Riders beat Bombers by 15 in Labour Day Classic

Two interceptions by Tad Kornegay, plus touchdowns from Weston Dressler, Wes Cates and Steven Jyles, powered the Saskatchewan Roughriders to a 29-14 win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers Sunday in the Labour Day Clasic game in front of 30,945 at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, Saskatchewan.

Winnipeg scored on the opening kickoff, as Jason Armstead caught the kickoff from Alexis Serna ten yards deep in the end zone, giving the Bombers a single and a 1-0 lead. Saskatchewan came right back on their opening possession to take the lead. Darian Durant led the team on a 9 play, 75-yard drive, with short yardage quarterback Steven Jyles taking it in from one yard out. Luca Congi converted, put the Riders up 7-1 5:08 into the game. Winnipeg cut it to 7-4, as Serna punched through a field goal from 48 yards out with 6:22 left in the opening quarter. Saskatchewan moved quickly downfield on their next possession, with Wes Cates scoring on a 3-yard run up the middle. Congi converted with 1:58 left in the first, putting the Riders up 14-4.

Saskatchewan got their next chance to score, after Tad Kornegay recovered a fumble at the Winnipeg 35. Congi kicked a 21-yard field goal with 11:12 to go in the first half, giving the Riders a 17-4 lead. It was 18-4, after Jamie Boreham booted a 53 yard punt single with 6:52 left in the half. As time wound down, the Bombers stopped a Saskatchewan drive with an interception and moved quickly the other way, reaching the 1 yard line with 1 second remaining, but were denied points as the Riders' Luke Mollinder stopped Fred Reid for a 2-yard loss on the final play of the first half.

Winnipeg's Serna kicked at 17-yard field goal to open second-half scoring, cutting his team's deficit to 18-7, just 3:20 into the third quarter. Moments later, Saskatchewan caught a pair of breaks when an apparent interception was overturned on review, then they recovered a fumble on a punt return near midfield, but the season-long 3rd quarter woes continued and the Riders were unable to capitalize and increase their lead. After getting the ball back at their own 16 on a Boreham punt, former Saskatchewan quarterback Michael Bishop moved his team 94 yards in 5 plays, with Adarius Bowman catching an 18-yard touchdown pass. Serna's convert made it 18-14 Riders, with 6:02 to go in the third. Kornegay breathed some life into the Mosaic Stadium crowd, intercepting Bishop and returning the pick to the Bomber 14. Two plays later, Durant found Weston Dressler with a 13-yard scoring strike. Congi converted as time expired, giving Saskatchewan a 25-14 lead heading into the final quarter.

A Congi 29-yard field goal with 7:22 left and a Boreham 88-yard single on the ensuing kickoff were the only points of the final quarter, giving the Riders a 29-15 win and a 27-16 record all-time in CFL Labour Day Classics.

Darian Durant was 23-of-37 passing for 246 yards and one touchdown for Saskatchewan, with one interception. Weston Dressler caught a touchdown pass, Wes Cates and Steven Jyles rushed for touchdowns, Luca Congi kicked 2 field goals and 3 converts and Jamie Boreham added two singles, one on a punt and one on a kickoff. Tad Kornegay had 5 tackles and 2 interceptions, while John Chick had 4 tackles and 2 sacks. For the Blue Bombers, Michael Bishop was 20-of-33 passing for 329 yards and a touchdown, plus 3 interceptions. Fred Reid, who rushed for 260 yards in his last game was held in check, carrying the ball 12 times for just 41 yards. Yvenson Bernard, who exceeded 100 yards in the last game was Mister Invisible, with no rushes and just one reception for 13 yards. Adarius Bowman caught a touchdown pass, while Alexis Serna kicked 2 field goals, a convert and a kickoff single. The Riders had 344 yards total offense to Winnipeg's 353. Saskatchewan benefitted from a case of sticky fingers, forcing 6 turnovers, while giving up the ball just once. Each team allowed two sacks.

With the win, the Riders improve to 5-4 for 10 points, tying Edmonton for first in the CFL West, pending the outcome of the Eskies' game at Calgary Monday night. The Bombers slip to 3-6 for 6 ponts, 8 points behind Montreal in the CFL East.

