Riders clinch playoffs but lay an egg in blowout loss

Saskatchewan Roughriders head coach Corey Mace speaks to reporters after the team's loss against Montreal Saturday.

Before Saturday’s game even kicked off, the Riders had clinched a playoff berth by virtue of losses this weekend by both the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Edmonton Elks. But the club was trying to inch closer to securing a home playoff game with a win over the visiting Montreal Alouettes.

The visiting Als would notch the game’s first points with a 52-yard Jose Maltos Diaz field goal.

On the ensuing Riders possession, Brett Lauther would answer with a 46-yard field goal of his own to tie the game at 3.

The Alouettes would then hit a big shot, Mcleod Bethel-Thompson on a play action would find a wide-open Tyson Philpot streaking down the field after getting behind the Riders Kerfalla-Emmanuel Exume, for a 59-yard touchdown.

On the ensuing Riders offensive possession, Trevor Harris’ attempt over the middle to KeeSean Johnson was intercepted by Wesley Sutton, only for Sutton to be called for defensive pass interference.

However, Montreal challenged the ruling on the field and the play was overturned. But Montreal’s offence would go two and out, leading to another long 56-yard field goal attempt by Maltos-Diaz that would ping off the right upright and out.

The turnover bug would strike the Riders again on their next drive, Tommy Stevens would cough up the ball on a short yardage attempt.

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On the very next play, Montreal would hit another deep shot to Philpot for a 39-yard gain down to the Riders 26-yard line. A few plays later, former Rider Shea Patterson would plow across the goal line from one yard out and the Montreal lead was extended to 14.

Midway through the second quarter, the Riders would find some life. Trevor Harris would thread the needle to KeeSean Johnson for a 38-yard major to pump up the Mosaic Stadium crowd.

After Montreal extended the lead to 21-10, right before the end of the first half, the Alouettes would balloon their lead to 18 with Tyson Philpot’s second touchdown of the night, this time from 16 yards out. It was a 28-10 Alouettes lead at halftime.

The majority of the third quarter would pass without much aplomb, but near the end of the stanza on third and short, Trevor Harris would hit Tommy Nield on a nice corner route for a 27-yard gain and a first down. That would lead to a Tommy Stevens one-yard touchdown run to cut the Alouettes lead to 31-17.

That momentum was quashed when the Tyson Philpot show continued. A 77-yard catch and run down the right sideline, with a horse collar penalty tacked on, set Montreal up at the Riders one-yard line. Shea Patterson would do the rest to restore the Alouettes lead to 17 with 13 minutes to go in the game.

The Riders though would refuse to go meekly into the night, putting together a quick drive culminating in a one-yard touchdown sneak by AJ Ouellette.

Yet, as was the case for most of the night, the Saskatchewan defence could not stop the Alouettes offensive attack. A Tyler Snead catch for Montreal would result in a fumble, but it would be recovered in the endzone for a touchdown by Donald Ventrelli.

When it rains it pours, and on a night where there was a steady downpour, the Riders’ defence was a sieve, giving up over 40 points in a 48 to 31 loss.

Saskatchewan now heads on a bye week before facing the Edmonton Elks on Sept. 27.