BC Lions vs. Saskatchewan Roughriders running diary

Welcome to my running diary of the BC Lions vs. Saskatchewan Roughriders game. I love being able to enjoy football in July. You should know that I’m a Riders fan, so my bias will come through sometimes. We pick it up part way through the first quarter, with the Lions leading 3-0.

1st quarter

9:36, 1^st quarter – Darian Durant escapes a lot of pressure, gets a first down. Unfortunately, the Roughriders pick up a penalty, first and 15.

9:14 – short out to Getzlaf.

8:55 – Offside on the BC Lions, leads to 2^nd and 1.

8:30 – Kory Sheets gives Rider fans some excitement with his cutbacks. Very tough 3 yard run to get the first down. The commentators inform us that Sheets is really enjoying playing in the CFL.

7:24 – Local Jordan Sisco makes a big catch for the first down. Durant keeps the play alive again.

6:45 – Kory Sheets with a short run, good cut to pick up a few yards.

6:04 – Getzlaf gets wide open on a curl, picks up the first down. Unfortunately, he can’t pull away from the defender.

5:00 – Riders barely get the play off, but Durant finds Dressler for a first down.

4:59 – Never mind, offsides on the Riders.

4:34 – Nice run by Durant, just a couple yards short of the first down. Set up by a nice holding non-call on the Riders’ left guard.

3:54 – Saskatchewan ties it up with a field goal. Dressler is holding for the kicker, apparently.

3:22 – DAMN IT! That happened way too fast. Poor tackling and positioning from the Riders’ secondary. Lions lead 10-3.

2:58 – Solid return, out to the 37 yard line. Tristan Jackson is hobbling after that return. Hopefully he’s ok.

2:39 – Handoff to Sheets, who gains a few yards but can’t escape the tackle.

2:00 – Short slant to Rob Bagg, the reliable receiver, picking up the first down. One thing I notice is how much smaller some of the Roughriders receivers are compared to the receivers of other teams.

0:41 – Short pass to the sideline, but the Lions get a facemask penalty that leads to a first down.

0:12 – Double tight end formation makes the shovel pass somewhat obvious. Sheets with a 6 yard gain.

0:00 – Wow, that would have been an amazing catch by Sisco. Lions up 10-3 after the first quarter.

2^nd quarter

14:34 – Chris Milo misses a 43 yard field goal, the dangerous Tim Brown brings it out of the end zone. Fortunately, he’s tackled at the 8 yard line. Rob Bagg, the reliable wide receiver for the Riders, hurt himself on the last play. I really hope he’s ok, it would be bad to lose such an integral part of the team.

14:10 – Handoff to Andrew Harris, who is stopped for no gain. Mosaic Stadium is getting very loud right now.

13:26 – Tyron Brackenridge breaks up the pass; the Lions will have to punt from deep in their own territory. The Riders should get good field position.

12:55 – Short punt, Riders get it at the 35 yard line. I’m not totally sure what happened there.

12:05 – Rob Bagg is back in the game, and immediately gets involved. Durant just overthrows the wide open Bagg, and the Riders have to settle for a field goal. Disappointing to waste such great field position.

10:47 – A false start penalty on the Lions causes Rider fans to get even louder.

10:20 – Willis comes shooting off the edge, and Lulay barely escapes him. Keith Shologan, the big defensive tackle, makes the tackle as Lulay scrambles.

10:15 – Craig Butler comes up with a big interception! Great defensive performance on that drive.

9:13 – Weston Dressler with an amazing catch! How did he come up with that? Pass interference on the play, Dressler manages to get an arm under the ball to roll it on to his body and secure it. Seems like a bad play to challenge, unless the Lions have some reason to think they can stop the Riders from the 1-yard line.

9:11 – The pass is ruled incomplete. I’m surprised, it didn’t seem like there was enough evidence to overturn it. Oh well, Riders ball on the 1.

8:49 – QB draw, not quite enough to get the touchdown.

8:38 – Touchdown Kory Sheets! Nice jump over one of the BC Lions. 13 – 10 Saskatchewan.

7:32 – 2 yard run, Riders defense holds strong.

6:52 – Lions now struggling, another false start penalty makes it 2^nd and 13. Rider fans are getting even louder.

6:28 – Nice pass from Lulay to Geroy Simon, first down for the Lions.

5:50 – Outside handoff to Andrew Harris, who gets 7 yards.

5:27 – Direct snap to Andrew Harris, who appears to be just short of the first down. I think the Lions should go for it if they don’t get the first down.

5:14 – 3^rd and less than a yard, and the Lions are going for it.

4:57 – The Lions will pick up the first down.

4:10 – Fake handoff to Tim Brown, but the Lions only pick up 2 yards on the pass.

