REGINA -- There’s just something about the Labour Day Classic.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders came within of few yards of pulling off an absolute miracle last-second comeback but would end up settling for a 35-33 defeat at the hands of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Sunday afternoon at Mosaic Stadium.
Roughriders kicker Brett Lauther had a 60-yard field goal attempt with three seconds remaining in regulation, but the ball would fall about 10 yards short and Winnipeg escaped with the victory.
The final minute that led up to Lauther’s attempt will go down in the annals of incredible drama that has become a hallmark of almost every Labour Day Classic in recent history.
It all started when Riders quarterback Trevor Harris hit Samuel Emilius with a 26-yard pass to the Winnipeg one-yard line with 28 seconds remaining, giving Saskatchewan a chance to get within a two-point conversion of tying the game 35-35.
Harris would complete the 10-play, 1:14 drive with a quarterback sneak, but the ensuing two-point conversion would fall short, leaving the Bombers with a 35-33 lead.
Game over, right?
Not so fast.
The ensuing onside kick by Lauther would be recovered by Adam Auclair at the Riders’ 46, giving Saskatchewan a chance to get a pass downfield and set up a potential winning field goal.
That attempt would be intercepted by Winnipeg’s Evan Holm, but a pass interference call would give Lauther one last chance to claim a miracle.
His kick was arrow straight -- sending the sold-out crowd briefly into hysterics -- but the range just wasn’t quite there, and the Bombers escaped with the win.
“I’m extremely proud of how the guys were able to operate in the second half, man,” Roughriders head coach Corey Mace said on the CKRM Riders Radio post-game show. “We dug ourselves a hole going into halftime, we needed to push for it at the end of the game and I thought we were able to put ourselves in a good situation to win the game.
“There were some things in the second half where the execution was great, we just have to start the game like that instead of waiting for the second half. I am proud of the guys' effort, especially with how things turned out injury-wise.”
Winnipeg didn’t take long to get things going, picking up their first points on their second possession of the game.
Ontaria Wilson had the biggest catch on the nine-play drive, hauling in a 45-yard pass from Zach Collaros to set the Bombers up at the Roughriders’ 21-yard line. Two plays later, Chris Streveler would bulldoze his way in from three yards out, and Winnipeg had the early 7-0 lead.
Saskatchewan was able to respond in style, though, with Harris engineering an 11-play, 78-yard drive that culminated with a 12-yard pass to Shawn Bane Jr. deep in the middle of the endzone.
An interception by Marcus Sayles on the first play of the second half put the Riders right back in business from the Winnipeg 41 -- while increasing their turnover plus-minus to plus-17, far and away the best in the CFL. Frankie Hickson would haul in a 20-yard pass to get in the red zone and two plays later Dohnte Meyers snared an 18-yard lob for the first TD of his CFL career.
The 14-7 lead lasted all of four minutes, thanks to a seven-play drive that saw Saskatchewan manage only a single stop, ending with former Rider Nic Demski finishing things off with a 44-yard pass and run down the middle of the field. Sergio Castillo then picked up a single point on the ensuing kickoff, making it a 15-14 contest.
Winnipeg’s special teams then extended the Bombers’ lead, and it was a strange one. Mario Alford attempted to snare a punt deep in the Roughriders’ zone, but the ball bounced high off his hands and into the endzone. Nick Hallett was in the right spot at the right time for Winnipeg, pouncing on the ball for the touchdown with 3:41 remaining in the first half.
After the Bombers defence got a two-and-out, Collaros went back to work and used a two-penalty play to set up their next major. Deontai Williams was hit with a pass interference penalty in the end zone and Miles Brown took a roughing the passer major on the same play, setting Winnipeg up at the one-yard line. Streveler punched it in with 1:16 remaining, and Winnipeg had 22-straight points for a 29-14 lead at the half.
Brown’s penalty came as a result of a helmet-to-helmet hit, and the blow ended up forcing Collaros -- who has well-documented concussion issues -- from the game in the second half.
Saskatchewan got three points back soon after play resumed, thanks to a massive 55-yard kick by Lauther for his longest field goal of the season. Lauther was then good from 25 yards on the Riders’ next possession, making it a 29-20 game.
Castillo showed off his leg strength with 1:33 to play in the third quarter, drilling a 52-yarder to expand Winnipeg’s two-score lead.
The Roughriders ran into injury woes on the offensive line early in the second half, resulting in defensive lineman Micah Johnson being forced to play at centre. Despite his relative inexperience at the position, he was able to do an admirable job of pass protection as Saskatchewan created their comeback.
Harris got the Riders back within a major thanks to an eight-play drive that covered 80 yards, ending with a five-yard catch by KeeSean Johnson with 7:33 remaining. Harris completed six of seven passes on the drive, getting Saskatchewan within five.
Castillo’s ridiculous range once again came into play with 1:39 remaining, this time with a 56-yarder that split the uprights and had a good 10 yards left in it.
That set the stage for the final minute dramatics and the incredible finish.
Harris finished the game 30-for-49 passing for 368 yards and three touchdowns, while Meyers had five catches for 86 yards and Johnson eight for 84. Hickson was the top rusher for Saskatchewan, carrying 10 times for 32 yards.
Collaros was 12-for-18 for 218 yards in the first half, Streveler 4-for-6 for 46 yards in the second. Wilson hauled in three catches for 75 yards, Demski three for 64. Brady Oliveira ran 12 times for 42 yards.
The loss sees the Roughriders now winless in their last six, with their 5-6-1 record still good enough for third place in the West Division, a single point back of the B.C. Lions (6-6-0) and Winnipeg (6-6-0).
