It is clear that if the Saskatchewan Roughriders are going to get back to the CFL playoffs in 2012 after a one year hiatus, it's up to Corey Chamblin to lead them there.
The first year head coach snapped his club out of the doldrums in a big way last week by guaranteeing Calgary running back Jon Cornish would not rush for 100 yards when the two teams met Sunday at Mosaic Stadium.
It was a brash, bold statement by the rookie sideline boss but it was much like his early-season bravado which guided the team to a 3-0 start. However he pulled his horns in around the start of August, and the club stumbled into a stretch where they lost six of their next eight games.
However last week's brazen guarantee caught everyone's attention across the CFL and may have even served to fire up both teams. To say the Stampeders were unimpressed by the comment would be an understatement.
But they were unable to do anything about it Sunday afternoon as Cornish was limited to 67 yards rushing in a 30-25 Roughrider victory. A ferocious Rider pass-rush served up five sacks and knocked starting Calgary quarterback Kevin Glenn out of the game.
Are the Riders a better team than Calgary? That's a tough call but they certainly were on this day. The win upped Saskatchewan's record to 6-6 but they still trail the second-place, Stampeders who fell to 7-5. These teams won't meet again until a potential playoff showdown as the Stamps won the season series 2-1.
Lost in the shuffle on Sunday was the return of quarterback Darian Durant who missed the team's Week 12 loss in Montreal with a hip injury. He was sensational against Calgary, tossing two touchdowns and wasn't responsible for any turnovers.
"I told the guys I wanted them to play tough and we got it," Chamblin said after the match. "It was a team effort but Darian Durant looked as good as he has in a long time and I was proud of him. He gave it up today. It was a great team effort in all three phases."
So now we're left guessing what Chamblin has up his sleeve in the way of motivational tactics as the team enters the 2012 stretch drive. The team has six games remaining and now of them will be easy. Again, it will be up to Chamblin to push the right buttons and it begins with a visit from the 9-3 BC Lions next Saturday night in Regina.
"Guarantees?" Chamblin quizzed after the game. "I guarantee we'll play a football game here next week against the BC Lions."
What happens between now and then will be very interesting.
(Rod Pedersen is the voice of the Riders on CKRM radio)
