A slippery slope in the standings in August has snowballed into September for the Saskatchewan Roughriders (5-6-1) following a 35-33 loss in the Labour Day Classic to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (6-6) on Sunday.
The Roughriders are now in winless in their last six games (0-5-1) and have fallen to third place in the Canadian Football League’s (CFL) Western Division, with the BC Lions (6-6) bouncing back with a 38-12 win in their Touchdown Pacific matchup against the Ottawa Redblacks (7-3-1) in Victoria.
Saskatchewan fell within yards of a last second victory with kicker Brett Lauther coming up short on a 60-yard field goal on the final play of the game.
Momentum swung in the Blue Bomber’s favour when Nick Hallett recovered a fumble on a punt that deflected off the fingers of Roughriders returner Mario Alford in the endzone.
Winnipeg would score 22 points in the second quarter to grab a 29-14 halftime lead.
Quarterback Zach Callaros was forced out of the game with a head injury late in the first half after absorbing a high hit from Roughriders defensive tackle Miles Brown. In the second half, Saskatchewan attempted to make a comeback, Keesean Johnson hauled in an eight-yard touchdown, Lauther added a pair of field goals.
Trevor Harris plunged in for a one-yard touchdown to bring the Roughriders within two points, but a failed two-point conversion, found Saskatchewan trailing in the final moments.
An onside recovery for the green and white followed by a pass interference call on the blue and gold set up the final play dramatics, with the Blue Bombers walking away with the crucial two points.
Harris was 30 for 49 with 368 passing yards with three touchdowns.
Wide receiver Dohnte Meyes had five receptions for 86 yards and a touchdown, Johnson had eight receptions with 84 yards and a touchdown.
Defensive back Rolan Milligan had six tackles.
On the other side, before leaving the game, Collaros was 12 for 18 with 218 yards, a touchdown with an interception. Streveler was 4 for 6 with 46 passing yards with two rushing touchdowns.
Saturday, the green and white head to Winnipeg for one final matchup, the two teams have split the first two games of the season series. The Roughriders second bye week of the 2024 season will follow this week’s game against the Blue Bombers.
The Lions and Blue Bombers lead the West with 12 points, while the Roughriders have 11 points. Following Monday’s Labour Day classic, the Edmonton Elks and Calgary Stampeders are tied for fourth with eight points.