With the way things went for the Saskatchewan Roughriders through the first half of Saturday night’s game against the Toronto Argonauts, it looked as if it was going to be another long night for the Green and White.
Instead, the Riders came up with one of their best second-half performances of the season in all facets of the game, outscoring Toronto 16-2 over the final 30 minutes and taking a 28-24 victory in front of a sold-out Mosaic Stadium.
The win was a big one in the West Division standings, as Saskatchewan improves to 7-4 on the season and remains a win back of first-place Edmonton and a win ahead of third-place Winnipeg.
“We knew we needed everybody and that's a character win,” Roughriders coach Corey Mace said. “That's the type of win that I think great teams need to be involved in, just to put a stamp on the belief and the trust that we have in each other to pull anything out of any situation.”
With the way things started for the Riders, it looked as if the issues that had plagued the team — bad breakdowns and poorly timed penalties — were going to once again hurt the team.
Tyler Kahmann had a pair of touchdowns and Jack Cassar had the Argos’ other major through the air as Toronto took a 22-7 lead into the final minute of the opening half.
But Saskatchewan has made a habit this season of coming up big before the break, and they did so once again.
With the Argos lining up for an extra point after Cassar’s touchdown, Mike Rose blocked the kick and Marcus Sayles scooped the ball and went the length of the field for a two-point convert.
Alex Hale then hit a 55-yard field goal before halftime and added a 36-yarder for the only points of the third quarter to make it game.
“The only thing that mattered was being able to get that win. It was a crazy team effort,” Sayles said. “They had a great team, they had a great plan, but we were able to come back in that second half and just put it all together. So just credit out to everybody and we just gotta keep the thing rolling.”
As much as the defence had picked up their game in the second half, the offence needed to catch up as well. That’s how things turned out in the fourth quarter.
KeeSean Johnson played a huge role in the comeback, turning a Nelson Lokombo interception into a touchdown early in the frame to make it a 22-21 game and then catching passes for 37 yards and 38 yards on the game-winning drive.
The Riders looked as if they were going to have to settle for a field goal on that possession, but the kicking team drew the Argos offside. The drive continued and Tommy Stevens put the winning points on the board with 2:57 to play in the game.
“We put in a lot of hard work during the week,” Johnson said. “We got a lot of players in our receiver corps and on our team that are going to make those plays and we're all in it together. That's the main thing.”
Saskatchewan’s defence did their job the rest of the way and the win was in the books.
The change of fortune between halves could be attributed to the play of Argos quarterback Chad Kelly. He went off for more than 270 yards passing and three touchdowns in the first half but had fewer than 150 yards through the air and his second of interceptions in the second.
The Riders special teams also came up with a big night, scheming perfectly to hold Toronto’s dangerous Janarion Grant — who had a return touchdown in their first meeting this season — to four returns for 51 yards. Punter Oscar Chapman even got into the action, hammering Grant on a second-quarter return.
“They were amazing,” Mace said of the special teams play. “I thought there were a couple plays where we missed some opportunities and penalties were called, I don't know if I agree with all of them, but they just played their hearts out. Did an excellent job.”
Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris overcame a slow start to finish 23-for-36 passing for 313 yards, two majors and no interceptions. Quali Conley had a solid 10 carries for 78 yards. Johnson had another spectacular outing with 10 catches for 146 yards. Dhel Duncan-Busby had four catches for 82 yards, including Saskatchewan’s first quarter touchdown.
James Burgess Jr. also got in on the action in the first quarter, picking up his first career interception.
Next up is the big one: the Labour Day Classic as the Roughriders host the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at Mosaic Stadium next Sunday night.
