DORIAN GEIGER
Sports Editor

The Saskatchewan Roughriders’ unforseeable demise to the Winnipeg Bluebombers on Sept. 12 has left Rider Nation scratching their heads in complete bewilderment.

The Bombers’ 31-2 decisive dismantling of the Riders in the annual Banjo Bowl did seem a little strange — especially following the previous contest between the two teams the week prior at the Labour Day Classic, which saw the Green and White clinch a 27-24 victory.

The Riders’ loss appears more peculiar knowing the Riders’ and Bombers’ respective records heading into the game. Hiding in the basement of the CFL’s East Division was Winnipeg boasting a lowly 2-7 record, a dismal statistic compared to the Riders’ 6-3 record.

No matter what the Riders’ had up their sleeves against the Bluebombers, it wasn’t nearly enough to foil the feisty Winnipeg team.

The loss to Winnipeg will certainly leave head coach Ken Miller and quarterback Darian Durant pondering at length what went wrong heading into the Riders upcoming contest against Calgary Stampeders on Sept. 17 at Mosaic Stadium.

Finding the end zone was a palpable and noticeably painful problem for the Riders not that the defence played spectacularly — but with all-star offensive line of Wes Cates, Andy Fantuz and Weston Dressler, a mere two points are unacceptable.

Too many times were the Riders caught up in a second down and long situation compliments of Cates’ underperformance on the afternoon. The Green and White’s passing game was not much better either — and the Bluebombers ate up anything Durant had to deliver downfield.

The nature of such a convincing win the Bombers demonstrated over a powerhouse team like the Riders hasn’t just raised eyebrows in Saskatchewan but has caught attention throughout the CFL. Most fingers are being pointed at Bombers’ quarterback Steven Jyles as the culprit responsible for the Riders’ downfall and Winnipeg’s explosively dominant performance.

Jyles stepped into the starting spot for Winnipeg following the sidelining of the injury-prone gunslinger Buck Pierce. Jyles flawlessly completed 19 passes on 23 attempts, a staggering statistic unachievable by a struggling Durant who threw 19 passes for only 35 completions.

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image: Eric Eggerston