Mitchell Blair
The Saskatchewan Roughriders may not want to admit they sent a message to the CFL, but they did on Sunday night as they completely dominated the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 31-10 to open up defence of their Grey Cup championship.
On a miserable rainy Sunday in Regina that saw more than two inches fall making just getting to Mosaic Stadium an adventure, the Green and White let the league know they are more than ready to defend their title as they held Hamilton to under 200 yards total offence while sacking quarterback Zach Collaros ten times. John Chick had two of those sacks and he had a hard time wiping the smile off his face in a victorious dressing room after the game.
“10 sacks are impressive. It was a fun day.” Chick said. “If we can have a few more games like that this year, it will be a good one.”
While it looked easy, Chick said it wasn’t, but it was great to start showing the league just what they are all about after going through training camp and the pre-season.
“It was great getting out there and getting down to business.” Chick explained. “You put in all the reps at training camp and then you don’t get the playing time you’d like during the pre-season. These guys were chomping at the bit to get out there and play a full 60 minutes. We were ready. We showed everyone who we are, but we still have a bulls-eye on our back so we know every week will be a battle and that we’ve got to come out with the energy we had today or else.”
Head Coach Corey Chamblin didn’t want to go as far as saying a statement had been sent, but he was very happy with the debut performance of his football club.
“I don’t know if you want to say we sent a statement. We just did a good job of finishing and doing a good job in winning the football game. At the end of the day, we are 1-0 as are other teams. I’m pleased with the way we played, but we just have to keep this momentum going into next week.
Chamblin also discussed the weather which was a factor in the contest. He says while it was extremely miserable out there, his team has gotten used to that.
“We’re in Saskatchewan so we get everything,” Chamblin said with a chuckle. “We have practiced in the wind, we have practiced in the rain and when you look at it, the weather wasn’t great the last time these two teams played. We have gotten to the point since we’ve done so much in these conditions that weather isn’t becoming a factor for us.”
Darian Durant was in full control of the offence again as he added on to what was an impressive pre-season leading the team to three scoring drives in their first four possessions. Durant may not have had glamourous numbers at the end of the day going 15 of 22 for 136 yards and two touchdowns. He was very happy with the way his new look offence came out of the chute.
“We did a great job of moving the ball.” Durant said. “We tried not to let the weather be a factor and it helped the fact we had the wind in the first quarter. At the end of the day though, it shows that the communication we have is working. We talk a lot and it helps that the guys in that room while new to this league aren’t new to playing football at a high level. It helps my confidence and it helps theirs as well. Add that to the fact we have a running back peeling off some big runs and we were a very confident group.”
The win gives the Riders a 1-0 record which leaves them tied for first with Edmonton, Calgary and Winnipeg atop the West. They will battle an Eastern Division opponent again next weekend as they travel to Rogers Centre to battle the 0-1 Argonauts next Saturday in a game which will start at 1 o’clock Saskatchewan time.
GAME NOTES:
- Since Kent Austin returned to the CFL as the coach of the Ti-Cats, he is 0-3 at Mosaic Stadium with his team getting outscored 113-33
- Rookie running back Anthony Allen ran for 158 yards in his season debut on 27 carries
- Ricky Foley had three of the 10 sacks on the night with John Chick and rookie Derek Walker each having two
Darian Durant surpassed Kent Austin on the all time Rider passing attempts leader. Durant has attempted 2864 passes with the team passing Austin’s mark of 2859. The leader in the category is the legendary Ron Lancaster at
