It was a day of sevens for the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
Brett Lauther went 7-for-7 on field-goal makes an attempt to assist Saskatchewan enhance its document to 7-7-1 by defeating the Ottawa REDBLACKS at Mosaic Stadium on Saturday.
“Seven discipline targets … it’s superior,” quarterback Trevor Harris stated. “That’s who we all know he’s.
“Shoot, he had a bit blip on the radar and everyone was, ‘Get him out of right here!’
“Brett Lauther’s the person. I’m glad we’ve got him.”
Since going 3-for-7 in a 27-24 CFL loss to the visiting Montreal Alouettes on Aug. 8, Lauther has hit 18 of 19 makes an attempt. Think about 33-yard convert makes an attempt and the sixth-year Roughriders kicker has made 28 of his final 29 placements.
The Roughriders’ inserting improved because of his newest effort.
With 15 factors, Saskatchewan moved a notch forward of the B.C. Lions (7-8-0) and into second spot within the West Division. Saskatchewan is three factors behind the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (9-6-0).
With three regular-season video games remaining, the Roughriders management their future of their bid to earn a house playoff recreation.
“We’ve gained two soccer video games in a row,” Harris stated. “The targets we’ve got are way over that.
“The very last thing you’ll really feel from this workforce is the sense of, ‘We’re OK,’ or, ‘Whew! We’ve gained two video games in a row.’
“There will likely be none of that. We’re going to push the envelope more durable. We all know what we’re able to.
“If we take three of these discipline targets and make them touchdowns, this recreation isn’t shut.”
The 2 victories referenced by Harris comply with a seven-game winless streak (0-6-1).
“These guys labored exhausting, even via the streak when it wasn’t good,” Head Coach Corey Mace famous.
“It’s exhausting for us as coaches to look these guys within the face and say, ‘You’re doing a whole lot of issues proper. We’ve simply received to repair the nuances.’
“It’s a bit bit simpler tomorrow once we meet to say, ‘Hey, we did a whole lot of issues proper, however we’ve received to repair the nuances.’
“We’ve received to be a greater model of what we had been at present to attempt to come out and 1-and-0 subsequent week.”
The Roughriders are to return to motion subsequent Saturday in opposition to the Edmonton Elks at Commonwealth Stadium (5 p.m., TSN, CKRM).
Earlier than 27,676 eyewitnesses on a picture-perfect autumn day, the Roughriders led 15-3 after three quarters on the power of 5 discipline targets by Lauther. Lewis Ward’s three-pointer accounted for all of the REDBLACKS’ scoring over the opening 45 minutes — a interval through which the Roughriders’ defence managed the sport.
“We simply performed our model of soccer,” defensive halfback Amari Henderson stated. “We simply received again to what we normally do and helped the workforce as a lot as we will.
“We tried to drive two-and-outs, get off the sector, get the ball and take the belt away.”
Saskatchewan pressured three turnovers — all on interceptions — with out relinquishing the soccer.
In so doing, the Roughriders improved their league-best turnover ratio to plus-18.
Final 12 months at this juncture, Saskatchewan was a league-worst minus-13.
Saskatchewan pressured the one turnover (a victory-clinching interception by Jameer Thurman) on Sept. 20 in a 37-29 highway win over the Calgary Stampeders.
Over the previous two video games, it seems that the Roughriders’ defence is returning to the shape that helped the workforce sport data of 4-0-0 and 5-1-0 through the summer time.
“It’s sort of such as you’re in a matrix,” Henderson stated after registering a team-high six defensive tackles. “You get in that circulate and all the things simply begins feeling good. It simply looks like apply.
“Every part we do in apply simply flows into the sport, so it felt good at present.”
Particularly after the Roughriders took management of the fourth quarter and settled issues.
After back-to-back discipline targets by Ward made the rating 15-9, the Roughriders responded with 11 consecutive factors.
