There are games that you left slip away, and then there are games that you downright blow.
The way the Saskatchewan Roughriders lost 26-19 to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats certainly falls in the latter category.
They did just about everything wrong in the fourth quarter and were outscored 16-0 over the last 15 minutes, turning what seemed like a likely win into a stunning defeat.
The Riders had no answers for Ticats quarterback Tre Ford once he entered the game in the second half as an injury replacement for starter Harrison Frost. His emergence changed everything. So did penalties from the visitors along with their offence flatlining.
The great unravelling – which moved the Saskatchewan a half game behind the Edmonton Elks for first place in the West Division – is the focus of Riders Morning After.
Why they lost
Their fourth quarter was beyond horrendous.
They simply couldn’t contain Tre Ford. It’s one thing for Ford to create havoc darting around the field with the ball in his hands. It’s another thing for him to pick a defence apart with his arm.
Ford completed 13 of 17 passes for 151 yards overall. The signature moment was a 41-yard bomb that resulted in a diving catch in the end zone by Keric Wheatfall. That play restored Hamilton’s lead after a point after.
The Riders had little time on offence and did nothing with it. They had four possessions which went like this: sack, completion, punt; incomplete, incomplete, punt; incomplete (that should have been an interception), incomplete (originally ruled an interception but overturned after review), punt; interception.
It doesn’t get much worse than that.
The Riders had this one in control and gave it away.
Game ball
This one goes to Ford for his impact in the Hamilton victory, but the Tiger-Cats defence had a few candidates, too.
The best of the lot was Reggie Stubblefield. He had three tackles on defence, made two tackles for losses, and nearly had an interception in the fourth quarter before making amends with a pick in the last minute to seal the result.
The Rider who deserves a shout-out is rookie kicker Alex Hale.
He’s been under heavy scrutiny for much of the season and it looked like coach Corey Mace was close to handing over the field-goal duties to new signee Dawson Hodge based on practice usage.
But Hale kept his job and followed up one of his better CFL performances with his absolute best.
The Australian went 4-for-4, making kicks from 48, 41, 14, and 52 yards. It’s those long boots that are particularly notable. Hale went from putting just one of five attempts from 40 yards or more through the uprights to improving to 4-for-8 in that regard.
Hale was easily the top Rider on Saturday. Given the popgun offence, they probably wouldn’t have even been in position to get to squander the game without him.
Needed more from
Trevor Harris was lauded after leading the Riders to victory last week in a game where he threw for 401 yards and two touchdowns, while surpassing 40,000 career yards in the process. He was even mentioned as part of the MOP discussion for the way he guided an offence depleted by injuries.
Harris didn’t look like the same player on Saturday. Not even close.
The stat line wasn’t pretty: He went 23-for-35, 207 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Again, he was lucky another tick wasn’t added to the last category, though that one near pick could probably have been attributed to a KeeSean Johnson pulling up lame on a route.
Yes, Harris was still missing star receivers Kian Schaffer-Baker and Sam Emilus, but they’re going to be out for at least four more games, so that’s the new reality for now.
Yes, the Riders are on the backup to the backup at running back in Star’Corius Thomas, but he was far from the problem on the offensive side of the ball. He had 61 yards of total offence.
Thomas was particularly impressive on the Riders’ lone touchdown drive. He caught a pass before eluding a couple tackles to pick up 15 yards and move the chains on second and 10. He also picked up the blitz and flattened a Ticats pass rusher, allowing Harris time to find Johnny Johnson III for his first CFL touchdown.
https://x.com/CFL/status/2088782267095363925
The Riders didn’t have many other highlights on offence other than that scoring drive. Harris just couldn’t get them going.
Kudos to that Hamilton pass defence, which was ranked second in the CFL before the game.
Play of the game
Everything about that Ford-to-Wheatfall major was a thing of beauty.
Ford rolled to his right on play action and got within a couple yards of the line of scrimmage before launching the ball downfield. His throw reached the middle of the end zone where Wheatfall dove to elegantly corral it after leaving Riders defensive back Jonathan Edouard in his dust.
It was one of the prettiest touchdowns of the season. It was also crucial in the game as the Ticats took the lead before the midway point of the fourth quarter. The Riders never recovered.
https://x.com/CFL/status/2088797717858537790
From a Riders’ perspective, the combined effort of the Thomas block and Johnson touchdown was their most impressive display.
The stat that matters
The Riders had eight penalties for 107 yards. A couple late – Jaxon Ford for unnecessary roughness and Daniel Wiebe for holding on special teams – hindered their chances for a late comeback.
