CFL.ca Staff
HAMILTON – Weston Dressler had 180 yards receiving and scored three touchdowns as the Riders opened the 2012 season with a 43-16 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Ivor Wynne Stadium.
Dressler finished the evening with 186 all-purpose yards and was a part of a big night from Darian Durant. The Roughriders’ pivot completed 23 of 32 passes for 345 yards and 4 touchdowns.
The Riders opened up the game with Darian Durant leading an impressive 11-play, 86-yard drive, finished off by a 7-yard touchdown pass to Weston Dressler. Dressler generated 44 yards in the air on that drive alone as he and rookie running back Kory Sheets helped the Riders march.
The Cats would answer back with a 41-yard Luca Congi field goal on their next possession to get on the board and cut Saskatchewan’s lead to 7-3.
In somewhat of a surprise move, the Tiger-Cats started rookie Chevon Walker at tailback as Avon Cobourne was a healthy scratch. Many thought that Cobourne would be the primary rusher after signing with the club in the middle of training camp but Walker impressed in pre-season, earning him the start.
Walker would rip off a 26-yard run on the Ticats’ first drive of the second quarter to help set up a 23-yard Congi field goal.
Dressler would continue his big night, coming up with a diving catch on the next drive and turning it up field into a 52-yard gain. The Riders would get back on the board a play later when Durant hit WR Chris Getzlaf wide open for a 26-yard touchdown.
The Riders’ 14-3 lead would last only a play as Walker answered with a spectacular 89-yard run up the gut, going untouched into the endzone.
After Hamilton conceded a safety, the Riders entered halftime with a three point lead.
Dressler wasted little time building on his already impressive night, hauling in a 22-yard touchdown, his second of the game, at the start of the third quarter.
After the Congi added a 37-yard field goal, Saskatchewan was up 23-16.
Milo answered with a field goal of his own and then Dressler continued to shred the Ticats defence.
At the start of the fourth quarter, he added yet another touchdown on a six yard pass from Durant. Milo would extend the lead to 36-16 with another field goal with just over 10 minutes left in the game.
With the game out of reach, the Riders would continue to pile on the points as Kory Sheets recorded his first career touchdown to put his team up by a commanding 43-16.
The loss was the Tiger-Cats 8th straight to open a CFL campaign.
