A couple of streaks were extended Saturday afternoon as the Calgary Stampeders handed the Saskatchewan Roughriders a 17-10 loss on a very windy day at Regina’s Mosaic Stadium.
The win was the Stamps’ seventh in a row in the regular season against Saskatchewan while the Roughriders have now dropped five straight games this season after a 3-0 start.
Calgary, meanwhile, evens its record at 4-4 with the victory and the Stamps have now clinched the season series against the Riders.
Stampeders running back Jon Cornish had a second straight spectacular performance on the road as he rushed for 159 yards. He now has 329 yards in the past two road games and leads the CFL with 571 yards on the ground.
“(The offensive line) controlled the line of scrimmage,” said Stampeders head coach and general manager John Hufnagel. “We knew we would have to do that to give ourselves a chance on such a windy day and they did an excellent job.”
With the windy conditions, passing was difficult at times but Calgary quarterback Kevin Glenn still managed to complete 15 of 24 passes for two touchdowns and zero interceptions.
On the defensive side of the ball, Charleston Hughes had two sacks, two forced fumbles and a nifty interception on a play in which he jumped up to knock down a Darian Durant pass and was able to hang on to the ball.
The Stampeders opened the scoring on the first possession of the game as Calgary marched the ball 72 yards for a touchdown. The drive was capped by a 34-yard throw to Joe West, who made his first CFL catch in his first game.
West, who was activated from the practice roster this week, had five receptions for 68 yards.
The visitors made it 14-0 with a 101-yard drive that was capped by Romby Bryant’s 14-yard touchdown catch. It was the first receiving major of the season for Bryant, whose previous touchdown came on a rushing play.
“Our guys got off to a good start offensively and put some points on the board and our defence just hung in there all day,” said Hufnagel
Though the drives were punctuated by passes, Jon Cornish’s ground gains played an integral role in the Calgary offence as the running back picked up 113 yards in the first half.
The only points in the third quarter came on a 34-yard Rene Paredes field goal that extended Calgary’s lead to 17-0.
The Roughriders got on the board midway through the fourth quarter when Sandro DeAngelis kicked a 37-yard field goal. Kory Sheets made the score 17-10 with a three-yard touchdown run but the Riders could get no closer.
A key late in the game was the punting of Rob Maver against the wind.
The Stampeders’ next game is the Labour Day Classic at McMahon Stadium against the Edmonton Eskimos on Sept. 3. Kickoff is at 2:30 p.m.