Ricky Ray ran eight yards for the winning touchdown with 42 seconds remaining as the Edmonton Eskimos defeated the Saskatchewan Roughriders 30-25 Saturday night.
The result restored some hope to the Eskimos' flagging playoff hopes. Edmonton (5-9) would have been closer to the end of its 34-year run of post-season qualification with a loss. Saskatchewan (7-7) remains third in the West Division.
Luca Congi had given Saskatchewan a 25-17 lead on a 25-yard field goal with 11:24 to go, but Edmonton's Sean Fleming responded with 16- and 33-yarders before Ray led the Eskimos on the decisive four-play, 67-yard march. A 47-yard bomb to Pat Woodcock was the key play.
Saskatchewan almost pulled the game out on a bizarre final play from the Edmonton 54-yard line when quarterback Rocky Butler was sacked and fumbled. While the Eskimos linemen hesitated, thinking the game was over, the Roughriders recovered the ball and lateralled it from Andrew Greene to Charles Thomas to Butler to Kenton Keith to Andy Fantuz to Corey Grant to Keith, who stumbled, dropped the ball, and relinquished possession to Edmonton's Jonte Buhl on the Eskimos' four-yard line.
The win was Edmonton's first in seven road games this season.
Saskatchewan held a territorial advantage in the first half but turnovers and a special teams by the Roughriders helped the Eskimos keep the score even at 17-17 through intermission.
Fleming gave the Eskimos an early lead with a 34-yard field goal. Saskatchewan quarterback Kerry Joseph responded with a pair of short touchdown passes _ a one-yarder at 13:13 of the first quarter to offensive lineman Rob Lazeo, who had lined up as an eligible receiver, and a six-yarder to fullback Chris Szarka at 4:35 of the second.
Pat Woodcock sparked Edmonton's subsequent drive, returning the kickoff 61 yards and catching a nine-yard touchdown pass from Ray four plays later.
Congi booted a 44-yard field goal at 9:51. Edmonton drew even after Singor Mobley intercepted a Joseph pass at the Roughrider 37 and Ray connected with Ed Hervey on a 24-yard touchdown pass two plays later.
Saskatchewan, with the 26 km/h wind at its back, scored the only points of the third quarter on a safety touch and Congi's 32-yard field goal to take a 22-17 lead into the fourth quarter.
Both teams return to action in road games on Oct. 9, the Roughriders in Montreal and the Eskimos in Toronto.
