookie Albert Awachie, who on Friday played in his 100th regular-season game as a Roughrider.
ROLL CREDITS …
• Nice people who deserve a plug: Dr. Mark Anderson, Bob Strumm, Bob Strumm Jr., Dale Derkatch, Dayce Derkatch, Leo MacDonald, Paul McCallum, Marquay McDaniel, Lorne Molleken, Braden Konschuh, Glen Hoffman, Wray Morrison, Lorne Harasen, Velma Harasen, Logan Ferland, Jacob Brammer, Payton Collins, Brett Lauther, Jill Lauther, Townes Lauther, Troy Lauther, Albert Awachie, Amelie Sarauer, Rylee Cohen, Godfrey Onyeka and Carson Elcome.