In the immortal words of Bear Bryant, “Offense wins games … defense wins championships,” and many in Rider Nation are hoping that will be the case when it comes to the 5-1 Saskatchewan Roughriders.
The Green and White improved to 5-1 with a 19-9 victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (2-5) on a hot and steam night at Mosaic Stadium on Friday night. In the first half, the teams exchanged a pair of field goals and went into the locker room even at 6.
To open the second half, Rider Quarterback Shea Patterson found Clint Ratkovich all alone in the corner of the end zone off of a masterful play action pass for the games only major.
Then it was the defence’s turn to shine forcing Zach Collaros to throw the ball across his body, a pass that would be intercepted by Adam Auclair. The defence would score a second take-away after a completion over the middle to former Rider Nic Demski. Roughrider Linebacker Jameer Thurman would track him down from behind and strip the ball into the hands of teammate Marcus Sales. The fumble recovery seemed to take the wind from the Blue Bombers sales and allowed the Green and White to secure the 19-9 win.
Here are some of the takeaways from the booth:
- A.J. Ouellette is the ultimate team guy. The Ohio State grad takes a licking but gets up and back in the game the majority of the time. He would finish the game with 17 carries for 88 yards, an average of 5.2 yards per carry. Those numbers were great but with the game on the line and Ouellette obviously hurting he found a way to get to the Rider sideline instead of requiring attention on the field. His ability to get to the bench forced Winnipeg to use a timeout to stop the clock instead of being gifted an injury time out to stop the clock. It’s the little details!
- Marc Mueller the mastermind! Nearing the midpoint of the third quarter the Riders marched the ball into the Red Zone and with the big set in on the field for a 2nd and 2, Mueller used the ultimate tendency breaker – faking a hand-off to A.J. Ouellette (the norm out of this set) and throwing the ball to Clint Ratkovich who would be wide open in the end zone. VERY astute adjustment and awareness on the fly.
- Rider Nation knows the importance of 0. Rolan Milligan Junior had another impressive night. 3 defensive tackles, 2 special teams tackles and 4 knocks downs! That said, it was when he was shaken up on the far sideline that an eery hush fell over Mosaic Stadium until the moment he got up and jogged to the Rider bench.
- In Thurman we trust. Jameer Thurman doesn’t get as much attention as he deserves! With Milligan Junior getting a lot of deserved attention, Thurman’s contributions, at times, have been overlooked. Thurman’s compete level is off the charts, i.e. him chasing down Nic Demski in the open field and creating a fumble after the sprint in the open field. The resulting recovery by teammate Marcus Sayles all but sealed the game for the Riders. The intangible for Thurman is his leadership. Not only does he communicate to his teammates verbally he walks the talk which sets a standard that the group follows.
- Ajou Ajou, like William Shakespeare, just keeps making plays. Whether it is finding a soft spot in a zone, using his length, strength and size to make a play OR punishing an opponent with a block Ajou continues to take his game to the next level (4 receptions 110 yards). It is apparent that Ajou feels the need to prove himself after slipping to the 7th Round of the CFL draft this spring. A lot of observers that I have had the opportunity to talk to say that its mission accomplished in proving himself and creating some envy among other CFL player personnel types who had 58 opportunities to call his name before the Riders did.
- No news is good news. One story line that we watched closely was the play of the offensive line especially at the tackle position with rookies Jacob Brammer and Trevor Reid going head-to-head with Winnipeg’s Willie Jefferson. Jefferson, one of the most dominant Defensive Ends in the league, did rack up 5 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 sack and a knockdown. However, for the most part the offensive line worked well together creating running lanes for A.J. Ouellette AND time for Shea Patterson to deliver the ball.
- Shea Patterson. Career start number three was another step forward in the development of the Michigan grad. His poise in the pocket made his footwork more complete. His decision making after reading the defence was spot on and the release of the football seemed quicker. Patterson’s confidence is growing and its warranted.
- Kian Schaeffer-Baker. We will wait to see the extent of KSB’s injury as he was in a sling on the sidelines in the fourth quarter after exiting the game before halftime. At the time that he left he had 4 catches on 8 targets for 60 yards. BUT it could have been more as a long pass early in the game fell through his hands after he beat coverage.
- Bighill hit a big deal? If you missed the final play of the ball game; 6 seconds left, third down for the Riders. Shea Patterson takes the snap and retreats looking to kill the clock. Patterson avoids a rush from Willie Jefferson, rolls out and fires the ball into the stands. Game over, right? Well, no right after Patterson got rid of the ball he absorbed a hit from Winnipeg future Hall of Fame linebacker Adam Bighill. The Rider bench was incensed as they poured out onto the field with zeros on the clock. Post-Game Shea Patterson took the blame for the hit saying he should have got rid of the ball sooner. While Blue Bomber Head Coach Mike O’Shea didn’t see anything wrong with the hit noting that Patterson should have thrown it sooner and that there was no penalty assessed on the play. You be the judge.
The Roughriders are 5-1 and off to Montreal to take on the 5-1 Alouettes on Thursday night. We will talk to you from the booth then.
