Another week, another comeback win for the Saskatchewan Roughriders after they took down the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 33-30 at Tim Hortons Field on Sunday.
It was the second straight fourth-quarter claw-from-behind victory for Sask, after doing the same last week against Edmonton. The fourth quarter numbers for the Green-and-White are staggeringly good, unsurprisingly.
Lauthermatic
Yeah, Brett Lauther is pretty good.
The 33-year-old sealed the deal for the Riders with a walk-off 43-yarder for the win. He went 4-for-4 on the day and has looked to shrug off his preseason struggles. Those concerns could have been because of the microchips, but it’s nice to see Lauther go perfect regardless.
The Great Wall Of Green And White
Simply put, you can’t run on the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
While the pass rush hasn’t been there quite yet for the Green and White, they have made darn sure you can’t punish them on the ground. They held James Butler (who had 119 yards the week prior) to only 27 yards rushing this week.
To start the season, the Riders are allowing the least amount of rushing yards per game (34.5), as well as the lowest amount of yards per attempt at 2.8.
Keep On Passing
The passing game for Saskatchewan continued to be on point. Trevor Harris completed 32 passes for 390 yards and two touchdowns. Jerreth Sterns had a big night hauling in six catches for 112 yards, while Canadian Kian Schaffer-Baker was also fantastic, making seven catches for 109 yards and two touchdowns.
Through the first two weeks of the season, Sask is averaging the most passing yards per game with 347.5, while also leading the CFL in passing touchdowns with 5.
Where Is The Running Game?
It’s a good thing Harris and the receivers are on the same page because the rushing attack has not been there. A.J. Ouellette only mustered 32 yards on 11 carries against Hamilton, and wasn’t much better the week prior against the Elks. The offensive line hasn’t gotten much of a push either, which has resulted in the Green and White completely abandoning the run game at times during the first two weeks.
Saskatchewan sits dead last (and it isn’t particularly close) in both yards along the ground per game (36.5) and yards per attempt (2.4).
Shotty Secondary
Another thing to keep an eye on is the secondary. At least three blown coverages in this one resulted in touchdowns, and that could be because of the shakeup that was made. Marcus Sayles made his first Riders start at field corner, pushing Nelson Lokombo to safety and Jayden Dalke off the first unit.
It needs to be figured out, through the first two weeks they have allowed the second most passing yards per game (358) and the most completions overall (80).
You can’t be mad at a 2-0 start, but the Riders haven’t been the better team throughout the majority of either game yet and still have lots to clean up. Their next chance to right their wrongs comes Sunday against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats once again, but this time it will be at Mosaic Stadium.
