Riders stave off Bombers in wild Labour Day Classic, their 10th-straight win in that game

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers' decade-long streak of not winning in Regina was almost, but not quite, snapped Sunday. The Bombers jumped out to an early lead and were up 7-0 after the first quarter, but the Roughriders stormed back with 21 straight points. Winnipeg then notched 17 consecutive points to take a 24-21 lead, and the game seesawed down the stretch, but in the end, a late Anthony Allen touchdown and some good defence proved enough to give Saskatchewan a 35-30 win.

What was remarkable about Sunday's game, which was both one of the closest and one of the highest-scoring contests in the CFL this season, was that it didn't really have spectacular offence on either side. Roughriders' quarterback Darian Durant threw for just 204 yards and one touchdown on the day with a 53.8 per cent completion mark, while Bombers' pivot Drew Willy (who was Durant's backup in Saskatchewan the last two seasons) threw for just 173 yards with an interception (but a decent 65.2 per cent completion rate). The rushing offences weren't really in sync, either; the Bombers' Nic Grigsby had 68 rushing yards and a touchdown, but averaged just 4.5 yards per carry, and while the Riders had three rushing touchdowns (two from Allen and one from Will Ford), their only back able to succeed on a regular basis was Jerome Messam (who had 64 yards on six carries). There's still lots of work for both teams to do on the offensive side of the ball.

A lot of Winnipeg's best plays Sunday came from their special teams. Returner Troy Stoudermire was dominant on the day, picking up a 64-yard punt return touchdown and adding 153 return yards on seven kick returns, while kicker Lirim Hajrullahu nailed all three of his field goal attempts. The Bombers also came through with a big punt block. Saskatchewan's special teams were impressive too, though, forcing two safeties thanks to good kick coverage and Winnipeg mistakes.

In the end, the result here was largely about the Saskatchewan defence, and the Riders' defensive line in particular was its typically effective self. The Bombers kept CFL sack leader John Chick off the stat sheet, but that opened up holes for Saskatchewan's other rushers: Ricky Foley leading the way with two sacks and a forced fumble, while Tearrius George and Trevor Guyton each added another sack. They contained Grigsby and put excellent pressure on Willy, limiting what the Bombers were able to do offensively. If not for the big special teams plays, this one might not have been that close.

This is an important win for the Riders, both in terms of history and in terms of this season. It marked their 10th straight win over the Bombers on Labour Day Weekend, but from this year's perspective, it may matter even more. This was Saskatchewan's sixth-straight win after a slow start to the season, and it boosts the Riders to 7-2 on the season, tying them for the most wins in the West. (The two 7-1 teams, Calgary and Edmonton, face off Monday.) Meanwhile, the Bombers drop to 6-4 and are in fourth in the West, and fifth-place B.C. (5-4) has a game in hand. This Labour Day Classic maintained the decade-long tradition of Rider home wins over Winnipeg, and it significantly boosted Saskatchewan's position in the crowded West playoff race. Now, we'll see if the Bombers can get revenge on the Riders in next week's Banjo Bowl.