1st and Goal

This past Saturday brought an end to CFL football for 2011 in the house that Ronnie and George built, Mosaic Stadium. The Riders played spoiler and came away with a 19-3 victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the final home game for Green and White.



Defense Wins Games! That's been said by many a coach and it is a philosophy every defensive player lives by. In gale force winds the Rider "D" came up with their best performance of the 2011 campaign. The mixture of cagy veterans and rookies implemented the bend but don't break strategy that included 3 sacks and 4 interceptions, 2 of which were highlight real pics in the end zone keeping the Tabby's from scoring. It was that combination of pressure on the quarterbacks as well as good downfield coverage that held the Black and Gold to only 3 points.



Time to Shine! As Rider Nation looks ahead to 2012 it was good to see a spark from some players getting their opportunity to play in "Garbage Time". Ryan Dinwiddie played a solid game with good ball control and possibly redeemed himself following his previous 2 outings. Brandon West showed us some of those ankle breaking moves we grew accustomed to when watching a young Kenton Keith. A strong performance from Michigan Wolverine product Chris Graham at middle linebacker gave a possible glimpse into the future. Several others got their opportunity and played well giving the Green and White their 5^th win of the season.



Next up in the final game of the regular seasonthe Riders face the squad from the "Evil Empire" the Edmonton Eskimos. The Green and White will be looking to impact the West playoff standings and evaluate more of their young talent.



Be Loud and Proud!

Odog



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