The Saskatchewan Roughriders’ 28-13 victory over the visiting Ottawa Redblacks ended on a sour note on Friday.
Roughrider defensive lineman Garrett Marino was ejected from the game in the fourth quarter after diving into the legs of Redblacks quarterback Jeremiah Masoli while throwing a pass, which left Masoli writhing in pain on the turf.
Marino flexed his muscles and gestured to the Mosaic Stadium crowd in celebration as he walked off the field after the hit. Several enraged Redblacks players went to the Saskatchewan bench to confront him.
Marino continued to inflame the situation after his ejection when he raised his helmet into the crowd and hit his chest as he headed to the locker room.
Saskatchewan head coach Craig Dickenson admitted Marino’s actions clouded the victory.
“After the game I talked to the guys for about three minutes, I told them the schedule, I didn’t pass balls, I didn’t do anything I normally do because we played a great soccer game and I’ve been here three minutes and this is all we’re about. talking and I’ll continue to talk about this probably for another 10 minutes,” Dickenson said.
“It didn’t have to happen, so yeah, I’m disappointed with the team. Do I still love them? Yes, I love each and every one of them. They’re still part of this team and we’re going to keep going, but it was a chance to win with class. That’s not the way I want to see us games.”
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Saskatchewan wide receiver Duke Williams was torn between loyalty to his teammate and empathy for Masoli.
“We are better than that. . . I’m not saying it’s a good play, because Masoli got hurt and that’s unacceptable,” Williams said.
“We don’t approve of that, he has to go home to his family. But at the end of the day, that’s my teammate and I cover for him no matter what.
“I’ll tell you right and wrong because that’s my job.”
Ottawa offensive lineman Dino Boyd sidelined Saskatchewan defensive lineman Pete Robertson with a questionable hit in the third quarter, igniting tension between the two clubs.
Boyd was penalized for rough play. Robertson, who leads the CFL with seven sacks, did not return to the game.
Dickenson did not have a confirmed diagnosis for Robertson’s injury, but there were indications that he might have a broken foot.
The Redblacks did not provide an update on Masoli. The quarterback left the stadium on crutches.
Saskatchewan (4-1) played its most complete game so far this season. The ‘Riders scored 19 points in the second quarter to take control of the game and keep the Redblacks winless in their four games this season.
Ottawa lost its first three games of the season by a combined 12-point margin, but struggled to keep up with the Roughriders.
Saskatchewan led 22-6 at the half, but Ottawa opened the third quarter with a touchdown to cut the gap to 22-13.
The Roughriders responded with a big one, which quarterback Cody Fajardo felt was the difference in the game.
“You never want to lose momentum and that’s something that can happen, especially when we feel like we had all the momentum in the second quarter,” Fajardo said.
“You go into halftime and you lose that, right? It’s almost like the game starts over. So they go down, they score, and we felt like as an offense, we had to go down and score. I was very proud of the way we executed and responded.”
Fajardo threw touchdown passes to Williams and Kian Schaffer-Baker, while rookie running back Frankie Hickson scored his first CFL touchdown on an electrifying 63-yard run.
Hickson, who generated 92 rushing yards on five carries, entered the game with 124 yards on 21 carries. His longest run before Friday’s 63-yarder was a 19-yard gain.
Saskatchewan’s passing attack was fueled by running back Jamal Morrow, who caught six balls for 67 yards. He also rushed for 78 yards on 16 carries.
Kicker Brett Lauther added field goals of 50, 28 and 18 yards for Saskatchewan.
AC Leonard and Keion Adams sacked Masoli, Nick Marshall and Larry Dean had interceptions.
Nate Behar scored Ottawa’s only touchdown by catching a 22-yard pass from Masoli. Kicker Lewis Ward made field goals from 42 and 21 yards.
Praise Martin-Oguike, Lorenzo Mauldin, Tre Hornbuckle and Davon Coleman all recorded sacks for Ottawa.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on July 8, 2022.
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