The Saskatchewan Roughriders were solid offensive in the first matchup against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers but lousy in the rematch.
Legendary Riders quarterback Darian Durant has zeroed in on what changed in the team’s approach, causing Saskatchewan to go from scoring 36 points in a win to only six points in a loss.
“If I had to point my finger at just one thing, I would just say just commitment to running the football,” he said.
The Riders went from rushing 27 times for 101 yards in the Labour Day Classic to carrying the ball on only 12 occasions for 52 yards on Saturday. Feature back Quali Conley got half as many handoffs from quarterback Trevor Harris week over week, going from 14 to seven. His production fell from 58 yards to 35 yards.
One key difference, the Riders never led in Winnipeg.
“You get behind a little bit in scores, and it becomes a two-score game,” Riders coach Corey Mace said postgame. “There were a couple (possessions) where we tried to establish the run, and we get a two-yard run. After a while, you’re starting to hit the pressure button. It’s like, ‘Hey, we've got to get going here.’”
Still, the lack of a run game was apparent.
The Riders missing two of their most reliable pass catchers, Kian Schaffer-Baker and Sam Emilus, because of injuries only made that issue more pronounced.
“Trevor is put under a lot of pressure without his top two receivers in the game,” Durant said. “If you can count on the run game to take that pressure off of Trevor, you can get some ball control and get things going. It makes it a lot easier to throw the ball off of play action.”
The Riders managed 16 first downs in the game. More problematic: They were 4-for-22 on second downs.
That comes back to the ground game, too.
“You have to be able to be able to run the ball,” Durant said. “You have to be able to control the line of scrimmage to put yourself in manageable second-down situations to just make the game easier. Emilus is down. Schaffer-Baker is down. These are two of the top (receivers) in the league. It’s going to be tough to throw the ball against some of these top defences when you don’t have your aces on the field.
“Commitment to the running game will definitely help the Riders, put them in manageable second-and-short situations. Then that allows Trevor to open up the playbook and he can take the throws all over the field instead of having to throw in such tight windows.”
It didn’t help Harris or the offence that star slotback KeeSean Johnson wasn’t at his best.
Johnson had a lost fumble and drop on top catching five of seven passes for 37 yards. However, Johnson was drawing plenty of double coverage, something that could have dissipated with a more well-rounded attack.
“That’s why I want to see the Riders lean on that run game,” Durant said. “I don’t care; give Conley 15, 18, 20 carries. Just make it easier. That milks the clock.
“The defence is holding down their end of the bargain. I just want to see the offence commit to that run game a little bit more and just focus on moving the ball. If you know that your defence is going to give you some stops, crucial stops, force other teams to field goals, then, as an offence, you can just take your time and run the ball.
“You don’t have to throw the ball 45 times in such a low-scoring game. That was a big mistake by the Riders offence.”
Durant might be on to something. The Riders are 6-0 when they rack up at least 100 rushing yards. That makes them 2-5 when they don’t.
Perhaps starting running back A.J. Ouellette will be able to return to the lineup again from a knee injury for the next game. That comes next Friday in Vancouver against the B.C. Lions, a team that’s won six of their last seven contests.
“It’s a good thing that the bye is right now,” Durant said. “You get a chance to give some of these guys an extra week to heal up and be ready to go. This last stretch of the season is going to be pretty tough for the Riders as they fight for positioning in the division.
“Going into B.C.’s going to be very, very tough.”
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