I have to admit, I thought the Saskatchewan Roughriders were going to be blown out of McMahon Stadium during yesterday's CFL Western semi-final. Let's face it, the Riders trailed 21-5 late in the first half, and their offense was..............offensive.
Cue the comeback, as Kerry Joseph hit Matt Dominguez with a touchdown strike with three seconds left on the clock. Then, Kenton Keith ripped off a 76-yard scoring scamper on the first offensive play of the second half, and the Green Gang was in business. Even Luca Congi picked up his punting, atoning for a dismal first half performance. And the defence was tremendous, harassing Henry Burris into serving up four interceptions and a fumble. The end result was a 30-21 victory for the Riders, and a sense of closure for any fans who were still lamenting the departure of Smilin' Hank to Calgary after the 2004 season.
So, now it's on the West final in Vancouver against the Lions. The Riders have already beaten the Leos three times this season. Is that a guarantee of success? Uh, no. But if I were a betting man, I wouldn't rule out the possibility of Barrett's Boys advancing to the big show in Winnipeg in two weeks time. Should be a great week!
4 comments:
My Dad seems to think that us beating BC so much might actually hurt our chances because us Riders tend to lose where we ought to win.
I hope Barret doesn't ride out Joseph again when he scores only 5 points [essentially nothing] in the first 2 quarters of play. Butler almost won that game for us in Edmonton the other week, and I think if we use our two best quarterbacks like we did in 1989, we have a much better shot. Burgess got us past Edmonton in the Final that year, remember?
I admit it, I was calling for Joseph to be replaced - until he threw that touchdown pass to Dominguez at the end of the 1st half.
Strange to say this about a 33 year old, but maybe he was nervous in his first pro playoff start at quarterback? Either way, all's well that ends...
It wasn't pretty in the first half but we found a way to win in the second half. Mainly due to a smothering defense. The riders can not get down 21-5 to B.C. and hope to win. They will not commit 6 turnovers. The offense will have to be more consistent and the the defense will have to have another great game. They had better be preparing for Buck Pierce because they will see lots of him this Sunday.
I am glad Parker stood up for his team. On Fiday night the referee decided to give Kootney every opportunity to steal the game, which they did. I know the league will deny it but anyone who actually watched the affair knows better. He may not have been the reason the Pats lost but he was a major contributing factor. A couple of weak goals with a 4-1 lead and the Ref took over from there.
It was a draining game I am sure of and probably impacted them for Saturday's game. They were fortunate to get 4 of 6 points on the table over the last three games.
We need a sniper/gamebreaker. Where is he??
Playing in the AHL, unfortunately. He sure isn't Niko Snellman, that's a given. Might be time to unload a defenseman to give the forward ranks a boost.
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