Rod Pedersen
The Saskatchewan Roughriders (9-6) were home to the Edmonton Eskimos (10-5) Sunday afternoon to close out Week 17 of the 2014 CFL season. The Riders were out to snap a three-game losing streak and keep their dream of hosting a playoff game alive. Kerry Joseph started at quarterback for the Roughriders for the first time since the 2007 Grey Cup. Here’s the game log from the broadcast booth:
– It was sunny and 17 degrees Celsius at the 2:07 pm kickoff with a southwest wind at 3 km/h.
– The Riders scratched RB Anthony Allen and OT Xavier Fulton from their 46-man roster.
– The Riders wore their home green uniforms with white pants and green helmets. The Eskimos were in their road white jerseys with green pants and gold helmets.
– The Eskimos won the coin toss and elected to defer. The Riders took the ball to open the game, defending the north endzone.
– Saskatchewan’s opening series, with Kerry Joseph at quarterback, began at their 27-yard line. 2-and-out after a deep incompletion to WR Korey Williams and an 8-yard pass to Chris Getzlaf.
– Rider punter Josh Bartel’s kick was partially blocked and Edmonton got it at the Rider 35 after a no-yards penalty. Mike Reilly was the starting QB.
– Edmonton’s first series ended with a 42-yard Hugh O’Neill field goal attempt however he was wide left and Rider KR Tristan Jackson brought it out of the endzone.
– Saskatchewan’s second series began at their 6-yard line. They Riders managed a pair of first downs on receptions by Weston Dressler and Korey Williams before punting from their 33.
– On the punt Eskimo PR Fred Stamps threw a lateral which was recovered by Rider DB Mark LeGree. It was LeGree’s team-leading fifth pick of the year. TURNOVERS: ESKIMOS 1 RIDERS 0.
– The Riders’ third series began at the Edmonton 39. They had to settle for a 43-yard Chris Milo field goal attempt. It was good, and the Riders took a 3-0 lead at the 6:55 mark.
– Eskimos took it at their 35 for their second drive. Riders got their first sack of the game on the series as Ricky Foley took down Reilly forced a punt from their 31.
– The Riders’ fourth series began at their 25 after a 4-yard Weston Dressler punt return and holding penalty on the return team. They got to their 49 before punting.
– Edmonton took over at their 20 for their fourth series. The drive carried over into the second period.
AFTER ONE: RIDERS 3 ESKIMOS 0
– The drive ended with a 37-yard O’Neill field goal at the 3:22 mark to tie the game 3-3.
– The Riders took it at their 35. Sophomore lineman Corey Watman was in at left guard for Dan Clark who left the game with injury. 2-and-out.
– The Eskimos started from their 37 after a Kendial Lawrence punt return. They moved it all the way to the Rider 23 before Foley recorded his second sack, taking Reilly down on the Rider 28 forcing a 35-yard yard O’Neill field goal attempt. Again he was wide, and this time it went through the endzone for a rouge. 4-3 Edmonton with 6:45 to go in the half.
– The Riders took it at their 35 for their sixth possession. A pass interference call on the Esks prolonged the drive and the Riders got a first down at the Edmonton 39 with 4:24 to go. A tipped ball landed in Edmonton linebacker Dexter McCoil’s hands at the Edmonton 30. TURNOVERS: ESKIMOS 1 RIDERS 1
– Edmonton went 2-and-out and punted from their 34 with 2:40 to go.
– Riders took over at their 54 after a 29-yard punt return by Dressler. Joseph found Getzlaf 21 yards to the Edmonton 35 with 2:08 to go. Back-to-back catches by Rob Bagg got them to the Edmonton 18. And then Brett Swain laid out for an 18-yard TD catch from K-J for a 10-4 Rider lead with 0:58 to go. 6-play, 56-yard drive.
– Eskimos started from their 36 with 0:52 to go. On first down Reilly was picked off by Rider safety Tyron Brackenridge who returned it to the Eskimo 25 with 0:41 to go! TURNOVERS: ESKIMOS 2 RIDERS 1
– A facemasking penalty on Esks’ lineman Matt O’Donnell on the play put the Riders 1st and goal from the Edmonton 10. The Riders had to settle for a 17-yard Milo field goal with 0:28 remaining in the second quarter.
AT THE BREAK: RIDERS 13 ESKIMOS 4
– The Eskimos opened the second half with a 95-yard kick return touchdown by Kendial Lawrence to cut the Riders’ lead to 13-11 at the 0:15 mark. “That one really, really hurts,” said CKRM radio colour analyst Carm Carteri.
– So the Riders’ first drive of the second half began at their 44 after a 32-yard return by Tristan Jackson. They got to the Edmonton 47 before punting.
– The attendance: 32,421.
– The Eskimos began from their 14. They got to their 20 before punting.
– The Riders’ second series began at their 42 after an 11-yard punt return by Tristan Jackson. A holding penalty nullified a 31-yard pass to Getzlaf and the Riders punted from their 54.
– Eskimos took over from their 38 for their second drive. Reilly moved it as far as the Rider 39 before O’Neill lined up a 46-yard field goal. He was good on this one and the Eskimos took a 14-13 lead with 5:04 to go in the third chapter.
