REGINA - In the end, the Labour Day Classic lived up to its name as the Saskatchewan Roughriders pulled off a wild 32-30 upset win in overtime against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
"That was a beauty. That was one of the funnest ones I've ever been a part of," was the reaction of Head Coach Craig Dickenson afterwards.
It was an emotional, tough, physical contest from the get-go. It was also a game that the Roughriders almost saw slip away from them.
Late in the game with the Bombers driving, it looked like the Roughriders had stopped the Bombers on second and goal -- except the Riders' Pete Robertson delivered a head-butt to Bombers' quarterback Zach Collaros. It resulted in a 15 yard penalty and a Bombers' first down -- and soon after, a touchdown.
Dickenson said he didn't see what happened, but said "I'm disappointed we got a penalty after we stopped him on second down."
"It was an emotional game. I thought we lost our composure a couple of times. I thought I lost my own a little bit as well, but we definitely have to clean it up."
Later, things seemed to go straight downhill for the Riders when the referees failed to call what looked like a pass interference penalty on the Bombers at mid-field, a call that was inexplicably upheld on review.
But the Riders did manage to punt into the end zone for what would prove to be a crucial single point. "Every point matters in this league, that's why it's such a great game," Dickenson said.
That,set up a final Rider drive late in the game in which Brett Lauther kicked the tying field goal with a half minute remaining, and the game ultimately went to overtime tied at 24-24.
In that overtime, the Roughriders drove it down to the goal line and got a one yard touchdown run from quarterback Anthony Pipkin, followed by a two point conversion to Shawn Bane Jr. to give the Riders a 32-24 lead.
When the Bombers got the ball in overtime they wasted absolutely no time as Zach Collaros immediately tossed to Kenny Lawler for the 35-yard touchdown, to bring the Bombers within two.
But the two point convert attempt was broken up by Jaxon Ford, former Regina Ram, to preserve the 32-30 Roughriders win.
The Roughriders won the battle, but lost players to injury, the most notable being offensive tackle Colin Kelly. Dickenson said they will know more tomorrow, but "it doesn't look good."
The Riders also know they need to clean up on the penalties, particularly against the Bombers who Dickenson said like to "hang on to you, so then you swing your arms and the next thing you know you've got a penalty."
"They're leading the league in the least amount of penalties, and they draw the most amount of penalties every year. So say what you will, they are good at that. They know how to do it, so we'll just have to keep showing the guys and try to be the bigger team and not respond to that."
It was yet another improbable finish for the Riders, with the Riders now having beaten the top two teams in the West in consecutive games: first the BC Lions and this week the Bombers.
"We're a decent team. We want to be part of the conversation," said Dickenson, "and I told the guys that before the game, and they believe the same. We're a good team, and we need to get out there and win some big games so that we can be part of that conversation."
The Riders now head to Winnipeg for next Saturday's Banjo Bowl rematch.
Quarterback Jake Dolegala:
"I think that was everything everybody asked for. It actually came down to the wire, overtime -- I couldn't have dreamt it up any better."
"It was a rollercoaster... Everybody on the sidelines was keeping us up -- shout-out to them. I told the guys in the huddle let's just take it one play at a time, especially at the end there -- first first down, and we'll go from there. And we did that."
On what this win tells the rest of the league: "That we're here, they can't forget about us. We're a tough opponent, our defence is legit. We can put up points, too, on offence. I think we're a very well rounded team."
Anthony Lanier II:
On the team's response to the Robertson penalty: "It's not bailing him out. It's more of a pressure to make sure everybody knows that we have their back. We are together."
