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DURANT RUNS, RALLIES RIDERS TO OVERTIME WIN OVER ESKIMOS
REGINA — Darian Durant set up a game-tying touchdown with two minutes left, then did the rest himself, scoring the winning touchdown in overtime to lift the Riders to a 26-23 win over the Edmonton Eskimos on Sunday afternoon in Regina.
The Riders trailed throughout most of the second half but tied the game late on Armanti Edwards’ rushing touchdown. Then, after holding the Esks to a Sean Whyte field goal in overtime, Durant and the offence took care of the rest, setting up a six-yard rushing touchdown by the veteran quarterback to win the game.
The win marks the second of the season for the rebuilding Riders and the first for Durant in two years — a much-needed result for a Rider team balancing on the edge of playoff contention, particularly after losing three straight games by a single possession.
This time, two key defensive plays and some timely scoring helped the Riders finish on the right end of a late-game decision, keeping Saskatchewan three games back of the fourth-place Eskimos and four games out of a playoff spot.
Mike Reilly threw for a game-high 306 yards and a touchdown on 19-of-36 passing for the Eskimos but threw a costly fourth-quarter interception that helped the Riders get to overtime. Adarius Bowman also had a strong game for the Eskimos with nine catches for 152 yards, but was stripped by Ed Gainey on a second-quarter defensive touchdown.
Nate Coehoorn scored on a 72-yard touchdown for the Eskimos while the Riders, without top receivers Naaman Roosevelt and Ricky Collins, were led by contributions from Edwards (six catches, 60 yards and a rushing touchdown) and Caleb Holley (four catches, 60 yards).
Durant finished his day with 174 passing yards and an interception on 20-of-29 passing and, most importantly for the Riders, a win.
While the Riders’ victory keeps their season hanging by a thread, it comes at a major cost for the Edmonton Eskimos. The Esks dropped their third straight outcome and remain on the outside looking in at a playoff spot, whether via the crossover or the third-place Bombers who were victorious on Saturday afternoon.
Pinned deep in their own end for their first possession of the game, the Eskimos quickly quieted the Riders’ faithful when Reilly found Bowman in single coverage, who out-muscled Justin Cox for the football and sprinted for a 63-yard gain.
An ensuing drop by Bowman ended the drive quickly, but a 34-yard field goal by Whyte helped Edmonton get on the board first and also flip field position in their favour.
The Rider offence struggled to get in sync and was forced to punt on each of its opening two drives. Josh Bartel’s second punt of the game, a wind-aided 85-yard boot that got over the head of the Esks return man, found the end zone and got the Green and White on the board with a single point.
With Cox left on an island against Bowman, the league’s leading receiver continued to get the best of the rookie 23-year-old defensive back but the Rider defence held strong, forcing the Eskimos to punt for the first time in the game.
The field position game truly defined the first 15 minutes of the contest with howling wind at the Riders’ back putting the Eskimos in poor starting field position more often than not. By the end of the first quarter the Riders finally capitalized, pinning Edmonton back at the one and forcing a quick two and out along with a safety.
While it looked like the Eskimos had the edge after escaping the first quarter in a 3-3 draw and going with the wind in the second, it wasn’t until late in the frame that the visitors seized momentum.
It was Shakir Bell who got the Eskimos’ offence moving, bouncing one long-gainer outside and setting up a chip shot field goal from Whyte, the veteran kicker’s second of the game.
On the Riders’ next play from scrimmage, Durant’s pass into the wind hit a wall and fell into the hands of Eskimos linebacker Kenny Ladler.
The Riders flipped the script very suddenly after that. With Edmonton having all the momentum, what looked like a completion to Bowman was ripped from the receiver’s grasp by Gainey and returned all the way for a 50-yard go-ahead touchdown, giving Saskatchewan a sudden 9-6 lead much to the delight of the Riders’ faithful.
With what went down in the books as a fumble return touchdown, the Riders’ brief lead was erased by a tying Whyte field goal heading into the half.
A defensive duel in the first half, Sunday’s matinee changed course almost immediately in the third quarter. With the Esks’ offence in motion and the wind at its back, Coehoorn got to the second level of the defence and turned on the after-burners, running 72 yards untouched to put the Eskimos ahead 16-9.
The Eskimos added a single point to extend their lead to 17-9, but the eight-point third quarter was all they could muster before it was the Riders’ turn to move with the wind.
A late third quarter drive for the Riders led to a three-pointer on the first play of the fourth quarter, cutting Saskatchewan’s deficit to 17-12 on Crapigna’s first field goal of the game, a 48-yarder.
Just as the Rider crowd turned up the volume, however, the Eskimos promptly extinguished the momentum with a pair of first down runs by Reilly and a 37-yard field goal by Whyte to once again make it an eight-point edge.
