Kevin Glenn is doing things by the numbers

Kevin Glenn keeps putting up impressive numbers.

Take the number three, for example.

In a recent popularity poll conducted by Mainstreet Research and Postmedia, Glenn came in at No. 3 on the list of Saskatchewan’s most-liked people.

“For real?” the Saskatchewan Roughriders quarterback said Wednesday when told of the poll. “I get it now. I’ve been recognized a lot lately. I’ve been in the grocery store. Just walking down the street, I got a breakfast. I’m getting a lot of like, ‘Hey, you’re the quarterback! You’re that guy!’ …

“It explains all the stares now in the grocery store and people peeking down the aisle and then when you look, they turn. It’s pretty cool.”

Glenn finished behind former Roughriders/current Montreal Alouettes quarterback Darian Durant (“He’s not here right now, so we have to disqualify him,” Glenn said) and Tisdale-born comedian Brent Butt.

No. 3 isn’t bad for Glenn, who’s in his third go-round with the CFL’s Roughriders. But in reality, the 38-year-old pivot is on pace to set (or come close to setting) career highs in a lot of personal statistics.

Glenn has completed 200 of 285 pass attempts for 2,344 yards with 16 touchdown passes in eight games this season. If he keeps up his current pace — which admittedly will be tough to do — he’ll finish with 450 completions in 641 attempts for 5,274 yards with 36 TDs.

His career bests in those categories are 388 completions (which he managed in 2007 with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and again in 2010 with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats), 621 attempts (2007, Winnipeg), 5,117 yards (2007, Winnipeg) and 33 TDs (2010, Hamilton).

He also has thrown eight interceptions this season, which puts him on pace for 18. His career high is 20, set in 2008 with Winnipeg.

Glenn’s completion percentage to date this season is 70.2. The best such number in his career so far is 70.7, which he recorded in 10 games with the Alouettes last season.

He also has carried the ball 17 times for 63 yards, putting him on pace to rush 38 times for 142 yards. His career highs are 41 carries (2007, Winnipeg) and 194 yards (2006, Winnipeg). He also has two rushing TDs this season, one off his career high (2004, Winnipeg).

Not surprisingly, the 17-year CFL veteran passed on the credit when asked about his numbers to date.

“A quarterback’s success is built off of the players who are around him; I firmly believe in that,” Glenn said. “This is the ultimate team sport and no one man can do it by himself.

“Any one man’s success in football is credited to the guys around him when you play good team football. That’s why I always stress that if you do what you’re supposed to do in order to make the team successful, all those individual accolades will happen.”

This season, Glenn already has achieved some milestones.

On July 22, he became just the seventh quarterback in CFL history to exceed 50,000 passing yards in a career. On Aug. 5, he moved past Roughriders legend Ron Lancaster into sixth place on the league’s all-time passing yardage list.

Glenn enters Sunday’s Labour Day Classic against Winnipeg with 51,173 career yards passing. Danny McManus sits in fifth place on the all-time list with 53,255 yards passing.

And there are more numbers to consider.

Glenn threw two touchdown passes in Saskatchewan’s 54-31 victory over the Edmonton Eskimos on Friday. That gave him 284 career TD passes and tied him for seventh on the CFL’s all-time list with Tracy Ham.

The win Friday was the 98^th of Glenn’s career, leaving him one behind Tom Clements for ninth in league history. (Glenn also is one of only five quarterbacks in league history with 100 career losses, joining Damon Allen [141], Anthony Calvillo [110], Henry Burris [108] and Ricky Ray [101] — but we digress).

Glenn’s impressive statistics this season may surprise some, but not his teammates.

“Nobody can succeed just off of youth and ability,” said Roughriders receiver Duron Carter, who also was one of Glenn’s teammates in Montreal. “It takes time, experience, having made the throws before, having seen games and having been down in games and up in games. He has seen everything from both sides on almost every team.

“K.G. is definitely one of the most well-equipped guys to play in the CFL right now.”

Glenn was signed as a free agent in the off-season after the Roughriders traded Durant to Montreal. Glenn has led Saskatchewan to a 4-4-0 record, all while being a good fit for the Roughriders’ ball-control offence.

In Carter’s mind, Glenn has been put in a good situation by the Roughriders’ offensive coaches and he’s making the most of it.

“He’s a great offensive manager,” Carter said. “If we were a grocery store, I’d want Kevin running our grocery store. He knows where everything’s going to be and he knows where everybody is supposed to go. We wouldn’t be anywhere without him, I’ll tell you that.”

“(Having this kind of season is) exciting, but we’re not finished,” Glenn added. “It’s not something that I want to just rest on. I want to continue to keep trying to play good football and put my team in the best position to be successful.”