# 2008 Saskatchewan Roughriders season

The 2008 Saskatchewan Roughriders finished in second place in the West Division with a 12–6 record for the second consecutive year. It was their 51st season in the Canadian Football League. The Roughriders attempted to repeat as Grey Cup champions, but, due to an abundance of injuries, lost to the BC Lions in the West Semi-Final game.

## Off-season

Several months after capturing the 2007 Grey Cup, 2007 CFL coach of the Year Kent Austin stepped down as head coach to become the offensive co-ordinator at Ole Miss. In accepting this position in the NCAA, Austin turned down a very lucrative contract that the Riders had offered. On February 6, 2008, Eric Tillman announced that the new head coach would be Ken Miller. Miller was formerly an offensive coordinator under Austin.
Last season's starting quarterback Kerry Joseph was traded to the Toronto Argonauts on March 5, 2008, along with a third round pick in the 2010 CFL Draft in exchange for offensive tackle Glenn January, defensive lineman Ronald Flemons, the Argos' first-round pick in the 2008 CFL Draft and a 2010 second-round selection.
On April 5, 2008 a report was released saying that the Roughriders set a new record for earnings in a single season. At the Roughriders' annual general meeting, Mike Back, the club's vice-president of finance and operations, reported the Roughriders registered a record profit of $1,737,377 in 2007. The Roughriders exceeded the $22 million plateau in total operating revenue and expenditures. This figure eclipsed the previous mark of $15 million. Total net assets increased by $1,998,857 to $5,096,393. These earnings were due in part to the championship season the Roughriders sported, which included 8 home game sellouts and their first home playoff game in 19 years.

### CFL draft

| Round | Player | Position | School/Club Team |
| 1 (via Toronto) | Keith Shologan | Defensive Lineman | Central Florida Knights |
| 2 (via Edmonton, via Toronto, via Edmonton) | Jonathan St. Pierre | Offensive Lineman | Illinois State Redbirds |
| 2 (via BC) | Michael Stadnyk | Defensive Lineman | Montana Grizzlies |
| 4 (via BC) | Jean-François Morin-Roberge | Offensive Lineman | Montreal Carabins |
| 5 | Jeff Zelinski | Defensive Back | Saint Mary's Huskies |
| 6 (via Hamilton) | Teale Orban | Quarterback | Regina Rams |

## Pre-season

| Week | Date | Opponent | Score | Result | Attendance |
| A | Fri, June 13 | BC Lions | 33–13 | Win | 28,800 |
| B | Thurs, June 19 | at Edmonton Eskimos | 37–7 | Lost | 33,508 |

## Regular season
### Crowd trouble

On September 20, an unsportsmanlike incident occurred during a game in Saskatchewan. It started in the fourth quarter when Saskatchewan fans became angry about a B.C. play they thought should have been a face mask penalty. Lions defensive back Dante Marsh fired the ball into the stands, and Saskatchewan fans responded by pelting the Lions with full cans of beer. The incident occurred on the night when the Roughriders were honouring past CFL legend Ron Lancaster, who recently died at the age of 69. The club subsequently announced that in order to reduce the probability of a similar incident beer in the east stands (where the visitors bench is) would be sold in plastic cups for at least the remainder of the season.

### Ron Lancaster

On Thursday, September 18, Ron Lancaster, 69, died from an apparent heart attack, less than two months after being diagnosed with lung cancer. The former Saskatchewan Roughriders quarterback, also had a long career as a head coach, with the Edmonton Eskimos and Hamilton Tiger Cats. He was diagnosed in late July and had been undergoing radiation and chemotherapy. Lancaster played 16 seasons with Saskatchewan, and led the team to five Grey Cup appearances. He led the club to their first CFL championship in 1966 when Saskatchewan upset the Ottawa Rough Riders 29–14. When he retired in 1978, at the age of 41, he was the league's all-time leader in passing yards (50,535), touchdown passes (333), pass attempts (6,223) and completions (3,384). He also suffered more interceptions than any other quarterback in CFL history. He had also passed for more yards than any passer in professional football history.

### Season standings
#### West

West Divisionviewtalkedit :
| Team | GP | W | L | T | PF | PA | Pts |
| Calgary Stampeders | 18 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 595 | 420 | 26 | Details |
| Saskatchewan Roughriders | 18 | 12 | 6 | 0 | 500 | 471 | 24 | Details |
| BC Lions | 18 | 11 | 7 | 0 | 559 | 479 | 22 | Details |
| Edmonton Eskimos | 18 | 10 | 8 | 0 | 512 | 536 | 20 | Details |

#### East

East Divisionviewtalkedit :
| Team | GP | W | L | T | PF | PA | Pts |
| Montreal Alouettes | 18 | 11 | 7 | 0 | 610 | 443 | 22 | Details |
| Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 18 | 8 | 10 | 0 | 435 | 490 | 16 | Details |
| Toronto Argonauts | 18 | 4 | 14 | 0 | 397 | 627 | 8 | Details |
| Hamilton Tiger-Cats | 18 | 3 | 15 | 0 | 441 | 593 | 6 | Details |

