Hometown hero Wiebe completes Riders comeback over Blue Bombers

Daniel Wiebe no longer has to dream and wonder what it would be like to catch a game-winning touchdown for the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

The rookie receiver from Rosetown, who played for five years with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies, capped off a fairy-tale ending by catching the clinching touchdown with 42 seconds left to defeat the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 31-27 in front of 7,654 fans at Griffiths Stadium in Saskatoon Saturday.

“You think about it a lot -- making the game-winner,” Wiebe said following the game.

“That means a ton. Just doing it at the Huskies Stadium here, it’s crazy ... It doesn’t really quite feel real yet.”

To add to the legend of the hometown hero, the man who threw the ball was only using one eye.

Quarterback Brayden Schager took a hand to the eye during a sack at the start of the fourth quarter. He left briefly but returned in time to lead the game-winning drive admittedly without the use of his right eye.

“I still couldn’t see the last drive,” Schager said. “It’s coming back a little bit now. But there were sometimes where I kind of closed my eye and just threw it with the left eye.”

His message to the team ahead of the 99-yard, seven-play drive was simple.

“I told those guys in the huddle, like, let’s go do something special,” the 22-year-old said.

Saturday was the first Riders game in Saskatoon since 1991, and head coach Corey Mace couldn’t think of a better send-off for the fans and for Wiebe.

Just crazy. You know, it happens. And you’re just like, ‘of course it was supposed to happen like that,’” Mace said.

“I’m so incredibly proud of that kid. Super happy that he was able to have that moment here. He’s been working his tail off.”

Mace elected to start many players expected to start the season – albeit briefly – with Trevor Harris leaving after completing all of his three passes in his lone series of action Saturday.

Many other players would follow Harris to the bench in the first and second quarters, as players like Jack Coan, vying for the backup quarterback role, would play much of the remaining game.

But that didn’t stop fans from showing their appreciation for Rider stalwarts who helped win the team’s fifth Grey Cup last fall.

“While the crowd might be smaller in size by numbers, it was still loud out there, and we definitely felt obviously like it was a home game. Just happy we can come out with a win for Rider Nation,” Mace said.

Coan, a former Notre Dame Fighting Irish signal-caller, completed 10 of his 18 passes for 100 yards with one touchdown and one interception returned for a touchdown.

Schager, who entered the game with 6:26 remaining in the third quarter, completed 14 of 19 passes for 179 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown.

Much of the game was about the team’s return to Saskatoon 35 years later -- and the host Riders made it feel like a home away from home, bringing cheerleaders, the Rider Pep Band, in-game hosts and many other comforts of Mosaic Stadium to Saskatoon.

However, the Blue Bombers did their part to quiet the cheerful mood building throughout the game with a seven-play touchdown drive to begin the game. Zach Collaros completed all three of his passes to Tim White –- gains of 20 yards, 15 yards and 22 yards – before Brady Oliveira dove in for a two-yard touchdown to open the scoring.

Saskatchewan followed it up with a quick five-play drive of its own. Leaning on his usual playmakers, Harris linked up with KeeSean Johnson for a 48-yard gain and then Kian Schaffer-Baker for a 25-yard catch, which included bouncing off a couple of attempted tackles. AJ Oullette would dive in for a two-yard touchdown run to even the score at 7-7- at the midway point of the first quarter.

Coan was intercepted when the ball bounced off the hands of KeeSean Johnson and into the hands of Evan Holm, who ran for a 55-yard touchdown just over two minutes later.

Coan would rebound later with a 12-yard touchdown pass to Johnny Johnson III to put the Riders up 21-17.

Winnipeg would score its second pick-six when Ja’Kobe Clinton nabbed a Schager pass at the line of scrimmage and rumbled 41 yards into the end zone with 10:21 left in the game to give Winnipeg the 24-21 lead.

The rest of Winnipeg’s points would come from Brady Lidster field goals.

Saskatchewan’s Alex Hale missed his lone field goal attempt from 57 yards and converted two extra points. Jonathan Kim converted his two field goals from 57 yards and 40 yards.

The Roughriders now move back to Regina for the final week of training camp. Following a bye in week 1, the Riders will host the B.C. Lions on June 13.