Sask. Roughriders' playoff hope dashed in 29-26 loss to Argos
CBC
For the second straight season, a seven-game losing streak has eliminated the Saskatchewan Roughriders from the CFL playoff picture.
The Riders had their playoff hopes dashed Saturday with a 29-26 loss to the Toronto Argonauts. The 6-12-0 Riders needed a victory to keep pace with the Calgary Stampeders for the third and final playoff spot in the West Division. Although the Riders and the 6-11-0 Stampeders are tied for third place, Calgary gets the playoff berth because it won the season series 2-1.
The Riders led at the end of each of the first three quarters (10-7, 17-16 and 23-19) on Saturday but were outscored 10-3 in the fourth quarter by the Argos. The game, and the season, was a case of deja vu for Riders head coach Craig Dickenson.
"It just felt like we were that close the whole season and then just couldn't, for some reason, get over the hump," said Dickenson.
"And today I thought was similar to a lot of games where we played well for probably 50 minutes of it but had spurts here or there where we turned the ball over a couple of times and gave up a couple big plays and next thing you know, we're trailing.
"We just didn't do enough this year. Didn't coach well enough, didn't play well enough at times, and it just didn't turn out like we'd hoped."
With backup quarterback Cameron Dukes taking over for starter Chad Kelly in the third quarter, the Argos earned the victory on a five-yard touchdown run by Dan Adeboboye with 1:02 left in the fourth quarter.
The Riders had two possessions in the final minute but couldn't move into range for a potential game-winning field goal.
For Dolegala, Saturday's loss and the losing streak were painfully agonizing.
"I mean, it's brutal, to be honest. We ran it for a while there and it just felt like nothing would really go our way," said Dolegala. "It was a combination of a lot of things. Each game was different but, in some aspects, felt the same. It just was not good enough football."
Veteran linebacker Larry Dean, who posted back-to-back seasons of 100 or more tackles for the Riders, tried to express the disappointment of he and his teammates.
"We don't have a seat at the table. That's the end goal, just to have a chip in a chair but we don't have either so that's always disappointing, especially in back-to-back seasons," said Dean.
"We worked so hard, diligently, every day, true professionals showing up and just don't get the end result and that's always upsetting."
The Argos improved to 15-2-0 with the victory and now have an opportunity to leave a legacy by posting the best regular-season record in franchise history. The Argos posted 15-3-0 records in both 1996 and 1997. If they beat the Ottawa Redblacks in the regular season finale on Oct. 28, the Argos will finish with a 16-2-0 record.
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