### Season schedule

| Week | Date | Opponent | Score | Result | Attendance | Record |
| 1 | Sat, June 28 | vs. Edmonton Eskimos | 34–13 | Win | 28,800 | 1–0 |
| 2 | Fri, July 4 | at BC Lions | 26–16 | Win | 33,815 | 2–0 |
| 3 | Sat, July 12 | at Hamilton Tiger-Cats | 33–28 | Win | 20,874 | 3–0 |
| 4 | Sat, July 19 | vs. Montreal Alouettes | 41–33 | Win | 28,800 | 4–0 |
| 5 | Sun, July 27 | vs. Toronto Argonauts | 28–22 | Win | 28,800 | 5–0 |
| 6 | Sat, Aug 2 | at Calgary Stampeders | 22–21 | Win | 35,650 | 6–0 |
| 7 | Thurs, Aug 7 | vs. Calgary Stampeders | 30–25 | Loss | 28,800 | 6–1 |
| 8 | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye |
| 9 | Thurs, Aug 21 | at Edmonton Eskimos | 27–10 | Loss | 48,808 | 6–2 |
| 10 | Sun, Aug 31 | vs. Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 19–6 | Win | 30,985 | 7–2 |
| 11 | Sun, Sept 7 | at Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 34–31 | Win | 29,770 | 8–2 |
| 12 | Sat, Sept 13 | at BC Lions | 28–23 | Loss | 38,608 | 8–3 |
| 13 | Sat, Sept 20 | vs. BC Lions | 27–21 | Loss | 30,945 | 8–4 |
| 14 | Sun, Sept 28 | at Montreal Alouettes | 37–12 | Loss | 20,202 | 8–5 |
| 15 | Fri, Oct 3 | vs. Calgary Stampeders | 37–34 | Win | 30,945 | 9–5 |
| 16 | Mon, Oct 13 | at Calgary Stampeders | 42–5 | Loss | 35,650 | 9–6 |
| 17 | Sun, Oct 19 | vs. Hamilton Tiger-Cats | 30–29 | Win | 30,945 | 10–6 |
| 18 | Sat, Oct 25 | vs. Edmonton Eskimos | 55–9 | Win | 30,945 | 11–6 |
| 19 | Thurs, Oct 30 | at Toronto Argonauts | 45–38 | Win | 28,654 | 12–6 |

### Notable transactions

| Date | Type | Incoming | Outgoing | Team |
| September 6, 2008 | Free Agent Signing | Adam Nicolson, Slotback | N/A | British Columbia Lions (2007) |
| August 28, 2008 | Release | N/A | Marcus Crandell, Quarterback | Saskatchewan Roughriders |
| August 23, 2008 | Trade | Michael Bishop, Quarterback | Conditional 2011 CFL Canadian Draft choice | Toronto Argonauts |
| July 24, 2008 | Free Agent Signing (for 2009) | Kye Stewart, Linebacker | N/A | Illinois State (NCAA) (2007) |
| July 17, 2008 | Release | N/A | Amariah Farrow, Offensive Lineman | Saskatchewan Roughriders |
| July 8, 2008 | Release | N/A | Airabin Justin, Defensive Back | Saskatchewan Roughriders |
| July 7, 2008 | Trade | T.J. Acree, Wide Receiver Rights to Brian Smith, Defensive Lineman Argonauts' Third Round Canadian Draft Choice In 2011 | Ronald Flemons, Defensive End Roughriders' Fifth Round Canadian Draft Choice In 2011 | Toronto Argonauts |
| June 28, 2008 | Draft Pick Signing | Keith Shologan, Defensive Lineman | N/A | San Diego Chargers (NFL) (2008) |
| June 18, 2008 | Release | N/A | Brock Stratton, Linebacker | Saskatchewan Roughriders |
| June 6, 2008 | Release | N/A | Quinton Jones, Defensive Back | Saskatchewan Roughriders |
| June 5, 2008 | Trade | Leron Mitchell, Cornerback | Jamal Robertson, Running Back | Toronto Argonauts |
| June 2, 2008 | Retirement | N/A | Tim Fleiszer, Defensive Line | Saskatchewan Roughriders |
| June 2, 2008 | Retirement | N/A | Kennedy Nkeyasen, Defensive Back | Saskatchewan Roughriders |
| June 1, 2008 | Free Agent Signing | Denatay Heard, Defensive Back | N/A | Stillman College (NCAA) (2007) |
| June 1, 2008 | Trade | Future Considerations and a Negotiation List Player | Kevin Garrett, Defensive Back | Winnipeg Blue Bombers |
| June 1, 2008 | Release | N/A | Jason Mitchell, Wide Receiver | Saskatchewan Roughriders |
| May 31, 2008 | Release | N/A | T.J. Stancil, Linebacker | Saskatchewan Roughriders |
| May 26, 2008 | Free Agent Signing | Adarius Bowman, Wide Receiver | N/A | Oklahoma State (NCAA) (2007) |
| May 26, 2008 | Free Agent Signing | Stu Foord, Wide Receiver | N/A | Regina Thunder (CJFL) (2007) |
| May 26, 2008 | Free Agent Signing | Brad Peters, Offensive Lineman | N/A | Saskatoon Hilltops (CJFL) (2007) |
| May 11, 2008 | Free Agent Signing | Weston Dressler, Wide Receiver | N/A | North Dakota (NCAA) (2007) |
| May 5, 2008 | Free Agent Signing | Kevin Scott, Offensive Lineman/Long Snapper | N/A | Queen's (CIS) (2007) |
| April 1, 2008 | Free Agent Signing | Kevin Garrett, Defensive Back | N/A | Calgary Stampeders |
| March 12, 2008 | Free Agent Signing | Omarr Morgan, Defensive Back | N/A | Edmonton Eskimos |
| March 5, 2008 | Trade | Glenn January, Offensive Tackle Ronald Flemons, Defensive Lineman Argonauts first round selection in the 2008 CFL Draft Argonauts second round selection in the 2010 CFL Draft | Kerry Joseph, Quarterback Riders third round pick in the 2010 CFL Draft | Toronto Argonauts |
| March 4, 2008 | Free Agent Signing | Brock Stratton, Linebacker | N/A | Texas Tech (NCAA) (2006) |
| February 27, 2008 | Free Agent Signing | N/A | Jovon Johnson, Defensive Back | Erie RiverRats (AIFA) |
| February 19, 2008 | Free Agent Signing | N/A | Reggie Hunt, Linebacker | Montreal Alouettes |
| February 8, 2008 | Trade | Steven Jyles, Quarterback | Fred Perry, Defensive End | Edmonton Eskimos |
| January 31, 2008 | Retirement | N/A | Val St. Germain, Offensive Lineman | N/A |
| January 29, 2008 | Release | N/A | Corey Holmes, Running Back | N/A |
| January 29, 2008 | Free Agent Signing | Quinton Jones, Defensive Back | N/A | San Diego Chargers (NFL) (2007) |
| January 29, 2008 | Free Agent Signing | James Patrick, Defensive Back | N/A | New England Patriots (NFL) (2007) |
| January 23, 2008 | Free Agent Signing | Rob Bagg, Wide Receiver | N/A | Queen's (CIS) (2007) |
| January 23, 2008 | Free Agent Signing | Jason Mitchell, Wide Receiver | N/A | USC (NCAA) (2006) |
| November 28, 2007 | Retirement | N/A | Yo Murphy, Wide Receiver | N/A |