The scene shifts to Winnipeg next Sunday for the annual Banjo Bowl, with kickoff set for 4:00pm EDT. The live broadcast on CKRM Radio begins at 3:00pm EDT.

Riders in action today

The Saskatchewan Roughriders are back in action today after having last weekend off, as they host the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Labour Day Classic at Mosaic Stadium in Regina.

In their last action back on August 21st, the Riders lost at Montreal 34-25. The Bombers also had last weekend off, following their impressive 37-10 win in Vancouver over the BC Lions on August 21st. Saskatchewan enters today's game at 4-4 for 8 points, 2 points behind Edmonton in the race for first in the CFL West. Winnipeg is 3-5 for 6 points, 8 points behind Montral in the CFL East.

Kickoff on the Taylor Field at Mosaic Stadium turf is set for 4:00pm EDT. Rod Pedersen and Carm Carteri have the call on 620 CKRM, with the link to listen on the right side of this blog.

After today's game, the teams meet again next Sunday in Winnipeg, also set for a 4:00pm EDT start.

Beavers beat Portland State to open '09 season

A solid, workman-like effort led the Oregon State Beavers past the determined Portland State Vikings 34-7 today in the opening game of the 2009 college football season for both teams.

After allowing the Vikings to move into Oregon State territory to start the game, the Beaver defense stiffened and forced a punt. After taking over on their own 13 to start their first possession, OSU went the distance on their first play from scrimmage. Sean Canfield threw deep to a streaking James Rodgers for an 87-yard touchdown. Justin Kahut kicked the extra point and the Beavers took a 7-0 lead 5:22 into the 1st quarter. They expanded the lead to 14-0 on a 5-yard run by Jaquizz Rodgers and a Kahut kick with 5:53 left in the first.

Oregon State built the lead with 10 points in the second quarter. Kahut booted a career-best 50-yard field goal 1:49 into the quarter, then Jaquizz Rodgers punched it in from one yard out, with Kahut converting 2:32 away from halftime.

The Beavers, who won the toss and deferred to the second half, wasted little time expanding the lead some more. After running the kick into Portland State territory, Jaquizz Rodgers went up the middle for 43-yards and a touchdown just 9 seconds into the second half. Kahut kicked the PAT and the OSU lead was 31-0. Kahut's 24-yard field goal with 1:24 left in the third, gave the Beavers a 34-0 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

The Vikings had an excellent chance to get on the scoreboard early in the final period, but failed on four-straight plays from the Oregon State 2-yard line. Later in the quarter though, Portland State finally broke the shut out. Connor Kavanaugh, who like his brother, the Beavers' Tyler Kavanaugh, is his team's place kick holder, came in at quarterback and led Portland State on a solid drive from near midfield, and finally scored from one yard out with 2:51 remaining. Robert Truax booted the PAT and that was all the scoring for the day, as Oregon State ran out the clock for the win.

For the Beavers, Sean Canfield was 8-of-11 passing for 158 yards and a touchdown, while backup Ryan Katz was 7-of-12 for 125 yards. Jaquizz Rodgers rushed 16 times for 103 yards and 3 touchdowns, and James Rodgers caught 2 passes for 95 yards, one of those the 87-yard catch-and-run touchdown on OSU's first play from scrimmage. For Portland State, Drew Hubel was 20-of-37 passing for 250 yards, while Connor Kavanaugh was 2-of-4 for 22 yards, and added 35 yards rushing and a touchdown on 5 carries. Ray Fry had a fine day receiving, with 10 catches for 146 yards.

The Beavers had 433 yards total offense(7.3 yards per play) to the Vikings' 349(5.3 yards per play). Each team had 18 first downs and showed solid proficiency on 3rd down, with OSU going 8-of-14 and PSU 6-of-15. The Vikings' one lost fumble was the only turnover of the day.

The Beavers, 1-0 on the season, travel to Las Vegas next week, for a matchup with the UNLV Rebels. Kickoff is set for 11:00pm EDT. The live audio stream can be heard on http://www.kpam.com/. The game can also be seen nationally on CSTV. UNLV opened their season with a late-night home game this week against Sacramento State. Portland State opens their home season next Saturday at Portland's PGE Park with a 4:05pm EDT game against Southern Oregon. The Vikings game can be heard at http://www.kpdq-am.com/.

