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It was another thrilling chapter in the historic Labour Day Classic rivalry.
Saskatchewan Roughriders kicker Brett Lauther nailed a 26-yard field goal on the game’s final play, and made a trip to Pil Country, to help his team win a defensive battle 19-17 over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Sunday in front of 33,350 fans at Mosaic Stadium.
“I knew he was going to make it,” Roughriders linebacker Derrick Moncrief said following the win. “He’s a clutch kicker, man. I’ve seen him do it in practice so it’s no biggie come game time.”
Lauther wasn’t available after the game to comment on the game-winning kick.
The Labour Day Classic always seems to feel more important than any other regular-season game and quarterback Cody Fajardo agreed it was a memorable experience.
“Would you expect anything different (from a Labour Day Classic)?” Fajardo said. “That was an incredible game. That’s a game I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”
The Roughriders started the final drive at their own five-yard line after Blue Bombers quarterback Chris Streveler rushed in for a one-yard touchdown to give his team the lead for the first time in the game with 3:44 left to go.
Roughriders head coach Craig Dickenson said he just wanted the offence to get out of the shadow of its own field goal post.
“Even if we had to punt, we felt like there was enough time to get it back,” Dickenson said. “We just kept moving (down the field) so we wanted to chew up as much clock as we could and end the game with the ball in our hands.”
Fajardo had to battle through a game that saw him throw two interceptions. Fajardo had gone four straight games without throwing an interception; he threw two against the B.C. Lions on July 20.
But he led the offence down the field when it mattered most, driving the team 87 yards to get in position for the game-winning field goal. Fajardo said the huddle was “dead silent” as it was making its final march.
“Everyone was just calm and I just said, ‘Hey, we have a great opportunity here to go down and win the game,’” Fajardo said. “As we started driving, we just felt a sense of calmness and it felt like we were at practice … To do that in a high-pressure situation like that, it just means we have a very special team.”
Fajardo finished the game with 25 completions on 39 pass attempts for 300 yards. He did throw a touchdown to Shaq Evans in the first quarter as well. Lauther connected on all three of his field-goal attempts and one convert. Punter Jon Ryan added a single point – the eighth time in 2019 he’s done so. The Roughriders also got two points after Blue Bombers punter Justin Medlock conceded a safety.
The offence called on one of its best offensive weapons – running back William Powell – on the final drive, after he rarely touched the ball for most of the game. Prior to the team’s final series, Powell had only rushed four times for 20 yards while catching four passes for 41 yards. When the team needed him most, Powell rushed four times for 39 yards to set up the final kick.
“In the back of your mind you’re happy that the team is going to lean on you but you still have to keep a straight face because you don’t want the defence to know you’re getting the ball,” Powell said. “The O-line did a great job today opening some gaps.”
Powell said the mood was ecstatic after the game-winning kick went through the uprights.
“The fans were going crazy, the whole team just went on a bee-line for the stands and it was a good celebration,” Powell said. “I was up (in the stands) for sure. You’ll always see me celebrating with my teammates.”
The Roughriders’ defence managed to hold the Blue Bombers’ offence to just six yards of total offence in the first quarter. Moncrief was flying around the field, recording a sack and an interception in the first quarter. He finished the game with six tackles.
But Streveler and the Blue Bombers’ offence found a groove, with Streveler connecting with Kenny Lawler for a touchdown. Medlock hit his only field-goal attempt of the game and two converts. Streveler finished the game with 161 passing yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. He also ran for 65 yards and a touchdown.
“(Streveler’s) a tough guy. I’ve got to commend him for four quarters of football, he played to the very end,” Moncrief said. “(The Blue Bombers) are going to be ready next week, we just have to bring our A-game too.”
The Green and White (7-3) now have a six-game winning streak and will meet the Blue Bombers (8-3) in the Banjo Bowl on Saturday in Winnipeg. Dickenson believes his team will need to put in a better performance to stretch the win streak to seven.
“It’ll be a good rematch,” Dickenson said. “It’ll be a lot harder to win a game over there. If we play like we did tonight, we won’t win.”
The Blue Bombers and Roughriders have met in back-to-back weeks following Labour Day in each of the last 15 years. Winnipeg holds a 8-7 record in the rematch, winning four of the last six.