The game

Well, I'm hooked!

After going to my very first Roughrider game I can say for sure... I'll be going to more.

That was wicked awesome! In part because it was the perfect night for a football game. Clear skies, warm temperatures, and barely a breeze. (I take my hat off to those fans who trek to the mighty Mosaic stadium in late November to brave sub-zero temperatures. That's just plain fanatic!)

Game highlights: 

A bat flying into the face of one of the Stampeders. Seriously!

One of the Riders colliding with one of the officials and missing what surely would have been a first down. The guy stripes really flew!

Another huge highlight was when the crowd went nuts after Rob Bagg caught his first ball in a game in well over a year. There were those who said last year at this time his CFL days were over after injuring his knee for the second time in just a few months. But he fought hard and trained hard and looks absolutely amazing out there. I predict he will do well this season.

I also loved seeing Getzlaf in fine form. Oh my gosh. If this guy doesn't crack a thousand yards this season, I'll be shocked. He's everywhere out there. Same with Dressler. Sometimes I think we forget to give the little guy his due. But he's a top shelf player. He gives everything he has on every down. He'll have another stellar year, too. Trust.

Same with Brent Hawkins. Almost every time a Calgary player got taken down, Brent was in the mix. And the dude is big.

James Patrick. Do I even need to say more? That guy is all over the place. Knocking down balls, threatening interceptions. He's a ball hawk. No question.

Absolutely, the best part of the game was the late touchdown with less than a minute to go in the game that put the Riders ahead by a point. The touchdown happened right in front of us. I'm not kidding. It was so close to us! I wish I could have taken a picture, but I was too busy standing and screaming.

Other observations: 

Kory Sheets is da man! Dude racked up 81 yards and one touchdown. 

Our backup quarterbacks rock. Both Drew Willy (number 5) and JT O'Sullivan (17) proved they belong on the roster. (Our other QB Levi Brown didn't play so I cannot comment on the quality of his play.) Willy was impressive right out of the gate finding his targets and making decisions eventually hitting 9 throws out of 11 attempts for 96 yards, including one TD toss. JT slowly improved the longer he was out there, finally hitting Bamba for that almost-but-not-quite-game-winning-TD in the dying seconds. He netted 70 yards with 5 completions out of 10 throws. Both moved the ball well and racked up the first downs. If something (heaven forbid) happens to DD I feel quite comfortable that the offense will hardly miss a step.

And speaking of Darian... I know many fans were calling for his head after the game. He seemed to take a few series to find his groove. He racked up 92 yards, plus 34 yards rushing - proving once again, he's a dangerous beast when he uses his feet. Before we panic, I say wait several games. A few things have to gel in our front line before we start freaking out and benching our quarterback.

So now come the cuts. Some of the guys played their way onto the roster on Friday night. Others didn't. Today is THE day we find out. Stay tuned. Once we nail down our roster, the real work starts.

Next game is Friday in Hamilton and it's for real this time. Pre-season is over. It's time to begin the quest for the cup. I'll be stuck in a vehicle driving to Manitoba, so I'll be listening on the radio.

Cheer long. Cheer loud! Go GREEN!