RIDERS ADVANCE TO WEST FINAL

The Saskatchewan Roughriders may have saved their best for...almost...last.

The Riders had, perhaps, their most complete effort of the season tonight as they defeated the BC Lions 41-38 in double overtime, earning the right to play in Calgary against the Stampeders next Sunday in the CFL West Division Final.  It's the sixth time in eight years the Riders have been to the West Final.

First of all, if Ken Miller coaches this team to a second Grey Cup appearance in as many years, I will eat crow on the coaching staff.  If these guys go to the Grey Cup, I say give Miller a lifetime contract.  Who cares if Kent Austin coaches Edmonton.  He can't hold a candle to Miller if the old guy can squeeze another victory out of his troops.

While I have always lobbied for more of Hugh Charles in the Saskatchewan offense, I was never one to say Wes Cates should call it a career.  Cates is a tremendous blocker and that can't be underscored with an offensive line that has failed, at times, to protect Darian Durant.  Cates is also a safety valve for Durant when his primary option isn't there in the passing game.  Today, Cates really came through with a big time effort and I hope his detractors took notice.

Weston Dressler is a heckuva  guy and he personifies character. Football players that stand 5'7" should not be able to lower a shoulder and knock over defenders the way he does.  Kids:  when you grow up, you should want to be like Weston Dressler.

There are some that will say Darian Durant had a bad game.  I'm not one of them.   Look at the final numbers:  310 yards passing, 3 touchdowns, 0 interceptions.  I think if the game had ended at halftime, you could accurately make that assessment.  However, Durant was a house on fire for most of the second half and without his huge 75 yard touchdown pass to Dressler in the second half or the laser he chucked to Jason Clermont at the end of the game, the Riders don't win.  You can't grade a quarterback on one bad half, especially when he's been as good as he's been over the last two years.

The defense played better than any other time in the last two and a half months.

The special teams did nothing well, but they didn't do anything really bad either.

Full marks to Travis Lulay, the BC quarterback, who looks like he has a real bright future in this league.