It may have taken longer than expected on Sunday, but eventually the Saskatchewan Roughriders did what they were expected to do and beat the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 48-25 in a game that at one point was a lot closer than the scoreline indicates.
After one half of football it was Winnipeg that somehow found themselves in the drivers seat, thanks largely in part of the Riders newfound penchant for starting off games slowly. A sputtering offence and a leaky secondary resulted in the Blue Bombers getting their way just enough to leave the first half with an 18-14 lead, a result that nobody saw coming.
In the second half the Blue Bombers kept giving the full effort that they brought out to start the game, but it didn't matter as the Riders stepped on the gas and showed their rivals there would be no upsets. Kory Sheets opened up the scoring with a touchdown run (his second of the game) to get the ball rolling and give the Riders a lead they wouldn't relinquish for the rest of the second half. A Goltz 46 yard scramble would be the Bombers only success in putting points on the board as the second half turned out to be all Riders, all the time.
In the fourth quarter Taj Smith wrapped up the game, catching touchdowns on two very similar red zone slant routes. Taj had seven catches for 89 yards and two touchdowns on the day with those two touchdowns sealing the Labour Day win, but he still wasn't biggest story in the Riders receiving group.
The game's most pleasant surprise was the return of Geroy Simon as a gamebreaking receiver. The CFL's most prolific receiver caught two touchdowns on Sunday, stepping his game up for the Labour Day Classic with a performance that won't be forgotten. Simon hauled in two touchdowns to put the cherry on top, inching closer to Ben Cahoon's all-time reception record. For now "Geroooooy" is sitting 11 back of the all-time record, a number that the man who has caught at least one reception in 179 consecutive games should break by the end of the season.
Darian Durant, was a strong 24-35 for 310 yards, and four td's. He also had three carries for 34 yards, showing how big the Labour Day Classic game means to him by testing out his ankle that has been bothering him by scrambling out of the pocket. Expect Durant to bring his best again for the Banjo Bowl.
Next up for the Riders is the rematch, the first Banjo Bowl at Winnipeg's new stadium before the Riders play host to the Argos and Lions. Despite being 8-1 the Riders still have the Stamps and Lions hot on their tails for first place in the West and home field advantage in the West Final, if they want to make the first half of their season count for something they will have to keep winning as the dominating West just keeps on rolling each week. It starts all over again in Winnipeg on Sunday where you can expect the Riders to make it 9-1 as they get closer to the 2013 Grey Cup
