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Riders fall to 0-8 with 34-31 loss to Stamps, another close-but-no-cigar showing

Calgary Stampeders quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell throws the ball up field while getting pressured by Saskatchewan Roughriders defensive end John Chick (L) and defensive lineman Rory Connop during the second half of their CFL football game in Regina, Saskatchewan August 22, 2015. The Stampeders won the game 34-31. REUTERS/David Stobbe (REUTERS)

The Saskatchewan Roughriders have to be getting frustrated with coming close. They've been competitive in the vast majority of their games this season, but were still 0-7 coming into Saturday night's clash with the Calgary Stampeders, and the same pattern repeated again in this one, an eventual 34-31 loss. The Roughriders did plenty of impressive things Saturday, but they still came up short, and that's further evidence that they still have a long ways to go if they want to salvage this season.

Saskatchewan did some good things against Calgary, especially on offence. Rookie quarterback Brett Smith, who began the year as the team's third-stringer, followed up his decent debut (two weeks ago against Toronto, before the team's bye) with another acceptable performance, throwing for three touchdowns and rushing for another one. Yes, he only completed 13 of 24 passes (54.2 per cent) and threw for just 178 yards, and yes, he threw an interception as well, but he showed plenty of potential, and he also picked up 54 rushing yards on just eight carries. Canadian running back Jerome Messam also had a solid game, collecting 75 rushing yards on just 10 carries. The offence wasn't perfect, but it made some impressive plays, and it did enough to keep the Roughriders in this one.

However, as has often been the case this year, Saskatchewan's defence came up short. They let Stampeders' QB Bo Levi Mitchell throw for 303 yards and three touchdowns with a 65.7 per cent completion rate, even if they did pick him off twice, and they gave up some particularly galling plays, including a 46-yard Hail Mary touchdown pass to Eric Rogers at the end of the first half. (Rogers finished the day with 105 yards and a touchdown on seven catches.) They also couldn't stop the run; Canadian running back Matt Walter collected 107 rushing yards on 19 carries (5.6 yards per carry), and Calgary added 32 more on six carries from other players. They did hold the Stampeders to four field-goal attempts, but kicker Rene Paredes made all four of those, so that wasn't enough.

For the Roughriders, there's a real question about where they go from here. A three-point loss to the defending Grey Cup champions isn't that bad, even at home, and Saskatchewan showed lots of potential in this one. If it was merely one game amidst a winning season, no one would pay this particular result much heed. However, with it being their eighth-straight loss, that intensifies the pressure on general manager Brendan Taman and head coach Corey Chamblin to make significant changes. We'll see what happens, but it seems that the Riders' current plans are getting them close, but not close enough.