The Roughriders’ defence is prepared to tackle a big challenge

The CFL contest Saturday at McMahon Stadium literally won’t be a head-to-head matchup between Saskatchewan Roughriders middle linebacker Henoc Muamba and Calgary Stampeders tailback Jerome Messam.
That’s the Roughriders’ plan, anyway. There are 11 other players on Saskatchewan’s defence who will be tasked with helping Muamba bring down Messam, the Stampeders’ hulking tailback.
“It’s never going to be a one-on-one thing — but if it’s a one-on-one with me and Messam, I like my chances,” Muamba said with a smile after Thursday’s practice at Mosaic Stadium. “For the whole defence, we preach it from the beginning of the year: It’s a trust thing and we never want to make it one-on-one.
“We’ve got 12 guys. What’s the point of going one-on-one?”
That said, the 6-foot-0, 240-pound Muamba does have experience taking on the 6-foot-3, 255-pound Messam. Muamba’s first season in the CFL was 2011, one year after Messam made his debut in the league.
“We’ve had our battles over the years,” confirmed Muamba. “He has won a few and I’ve won a few … For some reason, I specifically remember (a game in 2013 when) he was playing in Montreal and I was in Winnipeg and we went at it.
“He’s a good back, we know that, but I feel like we’re prepared.”
Chris Jones has had to contend with Messam for eight seasons now, so the Roughriders’ head coach and defensive co-ordinator knows what it takes to keep the big running back in check.
“You’ve got to get a whole bunch of people there,” Jones said. “You can’t expect one guy to tackle him. You’ve got to get two and three and four guys to the ball. Then, when we get there, we’ve got to try to strip (the ball).”
Jones doesn’t plan to load up the box against Messam just because he’s a tough man to bring down. The Roughriders will run-blitz if necessary, Jones said, but they’ll rely on their defensive keys to try to stuff the Stampeders’ star.
Messam has rushed 48 times for 188 yards and a touchdown in Calgary’s four games this season. He entered the week ranked third in the CFL’s rushing derby.
But he’s coming off a four-carry, one-yard performance against the Montreal Alouettes on July 14. That game ended early for Messam, who was ejected three minutes into the second quarter for grabbing the facemask of Als linebacker Chip Cox and pulling him to the ground.
On Thursday, the CFL announced it had fined Messam an undisclosed amount for grabbing Cox’s facemask in what the league called “a reckless and unsafe manner.”
On Saturday, the Roughriders will be looking to pull down Messam as quickly as they can.
“It’s fun (tackling Messam),” said defensive end Willie Jefferson, who gives up 15 pounds to the Stampeders’ tailback. “If you get your pads on him early, it’s really fun to run him down and get him to the ground.
“I can’t really say anything bad about him. I don’t want to say anything bad about him. I’m just looking forward to seeing him Saturday and making a lot of noise with my pads. I’ll leave it at that.”
Roughriders defensive tackle Eddie Steele had a similar view. 
“He’s a hard runner, but he ain’t a world-beater,” said the 280-pound Steele who, as a seventh-year CFLer, has faced Messam before. “(Montreal’s) Tyrell Sutton, in my opinion, runs the hardest in the league.
“Messam’s a good running back, but I’m not looking at him like he’s this almighty test. I’ve played against him for years. He’s Jerome Messam.”
Offensive tackle Derek Dennis played a season and a half with Calgary before signing with the Roughriders this off-season. Like many CFL defenders, Dennis has absorbed some hits from Messam during his runs.
“Mess is a large man, so him getting through holes without hitting you is not possible,” Dennis said with a chuckle. “If you’ve got a 6-foot-3, 6-foot-4, 260-pound running back, he’s going to hit you a few times. But he did a good job of not doing it as often as most.”
In fact, Dennis suggested that he probably has been hit more in the back this season by Roughriders tailback Cameron Marshall than by any running back with whom Dennis has ever played. But in Dennis’ mind, blocking for a 255-pound back isn’t any different than blocking for a 200-pounder.
“If a back has certain attributes, certain skills, it makes your job easier,” Dennis said. “I don’t think Cam is any different a runner than Jerome is. The only difference may be the size, but that doesn’t really matter much. Cam plays just as big and just as physical. He’s a feisty dude.”
The Roughriders went into Week 5 of the regular season ranked fifth in the league in rushing defence at 74.0 yards per game. Calgary’s offence, meanwhile, was seventh in the league with 70.3 yards rushing per game entering the week.
According to Muamba, the key to defending a back like Messam is to be disciplined and to remember that 11 other defenders are there to help. It’s also important to remember one other thing.
“At the end of the day, this Calgary team is more than just Jerome Messam,” Muamba said. “We’ve got to deal with a lot of different guys who do a lot of little things well.
“We’re excited, though, for the challenge.”