The Riders added a punt single, then stopped Reilly and the Esks in their tracks when former Eskimos Otha Foster met Reilly in the backfield for Saskatchewan’s third sack of the afternoon.
As seconds ticked off the clock past the 6:00 mark, the Riders needed to make their move soon if they were going to avoid their 11th loss of the season.
Edwards got the wheels in motion, finding open field on a swing pass and moving the Riders into scoring range. After converting on third and short, Caleb Holley kept the drive moving in the right direction, converting once again and picking up some yards after the catch on a hard-thrown ball by Durant over the middle.
It wasn’t long later that Edwards was reaching his outstretched arms and the football over the goal line, scoring on an end-around with 2:05 remaining for the Riders’ first offensive major of the game. The eight-play, 65-yard drive was capped off by Crapigna’s extra point, knotting the score for the third time in the game, this time at 20 apiece.
Facing heavy winds and a raucous Regina crowd, the Eskimos were pinned back at their own 10 and needed to respond or face a continuing Rider rally. And while Reilly’s completion to Bowman provided some much-needed breathing room, on the very next play his long pass for Bowman — in one-on-one coverage against Cox — hung up in the air and was undercut and intercepted by the first-year defender.
After the play was challenged by Jason Maas but upheld, a holding penalty quickly stymied the Riders’ following offensive possession. From there, with the ball at the Edmonton 51, the Riders were called for a time count violation before Crapigna could attempt a 58-yard field goal attempt.
That sent things to overtime, where the Rider defence did its job by forcing Whyte onto the field for his fifth field goal of the game, giving Durant and the Rider offence the opportunity to win it.
Durant’s pass to Ryan Lankford moved the Riders down to the eight, then, after Steele was stopped for a pickup of just a couple, Durant did the rest on his own, pushing the play outside with his legs and finding the end zone for the game-winning run.
Bell finished with 88 yards on 14 carries and a 6.3 average for the Eskimos as he filled in for John White. The Riders, meanwhile, got a huge boost to their usually enigmatic ground game, as Steele returned to the lineup with 87 yards on 13 carries (6.7 yards per carry). Durant added 61 yards on five carries, including the game-winning touchdown on the team’s first possession in overtime.
The Riders will look to keep the momentum rolling and pick up win No. 3 next Saturday at home against the Ticats, while the Eskimos look to get back on track with a return home to face the Lions on Friday night.
DURANT RUNS, RALLIES RIDERS TO OVERTIME WIN OVER ESKIMOS
REGINA — Darian Durant set up a game-tying touchdown with two minutes left, then did the rest himself, scoring the winning touchdown in overtime to lift the Riders to a 26-23 win over the Edmonton Eskimos on Sunday afternoon in Regina.
The Riders trailed throughout most of the second half but tied the game late on Armanti Edwards’ rushing touchdown. Then, after holding the Esks to a Sean Whyte field goal in overtime, Durant and the offence took care of the rest, setting up a six-yard rushing touchdown by the veteran quarterback to win the game.
The win marks the second of the season for the rebuilding Riders and the first for Durant in two years — a much-needed result for a Rider team balancing on the edge of playoff contention, particularly after losing three straight games by a single possession.
This time, two key defensive plays and some timely scoring helped the Riders finish on the right end of a late-game decision, keeping Saskatchewan three games back of the fourth-place Eskimos and four games out of a playoff spot.
Mike Reilly threw for a game-high 306 yards and a touchdown on 19-of-36 passing for the Eskimos but threw a costly fourth-quarter interception that helped the Riders get to overtime. Adarius Bowman also had a strong game for the Eskimos with nine catches for 152 yards, but was stripped by Ed Gainey on a second-quarter defensive touchdown.
Nate Coehoorn scored on a 72-yard touchdown for the Eskimos while the Riders, without top receivers Naaman Roosevelt and Ricky Collins, were led by contributions from Edwards (six catches, 60 yards and a rushing touchdown) and Caleb Holley (four catches, 60 yards).
Durant finished his day with 174 passing yards and an interception on 20-of-29 passing and, most importantly for the Riders, a win.
While the Riders’ victory keeps their season hanging by a thread, it comes at a major cost for the Edmonton Eskimos. The Esks dropped their third straight outcome and remain on the outside looking in at a playoff spot, whether via the crossover or the third-place Bombers who were victorious on Saturday afternoon.
Pinned deep in their own end for their first possession of the game, the Eskimos quickly quieted the Riders’ faithful when Reilly found Bowman in single coverage, who out-muscled Justin Cox for the football and sprinted for a 63-yard gain.
An ensuing drop by Bowman ended the drive quickly, but a 34-yard field goal by Whyte helped Edmonton get on the board first and also flip field position in their favour.
