REGINA -- One by one, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats filed off the field in silence. Defensive end Eric Norwood was one of the few who had something to say, to nobody in particular, as he walked down the Mosaic Stadium tunnel.

"Damn," said Norwood, a six-foot-one 252-pound first-year CFLer. "In my life, I've never seen (anything) like that."

His version was a little more graphic, perhaps not surprising in the immediate wake of a 45-23 beatdown Sunday at the hands of the home-town Saskatchewan Roughriders in the 101st Grey Cup.

His fellow Ticats seemed numb. They said nothing as they retreated to their dressing room, a dumpy tiny space divided into two rooms that would have raised the hackles of a junior hockey team.

A Hamilton fan, the uncle of a Ticat lineman, tried to offer some salve for the still raw wound. "Tough one," he said as they walked by, adding, "2014, guys."

Hamilton coach Kent Austin, a Cup winner as a player and coach in Saskatchewan, also looked to the future.

"I'm very proud of them," he said of his players. "Nobody gave us any chance at all to be here. Everything that they've overcome, everything that they've battled through. All the players we played this year. I'm unbelievably proud of that room, we have a lot to build on. We've got a good young football team.

"We've got to get better in some areas and we will. But we've got a great foundation. (I'm) really proud of these guys. (I) love all of them."

Score Sunday as a painful lesson for Hamilton's future. With 18 first-year CFL players on their roster, the 10-and-8 Ticats have reason to think ahead.

"These young guys are the future of this organization. This game will pay off," said 32-year-old Hamilton centre Marwan Hage. "Maybe next year, maybe the year after. But it's going to pay off. This experience that they gathered here today, you can't just get that. You cannot get this experience. You need to play in it and if you lose, you need to learn from it."

Hage and 38-year-old quarterback Henry Burris showed their class in crediting the Roughriders for the win. Austin was also gracious towards the winners, before showing his prickly side to reporters as the post-game news conference wound down.

For the nomadic Tiger-Cats, who made the championship game despite having no home as their new Hamilton stadium is built, the loss was a bitter pill to swallow.

"Our guys battled their butts off this year," said Burris, a class act in defeat. "To be able to be here in this position with such a young new team. Nobody really gave us a chance to be here.

"And for me, how many years do I have? It doesn't feel easy with every game you lose. especially in this situation."

Burris had talked about sharing the post-game winners' confetti shower with his two sons. It will have to wait.

"Back to the drawing board," he said philosophically. "We'll be a much better team off this experience next year."

Austin, Burris and Hage made no excuses and extended their congratulations to Saskatchewan.

"They made plays and we didn't make plays," said Burris. "We can't put ourselves behind a team with that much explosiveness."

The Riders had the ball for 34 minutes 54 seconds, almost 10 minutes more than Hamilton.

"We knew we had to cash in because we knew if we let Darian (Saskatchewan quarterback Darian Durant) and those guys stay on the field, they were going to find ways to crack the code at one point," said Burris. "We learned a valuable lesson today. Offensively we have to stay on the field like we did last week (in the Eastern final in Toronto), but we have to make plays and we didn't do that today."

Saskatchewan outgained Hamilton 497 yards to 284 in total offence. Ticats rookie running back C.J. Gable had just 23 yards on six carries, less than Burris made on two runs.

Hamilton failed to make first downs when it counted. Saskatchewan, with MVP Kory Sheets slicing his way to a Grey Cup-record 197 yards rushing, did.

For weeks during the season, Sheets had battled with Calgary's Jon Cornish for running supremacy. Sheets ultimately opted to think team rather than himself, according to his fellow Riders.

Cornish won the hardware as Most Outstanding Player and Canadian. Sheets won the title.

Who's the best running back in the league, Sheets was asked after winning MVP honours Sunday,

"You're looking at him," was the reply.

Hamilton lost the toss Sunday and it went downhill from there.

With the wind at their back in the first quarter, the Tiger Cats were unable to take advantage and railed 7-3 after 15 minutes. Saskatchewan then outscored the Eastern champion 24-3 in the second quarter to take command.

"You can't stumble into a Grey Cup, especially when you play a team at home," said Burris. "You've got to be on top of your game from start to finish and we just didn't do that."