REGINA – The Saskatchewan Roughriders finally earned their first win in their brand new home. Kevin Glenn threw a pair of touchdowns and ran in for one himself to lead the Riders to a 37-20 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Saturday night before a capacity crowd at Mosaic Stadium. The Riders now head into the bye-week with a 1-2 record and a chance to recharge.
The 38-year-old Roughrider quarterback now sits just 116 yards shy of becoming just the 7th pivot in CFL history to reach 50,000 in his career. The game didn’t start out the way he’d hoped however. With the Riders threating, Glenn’s pass intended for team receptions leader Nic Demski, was picked off by Justin Rodgers and returned 110 yards to the endzone for an early 7-2 Hamilton lead.
The Riders responded just a few short minutes later when Glenn tucked the ball and ran in for the major himself. That seemed to spark the Riders’ offence. Glenn then found Bakari Grant for a 14-yard score, on his 300th CFL reception. The Riders led 19-10 at the half.
The Riders kept the pressure on after the break. Glenn found Duron Carter for his first touchdown in green and white, extending the lead to 26-10. Zach Collaros struggled by comparison, completing just 19 of his 34 pass attempts for 189 yards and a touchdown. Midway through the 3rd quarter, Collaros found Junior Collins for a score to get his team back into the game.
The Roughriders wouldn’t be denied on this night, however, and Kevin Glenn was going to make sure of it.
“The type of win that we had today after the type of loss that we had last week is big. It shows a lot about the team and the guys in that locker room. The type of character guys we have. We still believe and we’re still a team, with a big team win.” Said Glenn of the team’s first victory on the young season.
Glenn was efficient, throwing for 380 yards and a pair of touchdowns. For the first time in his career, the veteran pivot threw for more than 300-yards in three consecutive games. Star receiver Naaman Roosevelt led the aerial attack with 167 yards on 10 targets, while Cameron Marshall rushed for 71 yards on the ground on 12 carries.
“It feels great to have our first official win in our new stadium. We’ve gotta keep it up” added receiver Duron Carter who scored his first touchdown in Rider colours.
The Roughriders now head into the bye week.