It was cold.
That's the first thing I'll remember about the Roughriders' 29-25 win over the B.C. Lions on Saturday.
Why, you might ask?
Well, being frozen to Section 17, Row 5, Seat 4 for most of the game probably has something to do with it.
I went to the game with my girlfriend and two other friends. We picked up tickets at the last minute and made the trip to Regina for a game that was played in bone-chilling temperatures. (As an aside, I don't understand why we were able to buy tickets less than 24 hours before the game. Huge swathes of Mosaic Stadium were empty and the game was far from sold out. Pretty disappointing to see.)
The first quarter, before the cold really set in, was as exciting as could be. Even though the temperature eventually dipped below -20, both teams were able to move the ball with ease and there were surprisingly no turnovers in the game.
The second quarter was an exercise in determination, as I began to lose some feeling in my legs. I joked to a friend that a warm feeling in your arms and legs is a sign of freezing to death. She looked at me with a mixture of fear and horror.
"Are you serious?" she asked. "My legs are warm!"
It was really cold.
Thankfully, we were rewarded with a great game. As you probably know by now, the Riders overcame a nine-point deficit in the fourth quarter, largely thanks to the legs of quarterback Darian Durant. After being limited on the ground through the first three quarters, Durant broke free for a 35-yard run on the second play of the last quarter. Two plays later, Durant found Weston Dressler in the endzone for a 10-yard touchdown, bringing the Riders within two points.
A Chris Milo field goal with just under five minutes remaining gave the Riders the lead for good, but from the stands the game still seemed far from over. The Lions had a chance, and quarterback Travis Lulay had been finding open receivers all afternoon. A quick two-and-out gave the Riders the ball back with just over three minutes to go and once again it was Durant who made the biggest plays.
Facing second-and-10 with two-and-a-half minutes to go, Durant ran up the middle for 28 yards and a critical first down. Three plays later Durant ran for another first down that set up a Milo field goal that gave the Riders the 29-25 lead they would eventually win with.
It was a superlative performance at just the right time for Durant, the kind of performance that quickly erases any memories of bad performances in the past.
Next week, the Riders play in Calgary for the right to come back to Mosaic Stadium for the Grey Cup on Nov. 24. To win that game they'll need another strong game from Durant and a slightly better performance from running back Kory Sheets, who rushed for 68 yards on 17 carries against B.C.
Let's hope the Riders make it back to play in front of their home fans again. Let's also hope that all of the fans actually show up and, perhaps most importantly, let's hope it's a little warmer. We don't want visitors thinking they're freezing to death.
