Congi kicks Saskatchewan over Hamilton

Regina, SK (Sports Network) - Luca Congi made seven field goals and Wes Cates added two short rushing touchdowns, as the Saskatchewan Roughriders pulled away from the Hamilton Tiger-Cats for a 37-24 victory at Mosaic Stadium.

Congi was perfect in the game and one field goal shy of tying the CFL record, as the Roughriders (4-1) rebounded nicely from a 40-20 loss at Calgary last weekend.

"I have the same mindset going into every game," stated Congi. "I do what I do and do whatever it takes to help my team win. We prefer touchdowns over field goals but it was a great job by everybody to get us in range."

Cates scored twice in the second half from one-yard away, while finishing the game with 66 rushing yards on 13 carries and 75 receiving on five catches.

Saskatchewan forced three turnovers in the game, scoring nine points off those mishaps on its way to defeating Hamilton for the 12th time in the past 13 meetings.

Kevin Glenn threw for 425 yards and three touchdowns, but was also intercepted twice for Hamilton (1-4), which dropped its second game in a row. Arland Bruce III had a career day in the setback, as he notched a CFL record-tying 16 catches for 272 yards and a pair of scores.

The scoring began with Saskatchewan's Eddie Johnson sending a 55-yard punt into the end zone for a single.

The Ticats took the ensuing possession and drove 75 yards, capping the 10-play drive with a 25-yard touchdown pass from Glenn to Bruce with under five minutes left in the first quarter.

The Roughriders came right back and Congi converted a 37-yard field goal, which was set up courtesy of a 33-yard circus catch by Cates.

On the last play of the first quarter, Saskatchewan's defense got involved, as DE Luc Mullinder came up with an interception on a tipped ball that he returned 25 yards to the Hamilton 40-yard line. The Roughriders were unable to move the ball on the next two downs, but tied the game at 7-7 with a 40-yard field goal by Congi.

Still early in the second quarter, the Ticats executed another 75-yard scoring drive, as Glenn hit Dave Stala on a 11-yard touchdown pass to complete the eight-play series.

The Roughriders controlled the remainder of the half, though they failed to take full advantage of their opportunities. Saskatchewan moved the ball inside the Hamilton five-yard line on two separate occasions, but managed only three points. On the first visit, the team came up empty as Darian Durant was intercepted in the back of the end zone on a 3rd-and-1 at the Hamilton four- yard line. The second trip resulted in a Congi nine-yard field goal after Rob Badd dropped a pass in the end zone on second down.

"We just have to get better in redzone offense," said head coach Ken Miller. "I said there's several areas we have to improve and we get a little better each week. Sometimes new things come up but we'll continue to fix those and get better again."

Congi made good on a 42-yard field goal with 35 seconds left in the half and the Roughriders went into the break down, 14-13.

Saskatchewan didn't fall out of rhythm after the break and even found an answer to its goal-line struggles. After a 35-yard catch by Andy Fantuz brought the ball to the Hamilton one-yard line, Cates punched it in on first down to give the Roughriders a 20-14 lead midway through the third quarter.

Following a blocked punt, the Roughriders had terrific field position, but were unable to gain a first down. Congi was brought in once again and he was true on a 35-yarder.

On the ensuing possession, Hamilton turned the ball over yet again, as Glenn was intercepted by DB Lance Frazier, who took the pick 83 yards to the two- yard line. The Roughriders though, failed to capitalize inside the five-yard line once again and Congi converted a 15-yard field goal with under a minute left in the third for a 26-14 lead.

The Ticats' offense finally showed some life early in the fourth quarter, moving the ball down to the Saskatchewan 11-yard line before settling for an 18-yard field goal by Sandro DeAngelis,

Saskatchewan, however, put the game away when Cates plunged one-yard for a touchdown with 3:54 to play. The score came following a pass interference in the end zone after it appeared Hamilton had stopped the Roughriders on 2nd- and-goal from the seven-yard line.

"I mean, Jerome (Dennis) was right in his face," said Hamilton safety Dylan Barker about the controversial call. "He had good coverage I thought. It was a big turning point in the game and that kind of buried us."

Johnson then booted the kickoff into the back of the end zone for a single, pushing Saskatchewan's advantage to 34-17.

Glenn hooked up with Bruce on a 36-yard scoring strike late in the fourth for Hamilton, but Saskatchewan responded with another field goal from Congi, this one from 19 yards out.

Game Notes

The Roughriders improved to 3-0 at home with the win...Saskatchewan now leads the all-time series 37-36-4 (regular season since 1950)...Fantuz led the Roughriders with eight catches for 100 yards...Hamilton has now come up empty in three road dates...The Ticats have not won in Saskatchewan since 2000 and are just 1-10 in Regina against the Roughriders since 1999.