We need a meme, gif or jpeg of Saskatchewan Roughriders head coach Corey Mace doing a calming head roll after watching return specialist Mario Alford against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

There may have never been a worse missed field goal return in CFL history.

Yet Mace showed remarkable composure as Alford — who had fumbled away a fourth-quarter return in Saskatchewan’s previous game — lollygagged around and nearly backtracked enough to surrender a game-tying safety during the fourth quarter of Saturday’s Banjo Bowl inside Winnipeg’s sold-out Princess Auto Stadium. One play later, working from Saskatchewan’s one-yard line, Riders quarterback Trevor Harris threw a long pass to Joe Robustelli and the crisis had been averted.

“That’s why we love Muelles,” said Mace, referring to the surprisingly effective play call from offensive co-ordinator Marc Mueller that helped Saskatchewan defeat Winnipeg 21-13, giving the Roughriders their first sweep of the home-and-home, Labour Day Classic/Banjo Bowl set since 2018.

That game-saving drive ended with Brett Lauther, who has struggled mightily this season, kicking one of his field goals in a 5-for-5 outing that did include a missed convert.

“It’s about the team winning,” said Lauther. “It’s not about me. I go out and do my job, for the most part.”

Lauther’s missed convert left Winnipeg ahead 13-12 midway through the third quarter. But disaster was about to befall the Blue Bombers.

While tackling Zach Collaros during one of Saskatchewan’s nearly unstoppable blitzes, linebacker C.J. Reavis smacked his facemask into the helmet of the Blue Bombers quarterback. No penalty was initially called as Collaros, while fumbling away the football, crumpled to the ground and stayed motionless for a few seconds.

Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea waited for the Replay Centre to confirm the turnover before formally requesting a review for a roughing-the-passer penalty.

This is where the Replay Centre once again became the CFL’s all-powerful God Centre, ultimately overturning the on-field decision and assessing a 15-yard penalty. With Collaros’ history of concussions to consider, it’s tough to argue the logic behind the God Centre’s ruling — the CFL certainly doesn’t want a legendary quarterback to leave a game, finish his season or end his career on a headshot that wasn’t penalized. And Reavis’ hit met the league’s criteria for a penalty by “delivering a blow to the neck or head of the passer.”

A penalty had to be assessed.

After receiving medical attention, Collaros jogged off and didn’t return to the sideline while the Blue Bombers retained possession of the football and replaced their leader with backup QB Chris Streveler. Reporters saw Collaros after the game, walking around inside his team’s locker room.

“Zach is their guy for a reason,” said Mace. “We hope he’s OK.”

The Blue Bombers, Grey Cup qualifiers for five straight seasons, simply aren’t the same team without Collaros. Unable to score a second-half point against Saskatchewan’s steadfast defence, they dropped to 6-6 and sit third in the West. Saskatchewan holds top spot with a CFL-best 10-2 record.

The Roughriders haven’t mathematically clinched a home playoff game, but their chances were helped later Saturday when the fifth-place Edmonton Elks upended the second-place Calgary Stampeders 31-19. Calgary is the only team to beat the Roughriders this season — twice — but Winnipeg has been their postseason nemesis, eliminating Saskatchewan in last year’s West final and three previous playoff appearances.

So there was some trepidation after the Roughriders staved off a late Bombers challenge six days earlier in the Labour Day Classic, with Tevaughn Campbell intercepting a game-tying two-point convert and returning it 112 yards for the final points of Saskatchewan’s 34-30 victory.

Campbell, with two, Marcus Sayles and DaMarcus Fields intercepted Banjo Bowl passes for the Roughriders, whose offence was again a little sluggish against the Blue Bombers. Saskatchewan’s lone touchdown came on a five-yard run by A.J. Ouellette.

“It was a gritty win,” said Harris, who completed 18 of 31 passes for 239 yards with one interception. “It’s not always gonna be sunshine and rainbows, with four touchdowns or five touchdowns.”

Indeed. With one third of their 18-game regular season remaining, the Roughriders will need to survive those occasional backtracks to be a Grey Cup challenger. As they showed in Winnipeg, it requires composure. And maybe a head roll.

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