Riders Shouldn’t be Afraid to ‘Win Ugly’

The season has been one of change for the Saskatchewan Roughriders.  As we roll towards the autumn, it looks as though times are taking a turn for the better. A 14-9 win 2 weeks ago over the Edmonton Eskimos and last weekend’s 35-14 win over the BC Lions secured a home playoff game for the first time since 2010.

The season started in spectacular fashion - mainly for Darian Durant and Kory Sheets - as they went 8-1 through their first nine games, setting a record for the best start in franchise history.

From that point, results took a turn for the worse with four straight defeats dropping the Roughriders from a lofty 8-1 down to a more mundane 8-5, before events started to pick up again with back-to-back victories taking them to 10-5.

The one point that must be worrying Roughriders fans, particularly from that forgettable game against the Eskimos, is the fact that they failed to register a single offensive play over 30 yards, and it was the defence that once again came to the rescue. But winning ugly could be the way forward. At this stage of the season, it’s all about winning games and not providing pretty entertainment.

The Roughriders just need to win; they might even be able to attain 12 or 13 wins for the season; fans of US sports betting can be assured that tailback, Kory Sheets, is going to have a huge part to play in gaining those potential victories. 

As well as his role in gaining victories for the Roughriders, Sheets has a personal battle of his own to fight out with Calgary running back, Jon Cornish. Cornish is 134 yards ahead of Sheets for the league’s rushing crown with two games to go. However, it seems clear that Sheets would trade in that battle for two wins and a chance at first place.

From the quotes coming out of the live football commentary, Sheets clearly believes he is a better back than his challenger for the rushing title so, for the sake of the team, let’s hope he lives us to his talk in the next few games.

The Roughriders clearly mean business this year. They made a big move last week when beating the CFL trade deadline to acquire Winnipeg defensive end, Alex Hall, to add to their defensive strength, and Hall certainly played his part in that win against Edmonton.

It looks like Saskatchewan are determined not to let this season slip away and are re-gathering their momentum at the right time; it won’t matter now if they end up ‘winning ugly’.