It was a momentous day for the Green and Dwight.
Dwight Anderson, a West Division All-Star defensive back with the 2013 Saskatchewan Roughriders, was a quote factory at all times. But his words carried additional weight amid the merriment on Nov. 10, 2013.
“We love our quarterback!” Anderson exclaimed shortly after the Roughriders defeated the visiting B.C. Lions 29-25 in the West semi-final.
Anderson was suitably effusive in his praise of Darian Durant, who had just finished influencing a game as much as one person can in the ultimate team sport.
In spasms of a few seconds, there are 24 moving pieces on each play. One missed assignment can negate the efforts of 11 teammates, on offence or defence, who carry out their responsibilities to perfection.
There is an accompanying danger, in attaching too much importance to the contributions of one person in one game — or even on one play.
That said, it is difficult to overstate Durant’s impact on the Roughriders’ first of three consecutive November victories during what proved to be the championship season of 2013.
That game still resonates, 11 years later, as the Roughriders prepare for their first post-season meeting with B.C. since that 2013 classic.
The Lions are to provide the opposition during Saturday’s West semi-final (4:30 p.m., Mosaic Stadium). Tickets are available HERE for a contest that, in at least one sense, can be compared to what would be the final divisional playoff game at dear old Taylor Field.
This time, the visiting side in the West semi-final is hoping to advance to a home-field Grey Cup Game, whereas in 2013 the Roughriders had aspired to be the host team.
In years such as this, a team’s performance is subject to additional scrutiny simply on account of where the championship game is being played.
The Roughriders certainly felt the pressure in 2013, especially because there was only one more opportunity to play in a Grey Cup Game at their historic home.
That was part of the plotline when the Roughriders and Lions last collided in a win-or-else game.
The all-in mentality had applied from the outset, with evident rewards.
Saskatchewan enjoyed an 8-1-0 start while routinely winning in lopsided fashion.
Rival defences were preoccupied with repelling tailback Kory Sheets, who was on pace for a 2,000-yard season. His presence created opportunities for a star-studded corps of receivers to lacerate rival secondaries and, appetizingly, one-on-one coverage.
A seeming joyride was interrupted when Saskatchewan lost four games in a row. Sheets was sidelined with a knee injury for two of those games and most of a third, which largely explains the September slide.
When he returned, so did the Roughriders’ mojo. They secured a home playoff game in a tough West Division, nosing out the Lions (also 11-7-0) for second place. The Calgary Stampeders (14-4-0) finished first and earned a first-round bye.
Surprisingly, 2,485 of the 33,427 permanent seats at historic Mosaic Stadium — which had been expanded to 44,700 for the Grey Cup, thanks to temporary bleachers — were vacant for the 2013 West semi-final.
There was also an empty feeling as the Lions dominated the first three quarters, neutralizing Sheets in the process.
Trailing 25-16, the Roughriders hardly resembled the summertime steamroller of 2013.
Lions quarterback Travis Lulay was keeping the home team off balance by using his legs and throwing arm with comparable effectiveness.
Then Durant took matters into his own hands, using his feet.
He amassed 76 of his game-high (and career-high) 97 rushing yards over the final 15 minutes, taking off for gains of 35, 28 and 13 as Saskatchewan scored 13 unanswered points and won 29-25.
As much as Durant is remembered for his game-altering scrambles, it should also be noted that he completed 19 of 23 passes — an 82.6-per-cent accuracy rate — for 270 yards and two touchdowns (with Weston Dressler on the receiving end both times).
“I hadn’t run all year and I knew that, come playoff time, it was time to take it over,” Durant explained after the game.
“Bad weather. The team needs plays. What better time to bring it out than the playoffs? I think that’s why it opened up a little bit — because they weren’t expecting it.”
Durant’s teammates, however, were among the ranks of the unsurprised.
“I think Double-D has got the biggest shoulders of anybody in this locker room,” Anderson said.
“People outside don’t understand half the stuff he goes through and has to deal with. He blocks all that out and you would never know. He comes in here every week. He’s the first one in the locker room every day and the last one to leave.
“Everybody in this locker room and everybody on this team believes in him and that’s why he’s still a star quarterback and that’s why he’s our leader.”
Durant led the way throughout the 2013 playoffs, throwing eight touchdown passes over three games — without an interception — as the Roughriders rolled over Calgary (35-13) and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (45-23) en route to capturing the fourth championship in franchise history.
The toughest test, as it turned out, was presented by B.C.
More than a decade later, it is remembered as the signature game for Durant, even though he triumphantly hoisted the Grey Cup over his head two weeks after the West semi-final.
The mere recollection of 2013 whets the appetite for Saturday.
Once again, there is little to choose between the teams, as evidenced by the standings.
Saskatchewan (9-8-1) earned hosting privileges by finishing slightly ahead of B.C. (9-9-0).
As was the case in 2013, the Lions will start a multi-dimensional quarterback. Vernon Adams Jr. possesses many of the multi-dimensional skills that made Lulay such a handful for the Saskatchewan defence 11 years ago.
The Roughriders counter with a seasoned signal-caller (Trevor Harris) who, like Durant in 2013, is striving to win a Grey Cup for the first time as a starter.
Harris isn’t likely to emulate Durant by erupting for 97 rushing yards, but the opposing defence can be exploited in other ways.
Consider the events of Nov. 18, 2018, when Harris threw six touchdown passes — the most by an individual in a CFL playoff game — to lead Ottawa to a 46-27 victory over Hamilton in the East Division final.
The heroics of Harris also enabled Ottawa to tie a league record for TD passes by one team in a playoff game. Russ Jackson (four), Bill Cline (one) and Don Gilbert (one) had led the then-Rough Riders to a 42-16 victory over Hamilton on Nov. 19, 1966.
One week later, the Eastern Conference representative fell 29-14 to Saskatchewan in the 54th Grey Cup Game.
That contest was held in Vancouver, where this year’s CFL final is to be played on Nov. 17.
If the Roughriders are to embark on another unforgettable championship run, it will all start on Saturday at Mosaic Stadium.
It would be wonderful to see you there.