## Player stats
### Passing

| Player | Att | Comp | % | Yards | TD | INT | Rating |
| Michael Bishop | 274 | 160 | 58.4 | 2550 | 10 | 13 | 81.9 |
| Darian Durant | 129 | 77 | 59.7 | 1122 | 7 | 6 | 86.8 |
| Marcus Crandell | 128 | 67 | 52.3 | 924 | 7 | 3 | 84.3 |
| Steven Jyles | 61 | 42 | 68.9 | 533 | 4 | 6 | 76.7 |
| Andy Fantuz | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | (−414.6) |

### Rushing

| Player | No. | Yards | Average | TD | Fumbles |
| Wes Cates | 216 | 1229 | 5.7 | 12 | 4 |
| Michael Bishop | 46 | 244 | 5.3 | 4 | 5 |
| Darian Durant | 27 | 204 | 7.6 | 1 | 1 |
| Stuart Foord | 27 | 162 | 6.0 | 2 | 0 |
| Neal Hughes | 35 | 130 | 3.7 | 4 | 1 |

### Receiving

| Player | No. | Yards | Avg. | Long | TD |
| Weston Dressler | 56 | 1123 | 20.1 | 67 | 6 |
| Andy Fantuz | 36 | 488 | 13.6 | 31 | 3 |
| Wes Cates | 39 | 451 | 11.6 | 40 | 2 |
| Rob Bagg | 22 | 371 | 16.9 | 72 | 0 |
| Adarius Bowman | 23 | 358 | 15.6 | 73 | 3 |

## Awards and records

* The Roughriders started the season 6–0 for the first time since 1934.
* Wes Cates, Led CFL, Rushing Touchdowns (12)
* Weston Dressler (SB), Saskatchewan Roughriders – CFL's Most Outstanding Rookie Award
* Jeremy O'Day (C), Saskatchewan Roughriders – Tom Pate Memorial Award

### CFL All-Star Selections

* Wes Cates, Running Back
* Gene Makowsky, Offensive Guard
* Anton McKenzie, Linebacker
* Maurice Lloyd, Linebacker

### CFL West All-Star Selections

* Wes Cates, Running Back
* Gene Makowsky, Offensive Guard
* Anton McKenzie, Linebacker
* Maurice Lloyd, Linebacker

## Playoffs
### West Semi-Final

Date and time: Saturday, November 8, 3:30 PM Central Standard Time Venue: Mosaic Stadium at Taylor Field, Regina, Saskatchewan
| Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Total |
| BC Lions | 7 | 9 | 10 | 7 | 33 |
| Saskatchewan Roughriders | 0 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 12 |