The Roughriders’ defense is key in beating the Blue Bombers 19-9

REGINA – When the Saskatchewan Roughriders called up Ajou Ajou against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Friday, the rookie wide receiver answered the call.

After an injury to Kian Schaffer-Baker, Ajou, a 6-foot-2, 211-pound receiver from Brooks, Alta., filled a spot with the Saskatchewan offense in the second half. He responded with four catches for 110 yards as the Riders outshot the Bombers 19-9 to improve to 5-1.

In four games this season, Ajou had six catches for 81 yards. On Friday, he contributed two big plays that helped Saskatchewan end Winnipeg’s two-game winning streak, dropping the Bombers to 2-5.

With the Riders holding a 13-9 lead in the third quarter, Ajou caught the attention of the 29,649 fans in attendance with a 34-yard catch and run. The impressive part was after Ajou caught a short pass in the flat from quarterback Shea Patterson, he turned the corner and broke the tackle of Winnipeg middle linebacker Adam Bighill.

After getting rid of Bighill, the three-time CFL Most Outstanding Player, Ajou scampered off the sideline to complete the big gain.

A rookie playing in his fifth CFL game might be expected to be intimidated when faced with a legendary quarterback like Bighill. Ajou had a simple explanation why it wasn’t.

“Because I am that man too. You have to know that when you step on the field. It’s all trust. I don’t want to come off as arrogant or ignorant or anything, but I’m a good one. Soccer player too so you better bring your A game because I’m going to bring mine, I say that humbly because he’s a great player,” Ajou said.

With the Riders holding a 16-9 lead, Ajou helped ice the game with his fourth catch, grabbing a short pass route and running 46 yards to the Winnipeg 32-yard line. The play set up Brett Lauther’s fourth field goal to put the Riders up 19-9.

The Riders defense earns a reputation for being loud by forcing turnovers. Friday was no exception and linebacker Jameer Thurman kept his best effort for a crucial moment late in the game. With the Bombers moving the ball and down just seven points, Thurman forced a fumble that sealed the victory for the Riders.

Bombers wide receiver Nik Demski caught a 20-yard pass at the Saskatchewan 25-yard line, but Thurman scooped it up and kicked the ball loose, with the home team taking control at the 29-yard line.

“I saw a chance to punch him. I was watching film and thought there might be an opportunity this week and it came my way. I know the magnitude of the game, but we as a defense talk about turnovers. It was going to be big for us to take over the game so we could win and I was fortunate enough to be in position to make the play,” Thurman said.

The Riders scored the only touchdown of the game midway through the third quarter when Patterson engineered a six-play, 83-yard drive. He went four-for-four passing for 62 yards on the drive, which ended with a 15-yard touchdown pass to quarterback Clint Ratkovich. It was the 26-year-old rookie’s first CFL touchdown and gave the Riders a 13-6 lead.

Ratkovich was able to sneak out from behind and ran uncovered into the end zone where he hauled in Patterson’s pass.

“In practice, (that play) comes up a lot. It was wide open and he couldn’t miss it,” said Patterson, who finished the game 17-of-25 for 261 yards and a touchdown.

After a 35-20 loss at the hands of the host BC Lions on July 13, the Riders emphasized the importance of getting back in the win column on Friday.

“We preach the bounce back or bounce back. I had a rough one last week. I’m happy with how we responded tonight,” head coach Corey Mace said.

Patterson said the effort said a lot about the Riders and what kind of team they are.

“This is our character. I remember saying right after the BC game that it’s going to be all about how we respond this week after a short week. Right off the plane, the very, very, very next morning, some guys got out and got to work. We put in the work to play the way we did tonight,” Patterson said.

There was a minor scramble late in the game after Bighill tackled Patterson, who was trying to run out the clock. The Riders took exception to the kick, which was right in front of their bench, and tackled Bighill. The bombers then also ran onto the field.

Both teams struggled to move the ball in the first half, with the only scoring coming from kicks. Castillo had success from 35 and 56 yards, while Lauther hit from 28 and 41 yards. Castillo came up short on a 61-yard field goal attempt late in the second quarter.

AJ Ouellette had a strong game for the Riders, carrying the ball 17 times for 88 yards.

Zach Collaros completed 20 of 31 passes for 266 yards and an interception. Running back Brady Oliveira, who was coming off back-to-back 100-yard games, was held to 49 yards on nine carries.

IT FOLLOWS

Blue Bombers: Visit the Toronto Argonauts (3-2) on Saturday, July 27.

Roughriders: Visit the Montreal Alouettes (5-1) on Thursday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on July 19, 2024.

Jeff DeDekker, Canadian Press