REGINA — With the Saskatchewan Roughriders eliminated from the CFL playoff contention on Saturday, Craig Dickenson is hoping to return for his fourth season as head coach.
Dickenson and general manager Jeremy O’Day have come under fire over the past two months as the Riders have struggled tremendously since the season started 4-1. A 32-21 loss Saturday to the Calgary Stampeders dropped the Riders to 6-11 after going 2-10 in their last 12 games.
The Stampeders, who are 11-6 and heading to the playoffs, handed the Riders their sixth straight loss at home.
Dickenson was asked after the game if he had received assurances that he and O’Day would maintain their positions for the 2023 season.
“No, but we’re going to keep working the way we do,” said Dickenson, who is 28-21 as Saskatchewan’s head coach.
When asked if he wanted to return, he quickly replied in the affirmative.
“Absolutely. Absolutely. I love being here. And I feel like we still have a lot of work to do here,” Dickenson said.
Heading into the weekend, Saskatchewan had a slim chance of qualifying for the playoffs. The Riders were tied with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats for third and final playoff spot in the East Division. Any combination of Tiger-Cats wins and Riders losses totaling two in the final two weeks of the season would eliminate Saskatchewan.
Hamilton defeated the Ottawa Redblacks 30-27 on Friday and Saturday’s loss to the Stampeders sealed the Riders’ fate. While it is possible for the Ticats and Riders to end the season with identical records, the crossover team must have a better record than the third-place team in the other division and the best the Riders can do now is to tie the Ticats record.
The Riders expected a lot from their fans to reach the Gray Cup which will be played in Regina on November 20th. The last time the Riders missed the playoffs was in 2016.
Calgary controlled the game with an impressive rushing offense, totaling 212 yards on 37 carries. Dedrick Mills led the way with 103 yards on 17 carries while Ka’Deem Carey added 75 yards on 11 carries.
The Riders have faced a number of issues throughout the season – injuries, discipline issues and a COVID outbreak, to name a few. The most difficult problem, however, was the ineffectiveness of the offensive and defensive lines.
Calgary’s success on the court underscored that point, as did their five sacks. The Riders have now allowed 71 sacks this season.
“I think the reason we’re struggling this year is up front on both sides. Jeremy (O’Day) and I tried to fix that. … Often the accolades in football go to guys who run into their 40s and jump high, but ultimately games are won and lost in the trenches. Tonight, I think Calgary outplayed us on both sides of the ball, and that’s why they won the game,” Dickenson said.
In an attempt to boost his team, Dickenson replaced veteran quarterback Cody Fajardo in favor of second-year Mason Fine, who made his first CFL start on Saturday.
Fine, who completed 18 of 28 passes for 196 yards with a touchdown, said the 6-11 record was hurt by the issues the team has faced this season.
“My high school coach had a saying, ‘If football was fair, the ball would be round because they would know where it was bouncing, but in football it bounces different ways.’ It just didn’t go our way this season,” Fine said.
Wide receiver Shaq Evans agreed the Riders couldn’t come up with big plays at the right time.
Both teams struggled offensively in the first half, scoring six field goals, four from Calgary’s Rene Parades and two from Saskatchewan’s Brett Lauther.
The third quarter was a different story, with Evans entering the end zone before Carey and Mills each scored on two-yard runs for Calgary.
Richie Sindani, a Regina product, caught a 14-yard touchdown pass from Jake Maier in the fourth quarter to put the game away.
Mario Alford thrilled the crowd in the final minute with a 104-yard punt return for a touchdown. He is the first player in Riders history to score touchdowns in the same season on a kickoff return, a punt return and a missed field goal return.
Shawn Lemon, Folarin Orimolade, Fraser Sopik, Cameron Judge and TJ Rayan had bags for the Stampeders. Lemon has 14 sacks this season, tying his career best in 2016 with the Toronto Argonauts.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on October 22, 2022.
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