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.
In the Labour Day Classic rematch on Saturday night in Winnipeg, the Riders had a bit of a mixed bag: great on one point, mediocre on another and not so well on the remaining.
1 – Same heat, different pressure. Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros was wary of the blitz in the second half of the Labour Day Classic and will be looking for it this time, so change it up but keep coming.
How did the Riders do? Constant and relentless.
One of the frustrating parts of the 19-6 loss was how well Saskatchewan’s defence played for the most part, and a big part of that was getting to Collaros repeatedly throughout the night. Rarely did the Bombers pivot have a chance to simply set and throw, and more often than not Collaros found himself scrambling just to get some sort of play off.
All told, the Riders would get home five times, with those sacks leading to 31 lost yards for Winnipeg and the wear and tear eventually chasing Collaros from the game in the second half.
That should have been enough if the Riders offence was even slightly on, but it wasn’t and the result was the result.
2 – Nic Demski is back, be ready. Know the downs when they’ll be looking to go to Demski on the field and be ready to deal with Winnipeg’s dangerous receiver.
How did the Riders do? Well…
There’s a reason this was a point for Luc, and it didn’t take long for Saskatchewan to figure out why. The three-time 1,000 yard receiver returned from injury in the Rematch and was instantly a factor, with the biggest play of the first half seeing Demski haul in a pass over the middle and go 42 yards deep into Riders territory. One play later, former Rider receiver Tommy Nield caught the game’s only touchdown and Winnipeg had a 10-0 lead.
The Riders held Demski to only 33 yards the rest of the game, but he was Winnipeg’s leading receiver with 73 yards on the day.
If not for that one big break, the result could very well have been different, but playmakers make plays in important moments, and it’s safe to say Nic Demski is most definitely a playmaker.
3 – Play a clean game. It’s going to be loud so no offsides or procedures, stay penalty free and don’t shoot ourselves in the foot.
How did the Riders do? Fair to middling.
Saskatchewan had a chance to get things rolling right off the opening kickoff, but back-to-back holding penalties — the second of which was declined — helped snuff out that first series.
At that point, it looked as if the Riders were going to be in for a long night with regards to flags, but things were pretty clean the rest of the way. All told, the Riders had seven penalties for 65 yards and the ones they did take weren’t all that game changing.
Discipline for both teams wasn’t much of a factor in the result, which was a far cry from the Labour Day Classic and the penalty-aided drives that led to the close result in that game.
