During every Rider Broadcast Network pregame show, former Saskatchewan Roughriders defensive lineman and current live game analyst Luc Mullinder offers his Three Keys to the Game. In a recurring segment this season, we’ll take a look at how the Riders met or missed when it came to those metrics and how big of an effect they had on the outcome.
On Saturday in the rematch against the Montreal Alouettes, the Riders were a bit hit-and-miss on all three points, but in the end, they got just enough hits across the board to get the job done.
1 – Riders need to get back to fundamentals and make tackles. This isn’t hockey, we don’t bodycheck. The Riders can’t miss tackles, have to wrap guys up and get guys on the ground. Stop letting guys with the ball get extra yards after you've had hands on them.
How did the Riders do? Not the greatest to start, but pretty darn good the rest of the way.
With the way things went on what would turn out to be Montreal’s only touchdown drive of the game late in the first quarter, it looked as if the very same problems that plagued the Riders a week earlier were back and then some. A slew of missed tackles on a couple of big runs and then a long-bomb touchdown pass that featured broken coverage.
But then the Saskatchewan D figured things out.
Sure, there were a few big runs and plays here and there, but for the most part the Riders defence didn’t let Montreal’s ball touchers get away from them once they made first contact. It all turned into a bend-but-don’t break situation much of the afternoon, but because Saskatchewan was getting bringing ball carriers down, the Als managed only four points the rest of the game.
As solid a showing as there can be in a near must-win game, and one the Riders can hang their hat on.
2 – Have to see more of Tommy Stevens. His presence on the field means the Riders are on schedule and in a lot of third-and-ones and third-and-goals. When the Riders are winning, it seems like Stevens is out there all the time, so get him out there all the time by putting him in short yardage situations.
How did the Riders Do? Improved but so-so.
It was better than the previous outing in Montreal, that’s for sure. Stevens saw the field three times on short yardage plays and converted two of them, as per usual. But on an all-important third-and-short late in the fourth quarter, he was tripped up attempting to get out to the right side, and the turnover on downs could have been a dagger. Saskatchewan’s defence got the job done, though, and the rest is history.
The fact remains that 99 per cent of the time, Stevens is going to get those third-down conversions, and Luc is absolutely correct — any time he’s out there on the regular, that means something is going well for the Riders and their opposition is going to be in trouble.
So look for plenty of Stone Cold Tommy Stevens if Saskatchewan is going to have success in coming games, and especially in the postseason.
3 – Ball has to cross the goal line. Riders have to score touchdowns, not settle for field goals. It’s great to see consistency at the kicking position, but the Riders need the points and touchdowns are those points. Put those big three receivers to good use and get the job done on drives.
How did the Riders Do? Not good at all, until…
It looked like this key was going to be an absolute and complete miss once again for Saskatchewan, and the determining factor in their fifth-straight late-season loss.
The Riders had just over 250 yards total offence and were unable to even get into Montreal’s red zone the vast majority of the game, with their only points coming on a trio of long-range field goals from Brett Lauther.
Then, when they absolutely, positively needed it the most, everything clicked for Trevor Harris and the offence.
A crucial third-down conversion, a 22-yard run by T-Mobile and a perfect pass to KeeSean Johnson in the endzone with 33 seconds left in the game, and Saskatchewan had arguably the most important touchdown of the season.
Now, no one is saying a single major in a game that important is good enough, and there’s no question Saskatchewan is going to have to put up far more points in the future if they’re going to win the big games ahead.
But for one drive in the biggest moment of the season, the Roughriders were spot on.
Saskatchewan closes out their regular season on Saturday, Oct. 24 when they host the Edmonton Elks. Kickoff is at 2 p.m. from Mosaic Stadium.