The Rider offence struggled to get in sync and was forced to punt on each of its opening two drives. Josh Bartel’s second punt of the game, a wind-aided 85-yard boot that got over the head of the Esks return man, found the end zone and got the Green and White on the board with a single point.
With Cox left on an island against Bowman, the league’s leading receiver continued to get the best of the rookie 23-year-old defensive back but the Rider defence held strong, forcing the Eskimos to punt for the first time in the game.
The field position game truly defined the first 15 minutes of the contest with howling wind at the Riders’ back putting the Eskimos in poor starting field position more often than not. By the end of the first quarter the Riders finally capitalized, pinning Edmonton back at the one and forcing a quick two and out along with a safety.
While it looked like the Eskimos had the edge after escaping the first quarter in a 3-3 draw and going with the wind in the second, it wasn’t until late in the frame that the visitors seized momentum.
It was Shakir Bell who got the Eskimos’ offence moving, bouncing one long-gainer outside and setting up a chip shot field goal from Whyte, the veteran kicker’s second of the game.
On the Riders’ next play from scrimmage, Durant’s pass into the wind hit a wall and fell into the hands of Eskimos linebacker Kenny Ladler.
The Riders flipped the script very suddenly after that. With Edmonton having all the momentum, what looked like a completion to Bowman was ripped from the receiver’s grasp by Gainey and returned all the way for a 50-yard go-ahead touchdown, giving Saskatchewan a sudden 9-6 lead much to the delight of the Riders’ faithful.
With what went down in the books as a fumble return touchdown, the Riders’ brief lead was erased by a tying Whyte field goal heading into the half.
A defensive duel in the first half, Sunday’s matinee changed course almost immediately in the third quarter. With the Esks’ offence in motion and the wind at its back, Coehoorn got to the second level of the defence and turned on the after-burners, running 72 yards untouched to put the Eskimos ahead 16-9.
The Eskimos added a single point to extend their lead to 17-9, but the eight-point third quarter was all they could muster before it was the Riders’ turn to move with the wind.
A late third quarter drive for the Riders led to a three-pointer on the first play of the fourth quarter, cutting Saskatchewan’s deficit to 17-12 on Crapigna’s first field goal of the game, a 48-yarder.
Just as the Rider crowd turned up the volume, however, the Eskimos promptly extinguished the momentum with a pair of first down runs by Reilly and a 37-yard field goal by Whyte to once again make it an eight-point edge.
The Riders added a punt single, then stopped Reilly and the Esks in their tracks when former Eskimos Otha Foster met Reilly in the backfield for Saskatchewan’s third sack of the afternoon.
As seconds ticked off the clock past the 6:00 mark, the Riders needed to make their move soon if they were going to avoid their 11th loss of the season.
Edwards got the wheels in motion, finding open field on a swing pass and moving the Riders into scoring range. After converting on third and short, Caleb Holley kept the drive moving in the right direction, converting once again and picking up some yards after the catch on a hard-thrown ball by Durant over the middle.
It wasn’t long later that Edwards was reaching his outstretched arms and the football over the goal line, scoring on an end-around with 2:05 remaining for the Riders’ first offensive major of the game. The eight-play, 65-yard drive was capped off by Crapigna’s extra point, knotting the score for the third time in the game, this time at 20 apiece.
Facing heavy winds and a raucous Regina crowd, the Eskimos were pinned back at their own 10 and needed to respond or face a continuing Rider rally. And while Reilly’s completion to Bowman provided some much-needed breathing room, on the very next play his long pass for Bowman — in one-on-one coverage against Cox — hung up in the air and was undercut and intercepted by the first-year defender.
After the play was challenged by Jason Maas but upheld, a holding penalty quickly stymied the Riders’ following offensive possession. From there, with the ball at the Edmonton 51, the Riders were called for a time count violation before Crapigna could attempt a 58-yard field goal attempt.
That sent things to overtime, where the Rider defence did its job by forcing Whyte onto the field for his fifth field goal of the game, giving Durant and the Rider offence the opportunity to win it.
Durant’s pass to Ryan Lankford moved the Riders down to the eight, then, after Steele was stopped for a pickup of just a couple, Durant did the rest on his own, pushing the play outside with his legs and finding the end zone for the game-winning run.
Bell finished with 88 yards on 14 carries and a 6.3 average for the Eskimos as he filled in for John White. The Riders, meanwhile, got a huge boost to their usually enigmatic ground game, as Steele returned to the lineup with 87 yards on 13 carries (6.7 yards per carry). Durant added 61 yards on five carries, including the game-winning touchdown on the team’s first possession in overtime.
The Riders will look to keep the momentum rolling and pick up win No. 3 next Saturday at home against the Ticats, while the Eskimos look to get back on track with a return home to face the Lions on Friday night.
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