The Rouge and the Two-Point Conversion

It may be the social media circles I ride in, but I've enjoyed the attention received by Saskatchewan earning a rouge in Thursday's game and the potential rouge in Friday's Winnipeg-Calgary game. Canadian football does not have touchbacks. Downing the ball or being tackled in the end zone following an opponent's kick results in a rouge or single, which scores one point for the opponent; it is akin to a safety. (Punting or kicking the ball into the opponent's end zone that then goes out of bounds also scores one point.)

In Thursday's game, an American rookie on Edmonton's squad failed to run or kick the ball out of the end zone late in a tie game, with the result that Saskatchewan earned a rouge that proved to be the difference in the final score.

Click to enjoy: https://twitter.com/SickosCommittee/status/1677282813161230343

In Friday's game, Calgary missed a 47-yard field goal attempt, and Greg McRae, the Winnipeg return man who is also an American, understood the need to get the ball out of the end zone. McRae fielded the ball on the left side of the field, ran from left to right behind the goal line far longer than any special teams coach desires, and then turned it upfield and made a spectacular return before being tackled on Calgary's 12-yard line.