Saskatchewan Roughriders 21 British Columbia Lions 9 (August 2, 2007)
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0 commentsThe Saskatchewan Roughriders took advantage of a third-string quarterback, and running back Wes Cates had a big game with over 100 yards rushing as they defeated the British Columbia Lions 21-9 Thursday night to hand the defending Grey Cup champions their first loss of the CFL season.
Cates called it a game the Riders couldn't afford to lose.
"This was a statement game," said Cates, who had 103 yards on 17 carries. "B.C. is having a little trouble right now so we had to come in here and take advantage of our opportunities. We came out and had a good showing on the road."
Cates also made a touchdown-saving tackle on Ian Smart, who returned a wide field-goal attempt 93 yards late in the fourth quarter.
A crowd of 31,858 saw the Riders improve their record to 4-2 and move to within two points of the first-place Lions in the CFL West. B.C. dropped to 5-1.
The Lions were forced to start third-string quarterback Jarious Jackson because of injuries to Dave Dickenson and Buck Pierce.
Jackson, who came off the bench three times this season to preserve Lions wins, showed some flashes but struggled in his first CFL start. He completed 16 of 38 passes for 183 yards, threw one touchdown pass but was intercepted three times.
"They gave us different looks," said Jackson. "It seemed like one minute we were going and the next minute we were struggling a little bit."
Coach Kent Austin said the Riders didn't want to take any chances against Jackson.
"We needed to mix it up, we needed to contain him," said Austin. "He's a very athletic quarterback with a strong arm.
"They made some plays but our guys always responded."
Saskatchewan's Kerry Joseph threw one touchdown pass and scored once himself.
"We knew it wasn't going to be easy," said Joseph, who competed 20 of 33 passes for 261 yards, the touchdown and one interception. "We went back and forth. We got it rolling and got into a groove and were able to move the ball down the field on them."
While Cates battled for yards on the ground, Matt Dominguez had a big night, catching five passes for 89 yards.
He made a pretty, 24-yard catch, grabbing the ball between two Lion defenders, to set up the first Saskatchewan touchdown. Joseph later scored on a one-yard, third-down gamble.
Dominguez also played a role in the second Rider touchdown, giving Saskatchewan a key first down when defensive back Ryan Phillips was called for pass interference. Joseph then hit D.J. Flick with a 27-yard touchdown pass.
Kicker Luca Congi had field goals of 46 and 43 yards for Saskatchewan.
The Lions looked like they were going to make a game of it when Jarious Jackson hit Paris Jackson with a eight-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter, tying the game 8-8. But after that the best the Lions could muster was a Paul McCallum single.
All three of Jarious Jackson's interceptions came in the fourth quarter. One snuffed out a promising drive.
The Lions were also unable to convert on a third-and-goal gamble late in the game when Tim Fleiszer knocked down a pass in the end zone intended for Geroy Simon.
"What hurt is the way we played," said B.C. defensive back Mark Washington. "We didn't play with the quality that we normally play. We didn't play with intensity."
Dickenson has been sidelined with a concussion since taking a hit from Saskatchewan defensive end Fred Perry back on July 13, when the Lions beat the Riders 42-12.
The Lions said they wouldn't be looking for revenge against Perry and there was no retaliation during the game.
Pierce has an assortment of ailments, including sore ribs and a jammed toe and sore right hand.
LIONS PAWS
Jackson's last start was in the 2002-2003 season when he played with the Denver Broncos. ...Dickenson, wearing sunglasses, watched the game from the Lions bench. ...Heading into the game the Lions had 932 passing yards and were the only CFL team that hadn't thrown for 1,000 yards. ....Other Lions on the injury list include DB Dante Marsh (knee), LB Otis Floyd (abdominal strain), WR Tony Simmons (foot).
courtesy cfl.ca
Date
August 2, 2007
