Darian Durant played the second half on a broken foot

 

The Saskatchewan Roughriders’ 2011 CFL season is essentially over.  They have a slim chance left at making the playoffs through the East crossover, but they’re done in the West thanks to a third straight loss 17-1 to Edmonton on Thanksgiving Monday.

 

Ryan Dinwiddie made his first start in almost three years, but with the season on the line, Darian Durant came in for the second half and couldn’t do much more playing with what was revealed after the game to be a broken foot.

 

Dinwiddie threw three interceptions on his 15 attempts in the first half as the Riders trailed 12-0 at the break.  The Riders defence kept the game close in the opening half, holding Edmonton to just three points off those three picks.

 

Jerome Messam scored the game’s only touchdown with just under four minutes to go in the second quarter on a 51-yard run past the Saskatchewan defence.  He finished with 118 yards on the ground.

 

Ricky Ray provided just enough through the air going 17-for-26 for 197 yards.

 

Durant came in and went 7-for-24 for just 62 yards during his two quarters of play, but they could only muster a single point on a punt with three minutes to go in the third.

 

Durant told reporters after the game that his injured foot that held him out of practice all week was actually broken and doctors told him playing on it would force surgery.

 

Andy Fantuz had four catches and 39 yards in his return to the lineup.

 

The one point performance means the Green & White have been outscored 99-9 over the past three weeks.  It the lowest number of points they’ve scored over three games since 1939.

 

The Riders were eliminated for the West Division playoffs with the loss, they still have a chance to make it through the East crossover, but it’s a long shot.

 

Saskatchewan will start looking for answers on Wednesday when they return to Mosaic Stadium for practice.  They host BC on Sunday.