Saskatchewan Roughriders down Ottawa Redblacks 29-16

The Saskatchewan Roughriders appear to power their ain playoff destiny, but backmost Trevor Harris isn’t making immoderate post-season plans conscionable yet.

The Riders moved into 2nd spot successful the CFL’s West Division with a 29-16 triumph implicit the Ottawa Redblacks connected Saturday. Saskatchewan (7-7-1) is astatine 15 points, 1 much than the B.C. Lions (7-8-0) who mislaid 32-29 successful overtime to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats connected Friday.

Now with 2 consecutive victories nether their belts and a docket that appears to payment Saskatchewan’s bid for a location playoff game, the Riders are looking to instrumentality to the playoffs for the archetypal clip since the 2021 season.

But erstwhile Harris was asked aft the crippled if helium and his teammates instrumentality immoderate restitution of the Riders’ existent position, the seasoned backmost refused to spell down that road.

“No, we’ve won 2 shot games successful a row. The goals we person are acold much than that. I deliberation the past happening you’ll consciousness from this squad is simply a consciousness of the information that we’re OK oregon like, ‘Oh, we’ve won 2 successful a row.’

“No, no, no, there’s going to beryllium nary of that. We’re going to propulsion the envelope harder,” said Harris, who completed 27 of 36 passes for 315 yards.

Riders caput manager Corey Mace believes his charges tin instrumentality immoderate worth from the 2 consecutive victories. He besides feels his players are alert that the squad is simply a enactment successful progress.

“I deliberation conscionable gathering disconnected momentum much than thing benignant of validates the enactment that you enactment in. But those guys worked hard, adjacent done the streak erstwhile it wasn’t good,” said Mace.

“And that’s hard for america arsenic coaches, for america to look those guys successful the look and say, ‘Hey, you’re doing a batch of things right, but we’ve conscionable got to hole the nuances.’ It’ll beryllium a small spot easier time erstwhile we conscionable to say, ‘Hey, we did a batch of things close but we inactive got to hole the nuances, right?’

“We’ve got to beryllium amended mentation of what we were today.”

The Redblacks (8-6-1) fertile 2nd successful the East Division 3 points up connected the Toronto Argonauts, who hosted the Montreal Alouettes connected Saturday night.

Kicker Brett Lauther played a large relation successful Saskatchewan’s triumph arsenic helium went 7-for-7 connected tract goals. Lauther struggled earlier successful the play erstwhile helium made lone 3 of 7 fields successful a 27-24 nonaccomplishment to the Montreal Alouettes connected Aug. 16. After that game, a ample information of Saskatchewan’s passionate instrumentality basal wanted to nonstop the seasoned kicker packing.

Mace heard the sound from the fans, but helium felt powerfully that Lauther would proceed to beryllium 1 of the league’s apical kickers.

“I emotion my interactions successful idiosyncratic with fans. However, I’m not going to perceive to everything that’s said, oregon other there’d beryllium a batch of decisions made, right? Brett’s been an unthinkable kicker for this enactment for a agelong time. I’m surely blessed he’s with us.

“We counted connected him, and helium did precisely what helium was expected to do. I’m arrogant of the guy.”

Lauther was mot disposable for remark aft the crippled arsenic helium had near earlier reporters were allowed into the Riders dressing room. While Lauther wasn’t determination to talk astir the contest, his teammates were speedy to measurement up and speech astir the kicker.

“After that game, I texted Brett, and I told him that I’d enactment my full cheque connected him each week, nary substance what. I told him conscionable proceed to beryllium who helium is. Everybody has a atrocious game. It was conscionable a atrocious crippled for him, but helium got backmost to who helium is,” said linebacker Rolan Milligan.

“That’s who we cognize helium is. And shoot, helium had a small blip connected the radar, and everybody was like, ‘Get him retired of here.’ Brett Lawler is the man. Glad we person him,” added Harris.

Ottawa kicker Lewis Ward produced 9 points from his 3 tract goals connected 4 attempts.

Ward’s 2 tract goals successful the 4th fourth narrowed Saskatchewan’s pb to 15-9, but the Roughriders regained power with the game’s archetypal touchdown.

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Thomas Bertrand-Hudon took a transportation from Harris and broke done the Ottawa defence for a 26-yard touchdown run. Harris connected with KeeSean Johnson connected a two-point person to summation the pb to 23-9.

Lauther’s sixth tract extremity added to that pb with 4 minutes near successful the game.

Ottawa responded with its lone touchdown erstwhile Jeremiah Masoli connected with Kalil Pimpleton connected an 11-yard scoring walk with 1:56 remaining.

Lauther closed retired the contention with his seventh tract goal, from 37 yards, with 17 seconds near successful the game.

Jeremiah Masoli, starting successful spot of the injured Dru Brown, went 20-for-30 successful passing for 210 yards and was intercepted 3 times.

Saskatchewan mislaid 2 starters connected offence to wounded during the game.

Tailback Ryquell Armstead, who ran for 207 yards successful his Saskatchewan debut past week against the Calgary Stampeders, near the crippled successful the 3rd 4th with a enarthrosis injury.

Receiver Shawn Bane Jr. took a debased deed successful the 2nd 4th erstwhile helium tried to haul successful a walk heavy down the middle. He needed assistance disconnected the tract with an evident right-knee injury.

The Riders person dealt with a ample fig of injuries this season, but the players look to person bought into the “Next antheral up” mantra.

“We person implicit content (in the adjacent antheral up). We speech astir that each week, if you’re successful azygous and you’re present successful this building, we person implicit content that you’re going to spell successful and bash what we request to bash to triumph shot games,” said Harris.

“And if we didn’t judge that you were bully capable to bash it, you wouldn’t beryllium present … When you’re in, we expect large things and guys are coming done for us. We’ve had our extent tested, that’s for sure.”

Both offences struggled successful the archetypal fractional with Saskatchewan picking up 144 yards successful full offence to Ottawa’s 116.

Lauther kicked tract goals from 35, 33 and 21 yards successful the archetypal half, which gave the Riders a 9-0 pb earlier Ward’s 37-yarder.

Ward missed a 46-yard tract extremity effort precocious successful the archetypal 4th that Saskatchewan’s Mario Alford returned 75 yards to the Ottawa 43-yard line. Alford’s instrumentality yet led to Lauther’s 2nd tract extremity of the game.

Masoli had a pugnacious 2nd quarter, tossing interceptions connected consecutive possessions.

Milligan, with his league-leading seventh interception, snared the first. Marcus Sayles, with his 4th prime of the season, produced the second.

Saskatchewan linebacker Adam Auclair besides intercepted Masoli successful the 3rd quarter.

Up next

Roughriders: Visit the Edmonton Elks connected Saturday, Oct. 5.

Redblacks: Enjoy a bye week past sojourn the Montreal Alouettes connected Monday, Oct. 14.