Fired Up Riders Roll to Win over Argos

The Saskatchewan Roughriders had 14 points on the board before they ever attempted a pass on Saturday night.

That set them off and running as the Riders ended a two-game losing skid with a 37-9 win over the Toronto Argonauts at Mosaic Stadium.  It was a game of redemption for Saskatchewan after they were pummelled in Toronto three weeks ago and they now sit in the thick of things in the CFL West Division at 2-2 on the year.

“We've got a lot of guy that have won championships in different places and they understand that when you're down, you have to do somethings different and they put the past behind them and moved forward,” said head coach Corey Chamblin on the fire his team showed coming off the bye week.

The defence came flying out of the gate and set the tone early for the Riders by forcing a turnover out of Ricky Ray on the first two Argo drives of the game, which in turn led to back-to-back touchdowns for the Riders on offence.

The first came on an interception by Tyron Brackenridge, which Darian Durant followed up with a ten-yard touchdown run, and the second came on a Tearrius George sack and forced fumble that Will Ford finished off with a 20-yard TD run.

“Ricky Ray isn't a quarterback that turns the ball over a lot, so when they give us great field position against him, we have to take advantage of it and we got some touchdowns out of it,” said Durant.  “We have been notorious of slow starts in the past, so it was good to get up quick and have them play from behind.”

Will Ford provided the offence for the Riders in the win, finishing with 17 carries for 113 rushing yards and three touchdowns.  He added three catches for 34 yards as well.  After signing with the team this week, it was an impressive performance by Ford that helped spark the offence.

“Opportunities are limited, so you've got to take advantage of them no matter what,” said Ford after his debut.  “I came here to work and put the team in a position to win.”

Ford was the second different Riders' running back to rush for 100 yards this season after Anthony Allen in Week 1.  He showed good burst through the holes made for him by the offensive line.

“I know it was a great offensive line and I think I've got the easy part, they hand me the ball and tell me to find the lane and run,” said Ford.  “I had a few mistakes that I want to work on, so I'm going to watch film and correct those mistakes and see what happens.”

With 14 points on the board in the first five minutes, that allowed the Riders offence to stick with the run game and it also allowed their defence to pin their ears back and attack the quarterback for the rest of the game as they held Ray and the Argos' offence to just three field goals by Swayze Waters.  

John Chick finished with two sacks – his 5th and 6th of the season – and a forced fumble on the night as he lived in the Argos' backfield throughout the game.

“The defence causes two turnovers and the offence scores and they're playing catch up the rest of the night,” said Chick.  “We still left some things out there, but overall nine points against Ricky Ray and especially after what they did out there, it was a big win for us.”

Chick made life miserable for Ray and the Argos' offensive line providing pressure on almost every drop back.

“John is doing an excellent job,” said Chamblin.  “Chick should have played in the 80s, that's the way he's built.  He's just tough and I love the way he plays.”

He was helped out by Brackenridge, who was all over the field throughout the game.  The Riders' safety finished with five defensive tackles, two special teams tackles, a sack – the first of his career – and an interception.

“That was a good win, but we have to continue to build from here,” said Brackenridge.  “It's a great feeling, we've got to continue to prep like we did this week and keep moving forward.”

Mark LeGree also had an interception in the win.

Offensively, outside of Ford's big day, the Riders weren't quite as sharp as the 37 points might lead on.  Durant only finished the game 9-of-17 for 155 yards and one interception, but they capitalized on the chances that they had and used the short field to their advantage.

“Still a lot of room for improvement, but as long as our D can keep us in games and we don't hurt them and give them bad field position, then we'll give ourselves a chance,” said Durant.  “We just have to make sure we pick our game up and play on their level.”

Either way the Riders are back riding high after three weeks of questioning their play and seem to have their confidence back as they head into a busy next two weeks.

The Riders return to practice on Tuesday to start getting ready for a trip to Ottawa to face the Redblacks next Saturday.