Following a 26-yard landing run by Thomas Bertrand-Hudon at 6:41 of the fourth quarter, Harris threw to KeeSean Johnson for a two-point conversion.
Lauther’s 23-yard discipline objective gave the Roughriders a 26-9 lead at 10:57.
Ottawa scored its first landing when Jeremiah Masoli discovered Kalil Pimpleton for an 11-yard rating with 1:56 left within the fourth quarter.
Lauther adopted up with a 25-yarder that made him 7-for-7. He was one discipline objective shy of the Roughriders’ single-game document.
Dave Ridgway kicked eight discipline targets on July 29, 1984 (at Ottawa) and July 23, 1988 (versus Edmonton).
Bob Macoritti kicked seven discipline targets, then a league-record, in opposition to Toronto on Aug. 27, 1978 at Taylor Area. Macoritti was 7-for-8.
Harris accomplished 27 of 36 passes for 315 yards.
Johnson caught six passes for 101 yards. It was his first 100-yard recreation as a Roughrider and the ninth by a member of the workforce this season. Six completely different Saskatchewan receivers have put up not less than 100 yards in a recreation this season.
Dhel Duncan-Busby (92 yards) and Samuel Emilus (63) every caught seven passes for Saskatchewan.
Emilus has 77 receptions with three video games remaining. He caught 70 passes final 12 months.
EXTRA POINTS
• Rolan Milligan Jr. registered his league-leading seventh interception for the Roughriders. Marcus Sayles and Adam Auclair had the opposite picks. Sayles registered his fourth interception of the season, tying a profession excessive he set with B.C. in 2022.
• Harris wants seven completions to tie Kent Austin (2,709) for 14th on the CFL’s All-Time listing.
• A 74-yard missed discipline objective return by Mario Alford was the 11th-longest in Roughriders historical past.
• The Roughriders had their earliest Saturday begin time for a house recreation since Aug. 25, 2012, when the Stampeders paid a go to. That recreation additionally started at 1 p.m.
• Saskatchewan’s time of possession (37:39) was its 15th-best for the reason that CFL started protecting observe of that statistic. The workforce document of 40:42 was set when the Roughriders defeated Calgary 35-13 at McMahon Stadium within the 2013 West Division remaining. The Inexperienced and White’s regular-season document (40:14) was established on Aug. 11, 2002 in a 30-14 victory over the visiting Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
SUMMARY
FIRST QUARTER
Sask — FG Lauther 35 3:35
Harris to Johnson for 26 yards moved Roughriders into field-goal vary
SECOND QUARTER
Sask — FG Lauther 21 1:33
74-yard missed discipline objective return by Alford gave Roughriders a primary down on Ottawa’s 43
Sask — FG Lauther 33 10:13
Roughriders turned a Sayles interception into three factors
Ott — FG Ward 37 13:07
Sanders’ sack pressured Ottawa to accept three
THIRD QUARTER
Sask — FG Lauther 41 5:22
Roughriders moved 31 yards in eight performs
Sask — FG Lauther 39 13:24
Riders moved 52 yards in six performs after Auclair interception
FOURTH QUARTER
Ott — FG Ward 52 0:23
REDBLACKS gained 36 on Hardy reception (21) plus Roughriders misconduct (15)
Ott — FG Ward 26 3:40
REDBLACKS settled for 3 after Bruggeling dropped a go in the long run zone
Sask — TD Bertrand-Hudon 26 run (Harris go to Johnson for two-point convert) 6:41
Harris accomplished 4 passes in a row earlier than handing off to Bertrand-Hudon
Sask — FG Lauther 23 10:57
Harris to Johnson for 58 yards was the large play
Ott — Pimpleton 11 go from Masoli (Ward convert) 13:04
Ottawa scored to finish a seven-play, 70-yard mark
Sask — FG Lauther 25 14:43
Lauther surpassed his earlier CFL single-game excessive of six discipline targets
