Roughriders' defence gets them second win of year, while Alouettes sink to 5-7

The Saskatchewan Roughriders doubled their win total on the season Sunday, improving to 2-11 with a 33-21 home victory over the Montreal Alouettes, and their defence was a huge part of that. That's remarkable, as defensive issues had been at the root of many of the Roughriders' problems all season long, keeping them winless through their first nine games despite an offence that led the league in 17 of 30 offensive categories through five weeks. The defence stepped up against the Alouettes Sunday, though, and it kept Saskatchewan's slim mathematical playoff hopes alive. Perhaps even more importantly, however, this suggested that the team has made some progress since firing head coach Corey Chamblin and general manager Brendan Taman after they fell to 0-9. If they can build on this and win a few more down the stretch, the offseason may not require a complete franchise makeover.

The most impressive part of the Roughriders' defensive effort Sunday was the interceptions, and defensive back Macho Harris particularly stood out, collecting a hat trick of picks (two off Montreal starter Jonathan Crompton and one off backup Rakeem Cato). Harris did so in style, too, grabbing his third interception of the day on a Cato pass in the third quarter and returning it 50 yards for a touchdown that put Saskatchewan up 23-2, a lead that was never particularly threatened. (The Alouettes ended the quarter down 23-5 after a Boris Bede field goal, and the score was only somewhat close thanks to two garbage-time Montreal touchdowns, including one with no time left on the clock.) The Riders recorded four interceptions in total, but the fourth came from defensive end John Chick after safety Tyron Brackenridge tipped a Cato pass, and Cato was able to then strip the ball from Chick and run for a first down. Thus, Harris' picks were the more important ones, and they were a big part of the Riders' success.

This defensive showing was particularly remarkable considering how poorly Saskatchewan's defence had been to date. Heading into this, they'd conceded 365 points through 12 games, an average of 30.4 that was the worst in the CFL. The 21 points they gave up here were a huge improvement, but the defence was actually even better than that while the snaps mattered, as most of Montreal's points came with the game well out of reach. This wasn't just a victory about turnovers, either; the Riders held Crompton to 97 passing yards and a 44.4 per cent completion percentage with no touchdowns and two interceptions, and while Cato threw for 170 yards and a touchdown with a 66.7 per cent completion rate, those stats largely came after the game was out of hand, and he tossed two picks as well. Saskatchewan also contained Alouettes' RB Brandon Rutley, who had 73 rushing yards, but took 16 carries to get there (an average of just 4.5 yards per carry).

Of course, the Riders' offence should get some credit too, especially for what they did on the ground. Running back Jerome Messam was particularly effective, collecting 111 rushing yards and a touchdown on 15 carries (an average of 7.4 yards per carry), but Anthony Allen chipped in 58 yards on seven carries (8.3 YPC). The aerial game was a little less effective overall, with quarterback Kevin Glenn only completing 14 of 31 passing attempts (45.2 per cent) and throwing for just 212 yards with a touchdown and a pick, but Glenn was good early on and helped stake Saskatchewan to a significant lead. Still, in the end, this was a defence-led win, and given the defence's previous performances, that's a huge step forward for the Riders. That step could be a meaningful one, too; their playoff window is slim, but not non-existent (at the moment, they'd need to make up three games with five left to go), but even if they can't get to the postseason, a good finish might help preserve some jobs and lead to an easier offseason in Saskatchewan.

This also was a big step backwards for Montreal. The Alouettes looked to be turning things around last week with a 35-14 thumping of Winnipeg that left them in playoff position, with coaching staff changes and Crompton's return playing significant roles there. This week, that didn't work out so well; Crompton was dreadful, and while Cato was better in relief, he didn't really get his own game in gear until it was too late. Going forward, Montreal will need to find some way to move the chains consistently, something they weren't able to do at all against the Riders. The Alouettes are still in playoff position for now (at 5-7 and fourth in the East, they would cross over to the West and claim the third and final spot there ahead of 4-8 B.C., 4-9 Winnipeg and 2-11 Saskatchewan), but their hold on that spot is looking increasingly precarious, and Sunday saw them waste a vital chance to solidify that and perhaps even gain ground on their Eastern rivals. To make the postseason, Montreal's likely going to have to be better than this.