Gulp!
The Saskatchewan Roughriders were forced to swallow their pride Saturday night after coughing up a 14-0 lead and losing 17-14 to the cellar-dwelling Edmonton Eskimos before a CFL season-high crowd of 47,829 fans.
The stands were pretty much split 50/50 between Rider and Eskimo fans however all were shocked at the dramatic comeback win by the Green and Gold and the collapse of the Green and White.
By now you know the story. The Riders never scored a point over the final three quarters while Edmonton quarterbacks Ricky Ray and Jared Zabransky teamed up to turn the game around. A pair of fourth quarter field goals by Noel Prefontaine, including a 37-yarder with 37 seconds left, sealed the improbable Eskimo victory.
"We just weren't able to develop a rhythm on offence," surmised Rider coach Ken Miller. "I'm just going to give credit to Edmonton's defence. I can't explain why Darian Durant was off but I expect him to get better. I expect him to be better."
Lordy, Lordy what a week ahead this is going to be. The Riders looked stunned in this game and the fans see it. What gives? The only positive out of this is the radio talk shows and blogs will be jumping. Fortunately for me, I have both.
And what about Richie Hall? Ninety-five per cent of me was seething with anger after the putrid Rider performance while a small five per cent felt fantastic for Richie. The beleaguered Edmonton sideline boss couldn't contain his excitement at the game's conclusion, jumping up and down, beaming from ear-to-ear like a prize-fighter who just went 12 rounds and got the decision.
No wonder coach Miller said before the game he didn't feel sorry for Richie Hall and his 1-6 start. Miller would have far rather seen Edmonton drop to 1-7 and almost off of the radar. Now they're in a playoff spot and seriously, within an uncomfortable distance of our Riders.
And speaking of the Riders - they looked out of it on offence for pretty much the entire game. Some bad penalties at costly times gave them no chance to get back into it even when it appeared they might be getting something together. Two major fouls on offensive line players? I thought they simply didn't do that.
What's next?
Well, maybe that is just what the doctor ordered. The 2-6 Winnipeg Blue Bombers appear to be in complete disarray as they and the Riders get set for a two-game showdown in games we affectionately call the Labour Day Classic and the Banjo Bowl.
So the questions are this: are the Riders a superior team who overlooked the lowly Eskimos? Could that happen again in the next two weeks? Or are the Roughriders simply not as good as we thought, as their 5-3 record is third-best in the CFL, just a scant bit above Toronto (the Argos are 5-3 as well but have scored fewer points and allowed more). Fourth-place is the cutoff line between the penthouse and the outhouse.
Those questions are what we'll find out in September.
- Rod Pedersen is the Voice of the Roughriders on 620 CKRM Radio
