The Saskatchewan Roughriders have no one to blame but themselves for Friday night's loss to the Montreal Alouettes. Montreal scored a late touchdown on a Davis Alexander run and held on for a 27-24 win at Mosaic Stadium.
The theme of the night for the green and white was missed opportunities in all three phases. Riders kicker Brett Lauther had one of his worst games in a Rider uniform, going 3 for 7 in the field goal department, including a 48-yard miss with no time on the clock to tie the game. Not only did the kicking game cost the Riders points, but one of the missed field goals was returned by James Letcher Jr. 128 yards for a Montreal touchdown.
The Riders had great field position in the first half but couldn't convert in the red zone and score touchdowns and found themselves down 10-7.
Coach Corey Mace said, 'We deserve what we get' in his post-game comments on 620 CKRM when asked if the Riders should have won. He said it was a tough night for kicker Brett Lauther but added that he needed to regain his confidence and make kicks, especially at home.
Rider radio colour analyst Luc Mullinder said that the Riders need to bring some competition, which will make Lauther better because the competition will make him better immediately.
Friday night's game marked the return of quarterback Trevor Harris, who was starting his first game since his June 23 leg injury. Harris finished the game going 31 for 39 for 355 yards and two touchdowns. The stingy Montreal defense had only given up a league-low seven touchdowns. Harris's favourite targets on the night were Rider rookie receivers Dhonte Meyers, who had eight catches for 101 yards, and KeeSean Johnson, who had five catches for 90 yards and one touchdown.
The Riders only have a few days to regroup and prepare for their game in Toronto on Thursday. Our gameday coverage starts with Countdown To Kickoff at 2:30 pm.
