Kerry Joseph's 27-yard touchdown dash with six seconds remaining propelled the Saskatchewan Roughriders to a dramatic 31-26 home win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Sunday.
With his team trailing by two in the dying moments, Joseph ran a draw play, tucking the ball in, squirting through the middle of the line and scampering virtually untouched to the end zone.
"We knew we needed a field goal, we were getting into field-goal range," Joseph said. "When we got down there, we just called the quarterback draw, tried to get some more yards and get a little closer and get down. But the way the defence showed up, they played man and opened up for me so I was able to get into the end zone."
The thrilling play capped a stellar day for the Riders quarterback, who also passed for a pair of touchdowns. Joseph racked up 348 yards through the air and another 74 on the ground in front of an appreciative sellout crowd of 28,800 at Mosaic Stadium.
With the victory, their fifth in a row, the Riders (7-2-0) leapfrogged the B.C. Lions for first place in the West Division.
Despite the defeat, Winnipeg (5-3-1) remains atop the East, one point ahead of the Montreal Alouettes.
Derick Armstrong had a big day in a losing effort for the Bombers, making 13 catches for 205 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
"It's just sad that we came up short and it hurts because we had the game won," said Armstrong, who will take on the Roughriders in a rematch in Winnipeg next week. "We'll go home and get momentum, and we'll be ready to play."
Quarterback Kevin Glenn was superb as well, throwing for 393 yards and two TDs.
Winnipeg tailback Charles Roberts, who finished with 83 yards on the ground, became the club's all-time rushing leader with a 13-yard scamper late in the second quarter, breaking the mark of 8,861 yards held by Leo Lewis.
The CFL's annual Labour Day Classic doubleheader is set for Monday, with Toronto visiting Hamilton in the early game (CBC, 1 p.m. ET) and Edmonton visiting Calgary in the late game (CBC, 4 p.m. ET).
Rookie, veterans lift White Sox into playoffs
Jim Thome homered, John Danks tossed eight shutout innings and Ken Griffey Jr. and A.J. Pierzynski stood out defensively in a 1-0 White Sox decision over Minnesota Tuesday night that gave Chicago the American League Central crown.
Guardiola to replace Rijkaard as Barcelona coach
The Frank Rijkaard era at Barcelona will come to an end at the end of the current Spanish league season.
Peter Forsberg to play against the Canucks
Peter Forsberg will make his NHL return Tuesday night when the Colorado Avalanche host the Vancouver Canucks.
Contact Us About Us HomeTuesday, January 6th, 2009