The Saskatchewan Roughriders have a date with the Calgary Stampeders in the Western Division finals for the second time in as many years.
Darian Durant led the Riders over the B.C. Lions 29-25 at Mosaic Stadium on Sunday to advance them to the Stamps rematch.
Ultimately, Durant's legs are what led him to having one of his performances on the year in the playoff game. Unlike in his previous regular-season games, he ran the ball, generating first downs on plays where he couldn't find an open receiver. In addition, his 97 yards on the ground made up for Kory Sheets' struggles as he only generated 68 yards on 17 carries.
"I knew in the back of my head what I had to do, "Durant, who completed 19 of 23 passes for 270 yards and two touchdowns, told Riderville.com. "I haven't been running the ball all year and I knew coming into the playoffs that I might be able to be a secret weapon. Having last week off really helped me get better and put me in a position to feel a lot better. We hadn't shown any quarterback draws all game and the fourth quarter was the time to call it and it worked perfectly."
Taj Smith was Durant's favourite target, catching four passes for 126 yards. Two of passes were long balls that led to scores.
Weston Dressler, who caught a key touchdown in the fourth quarter, praised his quarterback after the game.
"It's pretty hard to hate on a performance like that," Dressler said. "He single-handedly took over at times and got some first downs at times when we needed them. He's our leader and he's going to take as far as he can. He always seems to be under control and composed no matter what situation were in. He showed a little more emotion today, but I think that's just that playoff mentality coming out. He played a great game."
Throughout the first three quarters, the Riders didn't have the best offense. The Lions only punted the ball away once in the first three frames because of an outstanding performance from Travis Lulay in the pocket and a solid ground game. It seemed as though the Riders' defensive woes would lead to a loss, but the Green and White held them to zero points in the final quarter to shift the tied.
Chris Milo was on the field more than the Riders would have liked. He attempted six field goals, making five of them for 15 points.
In the fourth quarter, Riders offensive coordinator George Cortez made a questionable call to say the least. In a third-and-one situation, he called a shotgun handoff to Sheets. Of course, Sheets couldn't make it to the first down mark.
Even though the Riders had a good game against the Lions, they will have to be better next week against the Stampeders. Their defence has to put more pressure on the quarterback and the offense has to complete more touchdowns in the red zone. Moreover, Sheets will have to pull up his socks since his arch-nemesis, Jon Cornish, is bound to have a strong performance for Calgary.
Saskatchewan will receive a boost to their offense as wide receiver Chris Getzlaf will return to the lineup after sitting out the B.C. game because of a knee injury.
The Riders face the Stamps at 4:30 Sask. Time on Sunday at McMahon Stadium.
