The Saskatchewan Roughriders wrapped up their pre-season schedule on June 20 with a 24-23 loss to the Calgary Stampeders in front of 32,003 fans in Regina.
After scoring 16 unanswered points in the third quarter, the Roughriders held a 23-14 lead heading into the final frame. Calgary cut that lead to two with a touchdown just 41 seconds into the fourth quarter and Saskatchewan botched two chances to respond: a missed 48-yard field goal and a bobbled snap on another attempt from 36 yards out opened the door for Calgary's Rene Paredes to kick the game-winning field goal with less than three minutes left.
While the first-team players didn't take their usual number of snaps, there were some impressive performances on both sides of the ball. Running back Kory Sheets ran wild with 97 yards on only 10 carries, including a 50-yard scamper and touchdown rushes of one and 12 yards.
Quarterback Darian Durant had a solid if unspectacular day, completing 14 of 23 passes for 112 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Backup quarterback Drew Willy also saw some action, completing two of his five pass attempts for 24 yards.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Roughriders recorded no interceptions and only one sack, courtesy of Woodny Turenne.
After finishing their pre-season schedule with a record of 1-1, Saskatchewan will open the regular season by traveling to Edmonton to take on the Eskimos on June 29. The team's first home game will be on July 5 against the Stampeders.
