Brendon LaBatte and the Saskatchewan Roughriders are now third place in the west division of the Canadian Football League, after defeating the Montreal Alouettes 16-11 on Saturday.
Brendon LaBatte and the Saskatchewan Roughriders are now third place in the west division of the Canadian Football League, after defeating the Montreal Alouettes 16-11 on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Brett Jones and the Calgary Stampeders improved their record to 6-1 after claiming a 30-20 win against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
Both the Riders and the Alouettes had strong defense in the first quarter.
Montreal had a turnover during their second series, when they fumbled the ball at second-and-goal. Saskatchewan was able to hit a 57-yard punt single to put the Riders up with 1:51 left in the first quarter.
Early in the second quarter, Montreal field a 74-yard punt single to tie up the game 1-1.
The Riders responded with a 30-yard field goal, to go up 4-1 with 9:31 remaining in the first half. The Alouettes tied up the game again, after they scored a 45-yard field goal. Despite a few attempts by both teams to score further points, the score remained 4-4 at half time.
The Riders went up one more point, during their first series of the second half, after they scored a 53-yard punt single to take a 5-4 lead with 12:02 to go in the third. Montreal took the ball at their 35-yard line, and the Riders picked off the ball at returned it 62 yards for a touchdown.
However the play was nullified for pass interference after a challenge by the Als coach. On the next play, the Riders scored their second turnover of the game from Montreal.
The score remained at 5-4 in the Riders favour, as the Riders ended up punting after their second series, and Montreal punted after their third series.
An 18-yard punt return had the Riders starting at their own 35-yard for their third possession, but they were two-and-out. Then a 60-yard punt brought the Alouettes to their 22-yard line, where they were two and out.
The Riders got the ball at their 48-yard line, and they were set up at first-and-10 at the Montreal 30-yard line on the final play of the third quarter.
Continuing the play in the fourth quarter, the Riders scored their first offensive touchdown in nine quarters, going up 12-4 with 14:24 left in the game. It was a four-play, 62-yard drive.
The Riders got the ball with 7:10 remaining. A sack of the quarterback pushed them back to force a 39-yard field goal. But it was wide right, and the Alouettes returned it 122 yards for a touchdown, making the score 12-11 with 3:14 remaining.
The Riders hit a 73-yard punt single to take a 13-11 lead with 2:16 to go. Then Montreal had their third turnover of the game, which the Riders turned into back-to-back runs. They scored a 32-yard field goal with 12 seconds left on the clock.
With four seconds left in the game, the Alouettes fumbled for the fourth time, and the Riders took the 16-11 victory with no time left on the clock.
In Calgary, the Stampeders remained undefeated on the road, after winning 30-20 over the Ti-Cats. Calgary claimed the first touchdown of the game, with 7:25 remaining in the first quarter of play, scoring off an 11-play, 92-yard drive.
The Ti-Cats responded immediately, tying up the game, after scoring a 55-yard strike. But then the Stamps regained their lead after scoring a 19-yard field goal.
Right before halftime, the Stamps had a massive gain of 74 yards, and finished with a touchdown. At the half, the Stampeders took the 17-7 advantage into the locker room.
The Ti-cats began to move upfield after a pair of catches for first downs, until they fumbled the ball, allowing the Stamps to score a field goal through the uprights for a 20-7 advantage.
However, Hamilton scored the longest successful field goal so far this season, at a distance of 52 yards to cut the lead to 10.
To start the fourth, the Ti-cats scored a 21-yard major. On the very next series for Calgary, Hamilton caused them to go for a quick two-and-out. A 38-yard field goal for Calgary extended their lead to 23-17.
The Ti-Cats then scored a 32-yard field goal to make it a three-point difference. The Stamps eventually put the game on ice thanks to a two-yard touchdown run, which was scored with just under two minutes left in the game.
