The Saskatchewan Roughriders edged out the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 31-27 in a dramatic pre-season showdown Saturday night in Saskatoon, renewing a prairie rivalry years in the making in front of a near-capacity crowd at Griffiths Stadium.
The game marked the first CFL contest played in Saskatoon in 35 years — the Roughriders normally play in Regina — with veteran quarterback Trevor Harris under centre. But Harris only played the opening quarter as the coaching staff sought to evaluate rest of its quarterback room.
Get breaking National news
Jack Coan took over in the second quarter and played into the third before the Riders turned to Brayden Schager to close out the game.
At halftime, Saskatchewan trailed Winnipeg 17-14 after a tightly contested opening half that saw both offences move the ball effectively.
The second half turned into a back-and-forth battle, with the Riders and Blue Bombers trading the lead throughout the third and fourth quarters.
The decisive moment came with less than a minute remaining, when Saskatoon product Daniel Wiebe hauled in a touchdown pass to give Saskatchewan a 31-27 lead with just 45 seconds left on the clock.
The late score sealed the Riders’ victory and sent the hometown crowd into celebration.
With the Saskatoon showcase now complete, the Roughriders return to Regina to wrap up the final week of training camp before entering a three-week bye period ahead of the regular season.
Comments
Want to discuss? Please read our Commenting Policy first.