The Saskatchewan Roughriders have sent a message to the CFL. They're new and improved.
The Riders looked like a dominant force against the Tiger-Cats in the season opener as they blew away the home town team 43-16.
Darian Durant and Weston Dressler were on the same page all night as the duo combined for three touchdowns. Dressler had a career high with 180 yards and 13 catches.
Durant meanwhile had the start he was looking for this season. He ended up throwing for 390 yards and four touchdowns.
The game was undecided at halftime with the Riders leading 16-13 but they took over in the third quarter as Durant found Dressler for their second touchdown of the night on the first drive of the quarter. The Riders ended up outscoring Hamilton 27-3 in the second half.
The Riders also had touchdowns from Chris Getzlaf and Kory Sheets.
The Riders held Henry Burris to under 300 yards in his debut with the Tiger-Cats, while former Rider Andy Fantuz caught five passes for just 49 yards in his first regular season game as a Tiger-Cat.
Of the big question mark before the game, the offensive line played well for the Riders as Durant was only sacked once and the team had 121 yards rushing.
The Rider defense did have trouble containing Tiger-Cat running back Chevon Walker. Walker had 168-yards in total offense, including an 89-yard TD.