3:25 – Lulay throws deep to Arlan Bruce, but the pass is too far and goes out of bounds.

3:02 – Well executed coffin corner punt from Paul McCallum, and the Riders will start from their own 8 yard line.

2:44 – Durant looks for Bagg on a short in route, but he can’t hold on.

2:29 – Clutch play from Darian Durant, who undoubtedly feels the pressure, but finds Chris Getzlaf for a first down.

2:24 – Handoff to Sheets up the middle, 3 yard gain.

1:58 – Big first down pass to Jordan Sisco! The Riders get into Lions territory, with momentum.

1:38 – Fake handoff to Kory Sheets, but the pass to Weston Dressler gets only 3 yards.

1:11 – Durant scrambles right, as he’s under pressure, and is forced to throw it away. The punt team comes on for the first time of the game.

1:03 – Very good punt from Chris Milo, and the Lions will get the ball at their own 8 yard line.

0:58 – Lulay finds Jackson, who is bumped out near the first down. Short yardage team will come on for 2^nd and inches.

0:54 – First down Lions, on the quarterback draw.

0:45 – Paris Jackson makes another catch, this time gaining 7 yards.

0:37 – Lulay throws to Geroy Simon for the first down. The Lions are slowly picking away at the Riders.

0:27 – Great throw from Lulay, who is hit as he throws. First down Lions.

0:18 – The Lions make it into Rider territory with a catch by Arlan Bruce. McCallum is warming up on the sideline.

0:09 – Andrew Harris catches the ball in open space and runs out of bounds at the 43 yard line.

0:04 – Geroy Simon makes a solid catch before getting absolutely demolished by Rider safety Craig Butler. BOOM!

0:00 – McCallum capitalizes with a field goal. We enter halftime tied 13-13. I was expecting more scoring after the first quarter, but overall this has been an excellent game between two very talented teams.

3^rd quarter

14:55 – Decent return from Louis Rankin, good to see the former Washington Husky is still doing well.

14:20 – 7 yard pass to Weston Dressler.

13:59 – Kory Sheets appears to have the first down, but not by much. He won’t have great stats at the end of the game, but he has been running with power.

13:11 – Durant steps up in the pocket and nearly finds Efrem Hill deep.

12:48 – Incomplete pass as Durant looks for Dressler. Flag on the play, holding on the Riders, who will have to punt it away.

12:30 – Tim Brown brings it out to the 36 yard line. The Riders special teams players have been very effective today, and have apparently been dubbed “The Canadian Hair Force”.

12:09 – 6 yard run by Tim Brown to the right side.

11:25 – Marco Iannuzzi makes his first catch of the season for a first down.

10:46 – 8 yard catch by Geroy Simon.

10:06 – First down Lions on a run by Tim Brown.

9:22 – Andrew Harris picks up 7, and the Riders jump on the pile as if there is a fumble. It looks like the play will be challenged. It’s hard to tell if Andrew Harris’ forward progress was stopped before the fumble.

8:57 – The call on the field is upheld, and Riders fans begin booing the refs.

8:37 – Lulay is under a lot of pressure from the Riders defensive line, and barely manages to get it away.

8:04 – McCallum misses a 45-yard field goal, and Tristan Jackson brings it out of the end zone. He manages to pick up a few blocks and bring it out to midfield, getting the Riders fans excited again.

7:47 – Kory Sheets picks up 6 yards on a run up the middle.

7:05 – First down Riders, pass to Getzlaf.

6:38 – Durant gets sacked for the first time, 7 yard loss.

6:20 – Anthony Reddick’s injury could be a big problem for the Lions if it’s serious.

5:59 – There appears to be a penalty on the Lions. The replay shows that it’s a good call.

5:30 – Dressler makes a good catch for the first down.

4:54 – Durant finds Kory Sheets for a short gain in the flat.

4:15 – Pass broken up by Muamba, and the Riders will have to go for a field goal.

4:04 – Chris Milo makes a 33 yard field goal, and the Riders take the lead, 16-13.

3:31 – Swing pass to Andrew Harris, who picks up 15 yards and a first down.

2:51 – Fake handoff to Harris, and Lulay’s pass is batted down at the line of scrimmage.

2:24 – Lulay escapes the blitz and gets a first down, tough break for the Riders.

1:43 – Andrew Harris gains 5 yards on a very tough run.

1:02 – Geroy Simon makes the catch for a first down, continuing to make plays on the short routes.

0:21 – Tim Brown runs for 5 yards, and one of the Lions’ offensive lineman comes up hobbling.

0:00 – Lulay looks deep for Simon, who has a step on defenders, but the pass is too far.