– The Riders took it at their 35 for their third possession of the half. 2-and-out. They punted on 3rd-and-2.
– Eskimo ball at their 30 with 3:35 to go in the third. They got to their own 48 before punting with 1:22 left on the clock.
– With 0:56 remaining the quarter, the Riders started from their 20 after a 52-yard punt by O’Neill. On first down Joseph aired it out and it was picked off by Edmonton DB Cauchy Muamba who returned 54 yards inside the Rider 20. A major foul on Edmonton put the Eskimos at the Rider 33. TURNOVERS: RIDERS 2 ESKIMOS 2
– The series carried over into the fourth
AFTER THREE: ESKIMOS 14 RIDERS 13
– The Eskimo offense moved backwards and they were looking at 2nd-and-21 from the Rider 22 in the opening two minutes. But the Rider defense held and the Eskimos had to settle for a 29-yard O’Neill field goal. 17-13 Edmonton at the 1:50 mark.
– The Riders took it at their 35. 2-and-out after two incomplete passes. It was the Riders’ fifth 2-and-out.
– Edmonton ball at their 26 with 12:14 to go. Some nice playcalling moved them efficiently downfield and Reilly capped the series with a 5-yard touchdown run with 7:49 remaining. That made it 24-13 Eskimos with 7:28 to go.
– Riders started at their 39 after a 23-yard Tristan Jackson return. Kerry Joseph shook off a mild hand injury from the last series to quarterback the drive. They got to the 55 before punting.
– With 5:07 to go Edmonton began from their 11. A 49-yard Adarius Bowman grab got them to the Rider 45 with 3:23 remaining. They turned it over on downs at the Rider 38 when they were looking at 3rd-and-3 and left their offense on. TURNOVERS: ESKIMOS 3 RIDERS 2
– Riders took it from their 38 with around 2:14 to go. They got to the Eskimo 28 with 0:49 to go and facing 3rd-and-10. K-J threw a strike down the middle right on Korey Williams’ #8 to make it 24-19 and they went for two. Unfortunately the pass fell incomplete. It was a 10-play, 72-yard drive.
– On the short kick attempt, the Eskimos’ Devon Bailey recovered and got it to the Rider 37 with 0:37 to go.
– The Eskimos were looking at 3rd-and-4 with 0:08 remaining. Reilly danced back and heaved it to the endzone. The play killed enough time to run the clock out as the pass landed incomplete.
GAME OVER: ESKIMOS 24 ROUGHRIDERS 19
POSTGAME COMMENTS FROM RIDER COACH COREY CHAMBLIN
– You always want to win the game. That’s number one but you do have to look at the positives. We were up at halftime and if we don’t give up the kick, maybe it’s a different game. We are getting chemistry back together but we still have lots of work to do to pull it off.
– For a guy that didn’t go to camp and retired in his mind, I thought Kerry did an excellent job. It wasn’t about individual play. It was a 5-point deal. Last time we lost 24-0 to them. We are headed in the right direction.
– It’s always disappointing on that return. That’s a part of football. We have to find a way when we’re on the field to get it done. Special teams isn’t a new group – it’s a collection of offensive and defensive guys. And it’s not just the players. It’s coaches too and we all need to be better.
– Some players weren’t phased by that but some players didn’t handle it well. We have to find a way to correct that. It’s a process and guys learned how to fight back last year. There were times though that they didn’t know how to fight back. Tough games and losses prepare you and your mindset for the playoffs. You have to find the guys that have the fire to fight through it.
– It’s never too late to make changes. Korey Williams coming into today showed that he’s got something. It’s never too late until the game’s over. If it means signing guys on the street, that’s the way it goes. Some guys just need to grow up and realize how to be championship players and what it takes to win.
– I don’t think it’s a consolation because it’s all about winning but progress is what I was looking for and I saw that on offense and defense. We held them to 17 points on offense and there are areas I’m happy about but also concerned about. But some guys played their tails off.
– I thought Kerry was awesome. I couldn’t ask too much out of him. I thought he had to have help around him and he got it. He gives us a chance. When you look in his eyes, there was always a look that we could win it. That’s what you want.
– It’s a short week. Kerry will start Friday night. If he’s healthy, then he’ll go.
QUARTERBACK KERRY JOSEPH
– At the end of the day I’m not pleased we didn’t win. I felt good and got into a rhythm but we left some plays out there. We made strikes offensively but we left some plays out there and gave them a chance.
– Some of it is reads but they had the big return and we took penalties at bad times. We have to alleviate those. Holding penalties on big plays kill you. We have to be more disciplined. We can move the ball because we do have the athletes.
– That deep interception gave them three points. I gotta read the safety coming over. I shoulda extended the play on the two-pointer and I missed Getzlaf on a 20-yarder. I gotta work on my footwork but I know it’ll come and I’ll get back into the groove.
– The arm feels good. It’s just anticipation. I haven’t had a lot of work with the guys but I’ll trust they’ll be where they need to be and I’ll cut it loose.
– It was real. But it’s a nightmare we didn’t come out with the win. I’m gonna be better and this team will be better. I know we’ll do the things we need to do to be there in the end.
• The Roughriders visit the Calgary Stampeders Friday night at 7:30 on TSN and the CKRM Rider Radio Network.
