'It sucks': Roughriders blow lead, fall to Stampeders 26-19 for sixth ...
The Riders now lose control of their playoff fate and will now hope for Calgary to lose
Published Oct 14, 2023 • Last updated 7 hours ago • 4 minute read
The Saskatchewan Roughriders kept the Calgary Stampeders playoff hopes alive on Friday night.
With a chance to eliminate the Stampeders from the CFL’s West Division playoff race, the Riders gifted Calgary 14 points off two turnovers in the third quarter, as the Stamps came back from a 13-0 deficit to beat Saskatchewan 26-19 at McMahon Stadium in Week 19 of the season.
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“Disappointed for the guys, I felt like they gave us everything they got,” Riders’ head coach Craig Dickenson said after the game. “I felt like we deserved better.
“We didn’t make the plays we needed to in the second half, turned it over twice and I think that was the difference in the game.”
It’s the sixth straight loss for the Roughriders, who drop to 6-11, while the Stamps snap a three-game skid to improve to 5-11.
Calgary also clinched the season series between the two teams and is now in the driver’s seat when it comes to locking up the third and final playoff spot with two weeks to go.
However, it won’t be easy for Calgary as the Stamps will need to win one of their final two games — against the B.C. Lions and Winnipeg Blue Bombers — plus have the Riders lose to the Toronto Argonauts. If the Riders beat Toronto, Calgary would need to win both games to get in.
Despite losing control of their playoff fate, the Riders know they still have a chance to make it.
“It’s a sour taste right now,” said linebacker Larry Dean, who finished with two tackles to give him 100 on the season. “It’s not a good feeling right now knowing that we were in control and we let it slip away.
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“But at the end of the day, we still have an opportunity, so we’ve just got to go out and keep pushing.”
After a scoreless opening quarter, Saskatchewan built up a 13-0 lead on Friday, thanks to an 11-yard rushing touchdown by Jamal Morrow and two field goals by Ryan Meskell, who was a late addition to the lineup after Brett Lauther was scratched due to illness.
However, to end the first half, the Riders elected to give up a two-point safety instead of punting from their end zone, before Calgary scored a field goal after the safety kick-off to make it 13-5 at the break.
“It was a tough call for me at that point,” Dickenson said when asked about conceding the safety. “The wind was really blowing at the time, like really blowing, so that’s why I elected to do it.”
Meskell added another field goal early in the third quarter to put the Riders up 16-5, before Saskatchewan helped Calgary get back into the game after they put up just 88 yards of net offence in the first half.
After the Stampeders punted for the eighth time, Riders’ returner Mario Alford fumbled the ball and it was recovered by Calgary’s Charlie Power, giving the Stamps immediate field position from the Saskatchewan 15-yard line.
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Two plays later, Stamps’ quarterback Jake Maier connected with receiver Floyd Allen for the touchdown to cut the lead to 16-12.
A couple drives later, disaster struck again for Saskatchwan, as Dolegala threw an interception into the hands of Calgary linebacker Cameron Judge, who took it back 33 yards for the touchdown, giving the Stamps the 19-16 lead near the end of the third quarter.
“It obviously hurt,” said Dolegala, who finished the game 23-of-33 for 272 yards with the lone interception. “Judge played it really well; he’s a good player.
“And he got me.”
Early in the fourth, Meskell kicked his fourth field goal of the night to tie the game, before the Stamps took the lead with under five minutes to go. Maier connected with Luther Hakunavanhu for a 37-yard gain which was followed by short-yardage QB Tommy Stevens plunging into the end zone, as Calgary went up 26-19.
Saskatchewan had two chances to drive the field and tie it up, but turned it over on downs twice, losing the turnover battle 6-0. And while Saskatchewan’s defence didn’t force a turnover, they only gave up 10 first downs and 208 yards of net offence, which was a large improvement compared to the other games during the losing skid.
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“You can’t deny the guys played with a lot of heart, a lot of energy (and) a lot of emotion,” said Dolegala. “The effort was there all night.
“It sucks.”
The Riders will now get set for their final game of the regular season on Oct. 21 against the Toronto Argonauts (2 p.m., TSN, Mosaic Stadium), before a bye in the final week of the season.
And it could be a must-win for Saskatchewan, depending on how Calgary fares against the Lions the night prior.
“It’s going to be a tricky scenario to get them motivated,” said Dickenson. “I think we can do it though.
“We’re going to focus on enjoying being together. We’ve got another week together. If we can win a ball game, we make it pretty darn hard on Calgary to still catch us, but they do have the tiebreaker and our guys know that.”
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