Stampeders weather late Roughriders rally to clinch playoff berth, despite some offensive issues

The Calgary Stampeders woke up at the right time. The Stampeders dominated the early part of Friday night's game in Saskatchewan and got out to a 24-0 lead partway through the third quarter, but the Roughriders then scored 24 unanswered points to tie the game with nine minutes left and make things interesting. Calgary pulled together offensively down the stretch, though, killing the clock with a long drive before quarterback Drew Tate punched the ball in on a run from the one-yard line with just 32 seconds left, and the Stampeders hung on for a 31-24 win. Friday's win allowed Calgary to lock up a playoff berth, and the Stamps demonstrated solid resilience during it, but it also illustrated that they have some problems to deal with—and that Saskatchewan might be starting to figure out how to resolve their own issues.

On the night, Calgary's offensive stats weren't great. Yes, Tate threw for two touchdowns and ran for two more, but he picked up just 194 passing yards on the night and also tossed an interception. His 55.2 per cent completion rate left much to be desired as well. Moreover, running back Jon Cornish averaged an impressive 6.7 yards per carry, but only received 11 touches, so he ended the night with 74 rushing yards, below his usual numbers. Maurice Price had a solid game, catching six passes for 79 yards and a touchdown, but the team's next leading receiver was RB Matt Walter, who had two receptions for 31 yards. This offence has some excellent pieces, but needs more cohesiveness and more consistency; their struggles down the stretch allowed the Roughriders to get back in this game.

For Saskatchewan, it was an unlikely hero who almost got them back in this one. Second-year quarterback Tino Sunseri had been the team's primary starter since Darian Durant went down, but hadn't done much, and particularly struggled in last week's 24-0 loss against Edmonton. Thus, it made sense that the team would elect to start rookie Seth Doege and see what they had in him. However, Doege was awful in his first CFL start; struggles are to be expected from rookie pivots considering the differences in the Canadian game, but his three-for-nine line for 28 yards with three interceptions was much more appalling than expected.That led to him being pulled in the second quarter and replaced by Sunseri, who delivered an impressive showing in relief, completing 16 of 19 passes (84.2 per cent) for 289 yards and a touchdown and getting Saskatchewan back in the game. Perhaps not having the pressure of starting helped him, or perhaps he's really improved over the last week, but the Riders' quarterback situation seems less bleak now than it did earlier.

That may be the biggest inducement for Calgary to not get complacent after clinching a playoff berth. Yes, the Stampeders are now 12-2, and their closest competitors in the West (Saskatchewan and Edmonton) both have nine wins as of Friday night. That's a pretty solid three-game lead for Calgary, although the Eskimos do have a game in hand. The Stampeders also deserve plenty of plaudits for what they've done to date despite major injuries to the likes of Cornish, QB Bo Levi Mitchell, receiver Marquay McDaniel and defensive end Charleston Hughes. However, Friday's game illustrated that this Calgary team's not perfect, and it suggested that one of their competitors might be able to hang with them down the stretch or in the playoffs. Escaping Regina with the win and locking down a playoff berth is nice, but there are still tough battles ahead for the Stampeders.