Rider Pride Report

CFL Insider's Saskatchewan Roughriders Columnist Terry McEvoy weighs in with his take on Gang Green.

“Got to pay your dues if you wanna sing the blues,
And you know it don't come easy.
You don't have to shout or leap about,
You can even play them easy.”

For a while at the 95^th Grey Cup in Toronto, I feared that the Saskatchewan Roughriders were taking this verse of the Ringo Starr tune just a bit too literally. But we’ll be back to that in a bit.

After some quick travel arrangements following the Western Final, I headed to Toronto on Friday, November 23. Flying from Minneapolis, I was not too surprised to see some Winnipeg Blue Bomber fans heading that same way, and we enjoyed some friendly banter at the airport.

Parties are a giant part of the Grey Cup experience, and this 95^th was no different. The massive structure of the Metro Toronto Convention Center served as home to most of them, and one was constantly reminded that the CFL was not the only show in town, as huge parts of the area were taken up by other, non-football gatherings.

In that place called Riderville, the drinks were expensive, the lines were long, and the service was slow. Did that matter? Certainly not, as hundreds waited in line each day to celebrate with their fellow Green wearers. It was a great time, and exciting to be in the house on Saturday afternoon when Rider QB/MOP Kerry Joseph made a brief stop to fire up the Saskatchewan masses.

Compared to many, I’m pretty green in Grey Cup weekends, but this was my eighth and it held many of the same charms and pitfalls of the first seven. I’m typically frustrated on Game Day, since there’s a lot of time to kill until kickoff. This year, we headed down to the Rogers Centre area early, and I passed a few hours just wandering, people watching, and occasionally hooking up with someone I knew. As the gates opened, I eventually wandered in and located my companion, Troy “Sudsy”  Souster, from Saskatoon.

We were able to slide down near the field and grab some pictures of the Rider warm-ups, and settled into our goal-line seats amidst an even match-up of Rider and Bomber fans.

Well, Ringo, the Riders had paid their dues all season, but in this contest they certainly had trouble getting any traction in the first quarter. Kerry Joseph missed receivers, and multiple sure-handed players dropped throws they would usually catch. As Winnipeg led 7 - 0, courtesy of a Troy Westwood field goal and two conceded safeties, the Rider Nation hoped for a break and got their wish. James Johnson made a sprawling interception and darted into the end zone for a Rider score and a later Luca Congi field goal gave Saskatchewan a 10 – 7 half-time cushion.

Ryan Dinwiddie, the Bombers’ quarterback thrust into a starting role after Kevin Glenn broke his arm the previous week, did not play exceptionally well, but had his moments. A huge one was a 50-yard touchdown pass late in the third quarter, putting the Bombers back into the lead. Saskatchewan was able to sandwich Congi field goals around this play, however, and took a slim 16 – 14 margin into the final quarter. 

In my estimation, both defences played strong games. The hitting was ferocious, and completions and yardage were severely rationed. A slick catch and run gave the Riders a touchdown early in the fourth quarter, but another Westwood field goal and the third of those pesky safeties brought the Bombers within a touchdown.

As Dinwiddie and the Bombers began their final drive with about 1:19 left, I was trying to imagine the inner turmoil that those thousands of Rider fans were experiencing. I personally was actually sure that Saskatchewan would prevail, but could not say why I thought that. Troy, my companion, looked like he swallowed poison when the Bombers managed completions totaling 32 yards on their first two plays. With years of pent-up frustration ready to be released, would Saskatchewan fail those shaking fans?

But these Riders had paid their dues, and although it did not come easy, in fact it did come. Game MVP James Johnson intercepted his third pass of the afternoon, sealing a 23 – 19 win. Celebrations erupted throughout Canada, but I’m guessing none were more poignant than Section 137, row 7, seats 9 and 10. I had the pleasure of being with a guy whose Riders did it, with him there in the house, and it was sweet. I’m thinking Troy feels the same way.

The Vegas odds on James Johnson gaining MVP honours were, I’m guessing, huge. Probably even greater than the odds on Kerry Joseph completing only 13 of 34 for a calm 181 yards and still being the winning quarterback, but in Saskatchewan magical things can happen and on this day they finally did.