Friday night convinced me. The 2024 Saskatchewan Roughriders are a good team.
Beating the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 19-9 on July 19 when the Bombers were on a two-game winning streak and looking better every game was impressive. There was no luck involved beyond a pair of very doubtful interference calls against the Bombers.
Shea Patterson had gotten off to poor starts in his first two games as a starter. On Friday night he was on target and on time to start the game.
The Riders would have had an explosive start to the game if Kian Schaffer-Baker, racing down the sideline, had not dropped Patterson’s perfectly thrown pass.
On their second possession Patterson completed his first three passes of the game, all to Schaffer-Baker, Had the next pass to Schaffer-Baker not been knocked free he would have four in a row to 89. Actually, his opening five passes were all to Schaffer-Baker.
Patterson said Schaffer-Baker was winning on routes and finding ways to get open. He continued that Schaffer-Baker was pretty open on a lot of those routes.
Through the game Patterson was finding the open receiver.
On the Riders sole touchdown, the only touchdown of the game, Rider fullback Clint Ratkovich was wide open in the end zone as a pair of Bomber defenders went with a Rider receiver, even on replays I found it hard to pick out the number. Patterson said Ratkovich was open alot in practice. He said he was open last week but Schaffer-Baker was also open and he threw to him.
Corey Mace says Rat Dog does so much for the team playing multiple positions and special teams.
Patterson’s four runs for 35 yards, especially his 21 yard run, early in the second half helped keep Winnipeg off-balance. That play was designed for him. He said he read the defence and saw the blocking and took it up the middle.
Mace stated those runs represent the intangibles of Patterson. He said offensive co-ordinator Marc Mueller designed a perfect run. He said Patterson showed a little bit of sugar shake.
On that running play and several other runs the Riders never blocked Winnipeg’s defensive end, Willie Jefferson. They took advantage of Jefferson usually taking two or three steps upfield on the snap. He was taking himself out of the play.
When I asked Rider offensive tackle Jacob Brammer whether Jefferson was a touch slower he said Jefferson has “still got it” and was one of the top ends in the league.
On defence the Riders made Zach Collaros uncomfortable and unlike many past Rider defences prevented him from escaping to the right. Mace said he was pleased. He acknowledged there were a couple of times they lost contain but for the most part they kept him in the pocket.
Among the Rider tactics to contain Collaros from going right were overloading the defensive line to the left or bringing a blitzer from the left side.
The Riders forced a pair of turnovers deep in Rider territory with both plays involving receiver Nic Demski who has been a Rider nemesis.
When Collaros rolled right no defender broke off coverage. He looked deep but there was coverage. With a defender closing hard he threw across his body to Demski but there were two Rider defenders there. The ball was abit behind and Adam Auclair intercepted. He said he saw Collaros looking at Demski and stayed on assignment doing his job. He said he had to focus as it was a hard pass. He said their work on their hands catching passes in practice paid off.
With under three minutes to go Collaros hit Demski between the linebackers and defensive backs (the same area Justin McInnis had exploited last week) and he was potentially headed for the end zone when Jameer Thurman showing excellent speed caught up with him and, with a perfect uppercut, punched free the ball.
Three Riders went after the ball with Marcus Sayles coming up with it. He had a wild return going right, then left, then right and finally turning upfield. He said he was not thinking but just trying to make a play. In the end he said he was gassed and went down.
On the final Bomber drive Collaros tried to hit Demski again between the linebackers and defensive backs but the Riders were ready and popped him hard.
The Riders are playing solid football. It has been a rare season in my 46 years covering the team that they end the first third of the season at 5-1.
Bill Selnes, who’s based in Melfort, has written about the Saskatchewan Roughriders since the late 1970s. He was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, Football Reporters of Canada wing on Nov. 24, 2013.