Beavers open season today against Portland State

The Oregon State Beavers open their 2009 college football season today, as they host the Portland State Vikings at Reser Stadium in Corvallis, Oregon.

The Beavers are ranked #25 to start this season(after finishing last year at #18), while Portland State(4-7 last season) still tries to find their way under the leadership of Jerry Glanville. The Beavers and Vikings have met just twice on the football field, with the Beavers taking a 51-14 win in Portland back in 1983, then winning 41-14 in Corvallis in 2005. The Beavers, heading into today's action, also have a 25-game non-conference home game winning streak.

The Beavers will once again feature the one-two punch of the Rodgers brothers, Jaquizz and James, while Sean Canfield is expected to get most of the snaps at quarterback. The most notable conncetion between the two Oregon schools lies in the Kavanaugh family. Senior Taylor Kavanaugh is a punt returner/holder/reserve receiver for the Beavers, while his brother Connor, a sophomore, is a backup quarterback for the Vikings. They are both #1 place kick holders for their teams as well. Vikings sophomore defensive end Carl Sommer, junior kicker Jake Webber and sophomore quarterback Justin Engstrom all started their collegiate careers with the Beavers.

Kickoff is set for 11:30am PDT(thanks to TV of course), belived to be the earliest start time for a Beaver football game at Reser Stadium, which opened in 1953. Mike Parker calls the action on the Beaver Sports Network, with the radio broadcast's internet stream available here at http://www.kpam.com. The game can also be seen on Fox College Sports Pacific(Channel 802 at my house).

Oregon suspends Blount for remainder of season

From Fox Sports:

http://msn.foxsports.com/cfb/story/10024268/Ducks-RB-Blount-suspended-for-rest-of-season

Here's what I don't understand:

Blount keeps his scholorship. Why?

Hout, the Boise State player who started the whole post-game fiasco, won't be suspended but rather, will spend time this week with his coach, who'll try to show him how his actions were wrong. Again, why? They aren't even sending this kid to bed without dessert. What is that teaching him? He started what could have been the worst riot in the history of sports, and he barely even gets his wrist slapped? Great. Just great.

Apparently these two schools just don't get it.

Oregon Ducks embarrass themselves in opening loss

The nationally-ranked Oregon Ducks suffered one of their most humiliating losses in years lasy night, losing to the Boise State Broncos 19-8.

Here's the story from the Portland Tribune's Jason Vondersmith:

http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=125205549091208200

Here's Jason's story about LeGarrette Blount, the central figure in last night's near-riot after the game:

http://www.portlandtribune.com/sports/story.php?story_id=125205570572416900

From what I've read and heard(I did not watch the game), it sounds like Oregon was totally unprepared for this game and, if Boise State hadn't shown several flashes of ineptitude on offense themselves, it could have been much worse than 19-8.

At last report, Blount was still with the team, but that the situation was "being reviewed." Yeah, right. That sounds like school-speak for "How do we get out of this without looking totally stupid?"

I'm all for giving someone a second chance, unless the situation is so extreme that a second chance is forfeited. However, Blount has apparently already used his second, third and perhaps even his fourth chance, on past misdeeds. Of course, the final decision rests with the University, it's athletic director(Former Head Coach Mike Belotti) and Head Coach Chip Kelly(Belotti's successor). But, it's hard to imagine how they could ever come out of this looking anything other than stupid, if Blount EVER plays another down for Oregon. If anyone thinks a thug mentatlity doesn't exist in sports today, all they have to do is look at video of last night's post-game meeting of the (alleged) minds.

In my estimation:

Blount is done forever.

The Boise State player who slapped him on the shoulder pads gets one game off to think about how stupid HE was.

The video replay crew at the stadium in Boise gets a VERY STERN warning to save replays of what happened(in a situation like that) until after players leave the field, or the stadium operators need to find another crew to take those jobs.

Crowd management needs to insure players and fans get NOWHERE near each other at any time. (While stadium security and local police did a marvelous job of difusing the situation and keeping it from becoming a full-scale riot, the fans getting that close to Blount---and vice-versa---should have NEVER been an issue. It should have never happened. Period. Auburn Hills anyone?)

Last night in Boise was simply put, a total embarrassment in several different ways, that must not be repeated.