Rider Nation basks in glow of Grey Cup win over Ticats Before a thundering, green-bleeding herd of diehard supporters, the Saskatchewan Roughriders seized a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to deliver a Grey Cup to the people of Regina. The Riders had failed in their past two attempts at the CFL's championship prize when they suffered back-to-back heartbreaks in the 2009 and "10 Cups. This time, playing the club's first title game in frenzied Rider Nation, they overpowered and out-numbered the Hamilton Tiger-Cats for a 45-23 win before an ecstatic crowd of 44,710. Saskatchewan running back Kory Sheets smashed a Grey Cup rushing record with 197 yards and two touchdowns as the game's most valuable player. Veteran slotback Geroy Simon hauled in two scoring shots as the team earned its first championship since 2007. They defeated Ticats boss Kent Austin, the man who delivered Regina Cups as both a player and a head coach. The Riders defence pressured Ticats quarterback Henry Burris and sacked him often. The 38-year-old quarterback and the resilient Hamilton team that had rallied to two dramatic playoff wins just kept hitting the wall. The Saskatchewan capital was overrun with overjoyed fans in green jerseys and wigs, overalls, watermelon heads and Pilsner beer cases folded into cowboy hats. Even the Santa Claus at the mall just a stone's throw from the stadium was wearing a green hat and cheering for the Riders. Any tiny pockets of any other CFL team colour inside the stadium were rendered invisible by the overwhelming wash of green. Ticats with the wind at their backs in the first quarter mustered only a field goal when former Rider kicker Luca Congi opened the scoring with a 45-yard kick early in the first quarter. Durant appeared jittery in the opening moments, fumbling on both of Saskatchewan's two opening offensive series. But it didn't last. The Riders pivot navigated a seven-play, 75-yard drive for Saskatchewan's first touchdown, culminating in a 15-yard pass to Geroy Simon for the lead. The 38-year-old veteran slotback known as Superman, who had already won two rings as a B.C Lion, recorded his first touchdown pass in a Grey Cup. Then to open the second quarter, Durant hit a wide-open Chris Getzlaf over the middle for a 38-yard pass, the Saskatchewan native who would earn the game's Most Valuable Canadian award. It set up a 20-yard field goal by Chris Milo. The Riders then diced through the Ticats on a seven-play, 50-yard drive, which Jock Sanders finished with a three-yard touchdown run. A sloppy snap between Burris and centre Marwan Hage led to a turnover, but it was cancelled out by a Durant fumble on the next series. The door was still open, but Hamilton couldn't walk through. Instead, the Riders took over and scored again. First, a 29-yard pass to Getzlaf delivered the Riders right to the goal line, and then Sheets bumped in the final yard for the major and a hefty 24-3 lead. The Ticats then managed a 20-yard field goal, but the Riders kept right on bullying as Durant connected on a 42-yard touchdown pass with Simon, the slotback's second on the night. Saskatchewan held a 31-6 lead at the half. The first down half-time painted a portrait of total dominance: the Riders had 18 first downs to Hamilton's five. The Ticats launched a small comeback in the second half. Burris ran in an 18-yard touchdown to chip away at the massive deficit, and the Ticats held the Riders scoreless in the third quarter. But the Riders slammed the door shut with more touchdowns - a catch by Weston Dressler and another short jiving run by the charismatic Sheets. The second-year back smashed the Grey Cup record set by Johnny Bright in 1956. When the final whistle blew, Rider Nation exploded in delirious joy, their green hearts beating with pride.