THE CANADIAN PRESS
REGINA — It was a scene all too familiar to Riders quarterback Darian Durant.
Another close game, one very much like the last three the Riders had played in — all one-possession games, all losses. This time, however, the veteran quarterback wasn’t going to let it end that way.
Durant picked up his first win as a starting quarterback in two years on Sunday afternoon, running in the game-winning touchdown to secure a 26-23 victory over the Edmonton Eskimos in overtime.
“We’ve worked too hard and I just wasn’t going to let us lose this game,” said Durant, who rushed for 61 yards on five carries, including the walk-off run into the end zone.
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On a blustery day at Mosaic Stadium that forced both offences to change the way they usually operate, the 34-year-old put the team on his shoulders and willed the Riders to victory.
Curtis Steele rushed for 87 yards on 13 carries in his first game back from injury, while defensive back Ed Gainey scored a defensive touchdown when he stripped the ball from the hands of Adarius Bowman and returned it 50 yards for the score.
The Riders trailed for most of the second half but with the wind at their backs in the fourth were able to knot things up at 20 apiece with just over 2:00 remaining when Armanti Edwards scored the game-tying touchdown on an end-around.
Tyler Crapigna lined up to kick a go-ahead 58-yard field goal in the last minute, but a 10-yard delay of game penalty stymied that opportunity and the Riders were forced to settle for overtime.
After holding the Eskimos to a field goal, the fifth of the game from Sean Whyte, Durant and the Rider offence made no mistake. On second and goal, Durant escaped the pocket and broke containment, running to his left and finding the end zone to give the Riders their second win of the season — Durant’s first since the Banjo Bowl in 2014 when he was injured.
Durant knew coming into the game he might need to run more in order to defeat the defending Grey Cup Champions, who twice bested the Riders earlier in the season in close matchups, including one in overtime.
“Just looking back on those games, I said to myself if I would have taken off in certain situations, I could have extended drives or maybe even resulted in a touchdown,” said Durant. “So I wasn’t going to let this one slip.”
The return of Steele and Durant’s running ability gave the Riders a balanced offence, which was much-needed on a day when throwing the ball could be a challenge. Head Coach Chris Jones said Durant’s never-say-die attitude reminded him of the quarterback he used to see play when he schemed against Durant as a defensive coordinator in Calgary.
“So many times when I’ve been here before or played against Darian,” said Jones, “and that’s what made him so dangerous – you could pressure him or you could try to go coverage, but when he had the ability to take off or the willingness to run for first downs, it’s frustrating as a defensive play-caller.
“He gave us that element tonight and when we really needed it he showed up. When that confident Darian Durant shows up, he’s as tough as anybody.”
The win marked the Riders’ second of the season and their first since Week 5, which Mitchell Gale started, while the Riders move within three games of the Eskimos and four games of a playoff spot.
As unlikely as the playoffs are, the win is exhilarating for a Riders club that’s come so close in recent weeks.
“It’s been a while,” said Durant. “We’ve lost a lot of games this year — a lot of close games, a lot of heart-breakers. When you win one, you win a tight one, a tough one – it tests everything you have in you.
“I’m just happy for everybody.”
Durant and the Riders hope it’s only just the start. For a rebuilding Riders club, this season was about more than just wins and losses or whether they make the playoffs; it’s about rebuilding a winning formula from the foundation up.
Without the likes of Naaman Roosevelt and Ricky Collins, both injured and on the six-game, the Riders were able to rally — to come from behind and defeat the defending Grey Cup Champions no matter the circumstance.
“It’s just the start,” said Durant. “We’re mathematically still in this thing so we’re going to carry on each and every week as if it’s a do or die playoff-type situation.
“That’s the mentality I’ll let the guys know we need to have moving forward. Hopefully this win — young guys getting the taste of victory, seeing what it takes to beat a tough team – hopefully that carries us going forward.”
“We’ve been unfortunately on the wrong end of some very close games where we didn’t make the play when we needed to,” added Jones. “Those guys have worked hard, they have a great belief system – even with our record the way it is – they’re fun to be around every day.”
