The Saskatchewan Roughriders didn't look anything like a first-place team while losing 32-15 to the hometown Calgary Stampeders on Saturday.
They got pushed around, didn't score a second-half point, were shambled on defence, dropped a touchdown pass, missed their lone field-goal attempt and looked even wobblier than quarterback Trevor Harris when he tried standing after an hellacious third-quarter sack by Stampeders rookie Shaun Peterson.
It was one of four sacks surrendered by Saskatchewan's usually reliable offensive line, allowing the second-place, 7-3 Stampeders to record their second victory over the Roughriders, who remain atop the West with an 8-2 mark.
Calgary again looked to be the better, tougher, more physical and better-prepared squad. Only the Stampeders have been so dominant against Saskatchewan. It looked much like July 12 when the visiting Stampeders were forced to stay an extra day in Regina because smoky conditions postponed a game the visitors easily won 24-10.
Despite his helmeted head pounding the turf, Harris insisted afterwards that recurring dehydration problems caused both legs to cramp at the same time. That, he said, made him wobble noticeably before visiting the sideline medical tent where CFL players get in-game injuries assessed.
Harris missed one game earlier this season because of concussion symptoms. According to numerous medical journals, concussions can cause muscle spasms.
Harris evidently passed medical protocol on the McMahon Stadium sidelines. Harris told reporters afterwards he would drink more "pickle juice" to alleviate future cramping and head coach Corey Mace said there were no medical concerns.
With Calgary ahead 24-15 early in the fourth quarter, Harris returned for one more offensive series before being replaced by backup Jake Maier.
"Trevor's fine," said Mace. "I made that decision. We were down, I think 17, and we had 15 points on the night. They were getting to the quarterback early and often.
"It was just kind of a decision that I felt, 'Let's get Jake in there. Let's get him some live reps.' Just looking forward to the future of our season."
At 39 Harris is having a season that makes him a candidate to be the CFL's most outstanding player. And he showed that prowess late in the second quarter, tossing touchdown passes to Dohnte Meyers and Dhel Duncan-Busby that gave Saskatchewan a 15-14 halftime lead.
That was the end of the Roughriders' short-lived offence, which tried vainly to establish a running attack against an incredible Stampeders defence that boasts 12 new starters from last season. Harris was intercepted twice on throws toward the sideline.
The Roughriders never looked organized on defence.
Cornerback Marcus Sayles was a late scratch and his replacement, safety Nelson Lokombo, got injured early in Saturday's contest. Halfback Rolan Milligan Jr. and linebacker Jameer Thurman grabbed interceptions, but Saskatchewan's tackling was atrocious and the league's best pass rush didn't add to its CFL-leading total of 28 sacks.
After not allowing a touchdown in two previous games, the Roughriders surrendered a rushing major by Dedrick Mills and passing TDs from Vernon Adams Jr. to Jalen Philpot, Daylen Baldwin and Eric Brooks.
It didn't help that Riders receiver KeeSean Johnson dropped a pass in the end zone and, one play later, veteran kicker Brett Lauther missed another 28-yard field goal.
With the league's lowest accuracy rate of 64 per cent, Lauther could be replaced before the Roughriders play host to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Sunday in the Labour Day Classic. Mace and Roughriders general manager Jeremy O'Day admire Lauther and praise his past accomplishments, but they admit he isn't meeting their expectations.
Sitting third at 6-4, the Blue Bombers have represented the West in five straight Grey Cups. The Roughriders rarely mention the playoffs or championships, but they do talk about improving as the season progresses. They even have a gesture to illustrate their progress, with a player stacking his arms one above the other to symbolize the climb.
The Stampeders sent the Roughriders in the opposite direction.
After Stamps DB Godfrey Onyeka took the football away from Meyers for a fourth-quarter interception, the former Rider pantomined the climbing gesture for a nearby TV camera. Then Onyeka smirked and, even more symbolically, turned two thumbs downward.