4^th quarter

14:20 – TOUCHDOWN RIDERS! Jackson just pulls away from defenders on what initially looked like a poor decision to bring the football out of the end zone. Quite the turnaround on a play that could have tied the game. Paul McCallum will likely be a scapegoat if the Lions lose.

13:59 – The official verdict is a 129-yard return. Can’t get better than that.

13:20 – Nice pass from Lulay to Jackson, who has been very reliable this game. 31 yard gain.

12:41 – Lulay steps up to avoid the pressure and flips it to Andrew Harris. No gain on what was ruled an incompletion.

12:16 – Short gain on the play, Willis makes another tackle.

12:05 – Incredible punt from McCallum, it goes out at the 1 yard line.

11:41 – Swing pass to Rob Bagg, who gains 8 yards and gives the Riders room to breath.

11:18 – Kory Sheets spins and makes a nice gain, but the Lions claim that he fumbled and they recovered the ball. Pushing and shoving from both teams after the play. Call on the field is a fumble.

11:09 – Unsurprisingly, the Riders challenge the play. Looks like they might get the call overturned.

10:45 – Durant scrambles and escapes the pressure, making a 5 yard pass to Louis Rankin.

10:10 – Quick pass to Dressler is incomplete.

9:50 – The Canadian Hair Force strikes again, preventing Tim Brown from gaining any yards on the return.

9:27 – Great play by Lulay to avoid being sacked and throw the ball away. Mosaic Stadium is the loudest it’s been all game.

9:04 – Lulay barely overthrows Arlan Bruce, and the Riders defense manages to force a punt.

8:27 – Durant fakes a handoff and runs to the right side, taking a big hit on a gain of 4.

7:40 – Sheets takes a handoff up the middle, bouncing off a defender and gaining 4 tough yards. Not enough for the first down, unfortunately. That was only the second 2-and-out of the game for Saskatchewan, apparently.

6:46 – Lions need to score on this drive.

6:34 – Well that was quick. Lulay breaks a tackle on a very nice 43-yard run.

5:51 – Lulay looks for Iannuzzi on the sideline, but the pass is incomplete.

5:41 – Hey Rider fans, more cowbell!

5:21 – Lulay rolls right under pressure and throws down the sideline for Iannuzzi. The pass is ruled complete, but it’s unclear if he did make the catch inbounds.

4:35 – Direct snap to Andrew Harris, who picks up the first down. Lions threatening.

4:08 – Incomplete pass as Lulay looks to the end zone.

3:44 – Marco Iannuzzi makes the touchdown catch, taking a pretty big hit right before he gets into the end zone.

3:30 – The Lions are only behind by 3 now.

3:24 – Louis Rankin brings it back out to the 25. Durant has to be feeling a lot of pressure now. He only has 157 passing yards so far, but I think he’s been very effective.

3:06 – 8 yard run by Kory Sheets, who has been very workmanlike. That brings us to the 3 minute warning.

2:44 – Kory Sheets picks up a first down. The Riders have been very efficient in getting those short yardage gains.

2:19 – Another handoff to Sheets, who makes a cut to pick up 13 yards. Might as well make the Lions stop the run.

1:54 – Short pass to Efrem Hill, who gets by a defender for 14 yards and a first down.

1:31 – Sheets shows patience in waiting for the hole to open up, picking up 7 yards on the run.

1:08 – Drew Willy comes in at QB, and the handoff to Neal Hughes goes nowhere.

1:07 – The Riders appeared to consider going for it on 3^rd and 2. Instead, they elect to go for a field goal. Lions take a timeout.

0:58 – Chris Milo misses a field goal, but Tim Brown is tackled before he can get too far. Clutch tackle.

0:56 – Early movement on the play as the noise is getting to the Lions offensive line. 1^st and 15 after the false start. Corey Chamblin, the Riders’ head coach, asks if they can decline the penalty and keep the clock running. Apparently not.

0:53 – Lulay rolls right and finds Iannuzzi just short of the first down.

0:38 – Short pass to Andrew Harris for the first down, and he gets out of bounds.

0:32 – Lulay under pressure, and the diving defensive back Maze can’t make the interception.

0:27 – Geroy Simon can’t make the catch over the middle, and appears to have injured his hand. He is not in the next play.

0:15 – Lulay heaves it downfield, and it’s intercepted! Big win for the Roughriders, who have shown they can compete with the defending Grey Cup champions.

0:00 – Riders win!

The Riders’ defense deserves a lot of credit for that win, making the stops when they needed to. The offense was very efficient, led by Kory Sheets and Darian Durant. Sheets had 15 carries for 76 yards, including 1 TD. He was very effective on their last drive of the game, using up time very effectively.