The Saskatchewan Roughriders are one win away from capturing the 2013 Grey Cup.
The Riders advanced to the big dance, where they will host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in Mosaic Stadium on Sunday, following knocking off the Calgary Stampeders 35-13 in McMahon Stadium on Nov. 17.
Ultimately, the Stampders were their own worst enemy in the game as they fumbled the ball five times and tossed two interceptions. But to Saskatchewan's credit, they made them pay on the turnovers and only turned the ball over once themselves.
The Riders' dominance on the ground led to their offense having one of their best games of the year. Kory Sheets stole the show with 177 yards on 28 attempts while Jock Sanders captured 61 yards on eight carries and Darian Durant ran for 18 yards on four rushes.
The Stampeders, meanwhile, couldn't generate a consistent rushing game. Star running back Jon Cornish only saw the ball nine times, capturing 67 yards.
Durant clearly out played Calgary's quaterback duo, Kevin Glenn and Drew Tate, albeit the Stampders ball-slingers fell victim to their receivers dropping catchable balls and at times fumbling them. The Rider quaterback completed 24 of 30 passes for 280 yards and three touchdowns. His poise in the pocket was the best it has been arguably all year long.
Following the win, Durant had some choice words for his Calgary foes that did a lot of talking before the game.
"We knew we were the better team so don't come talking trash about how you're going to sit in our locker room and how you're not worried about us," Durant said to CKRM. "We came to your house and we defended our locker room and sent you home."
Weston Dressler led the Saskatchewan receivers in yards with 116 on five catches.
To say the Riders have been inconsistent this year would almost be an understatement. At times they've looked like a contender, while at other times they have appeared to be a team lucky to make the playoffs. But with it all on the line, the Riders have shown their true colours as a club not only having enough talent to win it all, but also the heart.
"We went through a lot of ups and downs, but we never wavered. We are right where we want to be," Riders head coach Corey Chamblin said. "I went and got the players that I thought would help us do it. We made a lot of moves on defense bringing in some quality players and you saw what they did today allowing just 13 points. That's why I went out and got those guys, it's for games like today and the game we will play next week."
Up against the Tiger-Cats, the keys to capturing the win will be generating a strong running game, keeping the turnovers down and putting pressure on Hamilton quarterback Henry Burris. It won't be easy, but with the crowd behind them and the team's confidence on high, the odds are in their favour.
