Saskatchewan’s winning streak is a conversation piece

The Saskatchewan Roughriders appear to have talked themselves into something.

The CFL team has won three straight games to improve to 5-4-0, a run that apparently was sparked by a conversation the players had following a 30-15 loss to the B.C. Lions in Vancouver on Aug. 5.

Centre Brendon LaBatte said the result of the group chat was “an attitude adjustment” that has taken root in the Roughriders’ locker room.

“You just get sick of losing, eventually,” LaBatte said after Sunday’s 38-24 victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Labour Day Classic at Mosaic Stadium. “We had a few guys voicing their opinions and saying a few dicey things, I guess, but sometimes that sort of stuff has to be said.

“It has been good. We’ve got good leadership in this group and it’s all starting to pull in the same direction.”

After the Roughriders lost their first two games of the regular season, they won one, lost one and won one to take a 2-3-0 record into BC Place Stadium. The Lions dominated the visitors, who managed two late touchdowns to make the score somewhat respectable.

That didn’t satisfy many of the players.

“The way we left the B.C. game was probably when (the desire to have a meeting) started,” LaBatte said. “When you go the better part of 57 minutes being shut out, that’s not good — and we knew we’re a better group than that.

“Nobody has to be a world-beater in this system. Everybody has just got to do his own job.”

So, following that loss — Saskatchewan’s 15^th straight road loss against a West Division opponent — the players had a talk.

“We had a meeting as a team and even as position groups, just to see what we could do better,” said receiver Naaman Roosevelt. “That was a terrible game by all of us. We knew after that game that we definitely had to talk and see what we had to do better between ourselves. That (chat) definitely made a big difference.”

“We took a stand and right now we’re firing on all cylinders because of that meeting,” added cornerback Kacy Rodgers II. “We’re a lot closer as a team and I think that’s showing on the field.”

Since the heart-to-heart, the Roughriders have beaten the visiting Lions 41-8 on Aug. 13, the host Edmonton Eskimos 54-31 on Aug. 25 and the visiting Bombers on Sunday.

Saskatchewan, which was outscored 33-22 in first quarters over its first six games of the regular season, has a 53-3 advantage in first quarters over its past three contests.

The Roughriders are averaging 44.3 points for and 17.7 points against during their winning streak compared to 26.0 points for and 27.3 points against over their first six games.

The offence has been moving the ball consistently, the defence has been forcing turnovers and the special teams have been holding opposing returners in check. All three units also have been putting points on the board or, in the case of the defence and special teams, setting up the offence in prime scoring position.

“I think we said it best in the locker room (Sunday): It has been a team effort,” quarterback Kevin Glenn said. “It hasn’t just been one side of the ball. It has been all three phases. I think the guys understand that and they see it developing and they believe it now.

“That’s the good thing. When you start believing in it like this, you can start rolling off a lot of wins.”

According to LaBatte, Glenn is one of the players who has been trying to lead vocally as well as by example. A 17-year CFL veteran, the 38-year-old Glenn has looked to inspire the offence during the team’s winning streak.

“Kevin has had a few good talks with the offence, just letting us know that this team is going to go where the offence goes,” LaBatte said. “The last few weeks, when we get up early, all of a sudden, the defence is starting to turn the ball over and it starts to snowball.

“When you get that sort of stuff going, that’s how we want to have this team roll.”

At 5-4-0, the Roughriders are tied with B.C. (5-5-0) for fourth place in the West Division. But Saskatchewan has the tiebreaking edge on the Lions, having won the two-game season series based on point differential.

The Roughriders can win another season series if they can prevail Saturday in Winnipeg, where they’ll face the Bombers for the third and final time in the regular season. Winnipeg won the opener 43-40 in double overtime on July 1, so Saskatchewan’s victory Sunday knotted the series 1-1.

The crowd at Investors Group Field for Saturday’s game will attempt to be as much of a factor as the gathering at Mosaic Stadium was — “The shoe is on the other foot,” is how LaBatte described it — so the Roughriders will have to contend with that in the rematch.

They hope they’re ready.

“We’ve experienced that road trip win already in Edmonton, so I think we understand what we need to do and how we need to do it,” Glenn said. “It’s going to be a good thing for us to go over there and play.”