REGINA — Tyler Crapigna kicked a 29-yard field goal as time expired to give the Saskatchewan Roughriders a 20-18 victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Saturday at Mosaic Stadium.
Mitchell Gale filled in for an injured Darian Durant at quarterback and marched the Roughriders into field goal position.
The win is the second consecutive for the Riders (3-10). They trail fourth-place Edmonton by six points in the West Division. The loss puts Hamilton (6-7) in second place in the East Division, one point behind first-place Ottawa.
Jeremiah Masoli gave the Tiger-Cats a brief 18-17 advantage when he rushed 21 yards for a touchdown on the previous possession.
On second down and inches, Masoli took the snap around the right end of the line and found a clear path to the end zone for the score.
Durant left the game at the end of the third quarter with an undisclosed injury and did not return. Hamilton’s John Chick wrestled the quarterback to the turf on the last play of third quarter with the Riders ahead 17-10.
Durant was sharp from the game’s opening drive. He marched the Saskatchewan offence to scoring drives on two of its first three possessions, including a 46-yard touchdown catch by Armanti Edwards, who has two touchdowns in his first two games with the club. That score gave the Riders a 10-7 lead after the first quarter.
Durant connected on 19-of-25 pass attempts for 276 yards in the first half. He also had a one-yard plunge for a touchdown to push the Riders ahead 17-10. He finished 23 for 31 for 326 yards.
After throwing an interception on his first attempt of the game, Hamilton’s Zach Collaros then led his team on a seven-play, 105-yard drive on the team’s second possession, one that ended with a 16-yard touchdown catch by Brandon Banks and a 10-7 lead.
The game was missing plenty of offensive stars. Naaman Roosevelt, Saskatchewan’s leading receiver, missed his second straight game with a leg injury. The Tiger-Cats were without receivers Chad Owens and Luke Tasker. All three pass catchers are on pace to surpass 1,000 yards.
The Riders have a bye week next week, while Hamilton returns home to take on the Calgary Stampeders.