Saskatchewan's defense sat on its hands for a half and a half, waiting for the breaks to come. Then, all at once, they did. Three second-half turnovers turned a competitive game into a rout, and head coach Corey Mace couldn't help but credit something bigger than scheme after the Riders' 38-7 win over Hamilton.
"I think the football gods said, 'All right, we'll start playing in your favor,'" Mace said. "It's not for a lack of effort or anything. We've been preaching it like crazy."
The Turnover Switch Flips
Mace pointed to earlier chances that didn't go the Riders' way before the dam finally broke. "There was a couple, another one earlier in the game and boy, I mean, it was like, wow, we really aren't going to get this ball, you know? And we couldn't jump on it," he said. "This is something that we've been waiting for as a defense, certainly. And then you see obviously how that can turn the tides for this team."
Part of what made the turnovers possible was a four-man rush that Mace called maybe the most efficient it's been all season. He gave the credit to his front and to Coach Johnson for hunting all night against a Hamilton offensive line he respects.
"Talking with Coach Bell, he felt very comfortable just letting those guys go. And I got to give credit to the D-line and Coach Johnson. They were hunting. That's a really good offensive line that Hamilton has. They were getting after it, man, and allowed us to be able to take care of obviously the weapons that they have on offense, being able to have some more guys there in coverage. Didn't have to press a button to blitz too much tonight. The boys up front took care of it." — Corey Mace
The win pushes Saskatchewan to 4-1 for the third straight season under Mace, and while he wasn't ready to rank this group against his previous two, he did point to something that's grown clearer with time.
"What I can tell you certainly about this team that I think is just maybe more solidified is the fight in this team, regardless of circumstance, there's zero question about that. We kind of figured that last year, but now this third year rolling around, we just know the mental makeup, the DNA of that team in there — no matter the circumstance, they're going to be swinging." — Corey Mace
Wearing Hamilton Down Up Front
Saskatchewan leaned on the ground game to grind Hamilton's defense into the dirt, and Mace made clear that's by design, not just a byproduct of the conditions. "That's part of who we kind of want to be anyway," he said. "We got big guys out there too that got to do the dirty work as well."
He credited his staff for reading the matchup and trusting both sides of the ball to execute. "Sometimes we can dictate some things by design and play call. And if it's going to be the run or if it's some kind of an RPO, it's either we're trusting AJ and the O-line or we're trusting Trevor Harris and the receivers. That's pretty win-win for us, I think."
That complementary approach extended to the defense bailing out a shaky special teams moment. Alex Hale missed a field goal early, and Mace explained the decision not to risk kicking the ball back to Hamilton's return man afterward. "We felt comfortable pregame that was a spot for us to be able to hit that. They got an explosive returner, just risk reward and understanding how our defense was playing at that time. Let's go ahead and see if we can pin them and try to get them on the back end," Mace said. He didn't hesitate when asked about his kicker's standing after the miss: "Utmost confidence in Alex, man. He's been damn good for us. He's missed a couple kicks, but he's been good for us."
Mace tied the whole night together with a car analogy when asked about the two Trevor Harris interceptions that the defense answered with immediate takeaways of its own.
"They nailed it. That's the complementary we're looking for. Just having each other's back. It's football, it's adversity. Whoever makes a play, whether it's a big one or something small, just doing your job that allows somebody else to make another play. We talked about, whether you're a spark plug or you're the transmission or you're the gas pedal — if some of those things ain't working, man, I don't care what kind of Ferrari you got, that thing's dead in the water." — Corey Mace
Stevens Steals the Show Again
Tommy Stevens provided the highlight reel, closing out the game with explosive runs that had the building buzzing. Mace, laughing, admitted he can't figure out how Stevens keeps finding these moments.
"Tommy's awesome. I think he's secretly paying players in the locker room to get down at the 1-yard line. I don't know how this keeps working out for the guy, but we're incredibly happy to have him. Everybody on the field when he's out there, everybody on the sideline, and I'm starting to figure out everybody in the stands and whoever's playing the Stone Cold Steve Austin song after he goes out there — everybody loves when Tommy gets out there. I'm included." — Corey Mace
Concern Over Sexton, Heading Into the Bye
The win came with a somber moment when a player named Sexton was carted off the field, and Mace was visibly affected by it after being seen by his side during the injury.
"It sucks, man. You never want to see anybody get hurt. Obviously don't know the full extent of it, but anytime that cart comes out, it's just — it sucks, man. We all understand what the game is, but there's such a human element to it. Just for everybody to come up and show love and be by him. Most of us have been in some form or fashion in that position, and it just sucks." — Corey Mace
The Riders now head into a short bye week riding a good feeling, and Mace intends to soak it in before the grind resumes. "You love this feeling right now until you got to turn the page," he said. "Let's just make sure that we take the time that we've been given to enjoy it — resting up and spending time with our loved ones." Asked about specific plans, Mace kept it simple: "I'm going to pack the kids and the wife in the car and whoever wants to open up a lake house, we'll just show up."
At 4-1, Saskatchewan enters its break atop the standings picture with a defense that just found another gear and a coach who trusts the mental makeup of this group more than any version before it.