HAMILTON — Brandon Bridge achieved several firsts Friday.
That said, the Saskatchewan Roughriders quarterback would have liked to achieve several more first downs.
Asked after Saskatchewan’s 27-19 CFL victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats about the offence’s struggles in the second half, Bridge said he took “full responsibility for that.”
“At the quarterback position, everything is on you,” said Bridge, who led the Roughriders to just three first downs in the second half of what turned into a nailbiter. “A couple of plays were there and I just didn’t take them. I probably didn’t trust (the situation).
“It’s definitely on me. I’ve got to get better.”
Even so, Bridge was pretty good. He was 16-for-21 passing for 178 yards and two touchdowns in the first half before finishing 21-for-31 for 231 yards and three TDs.
In the process, the 25-year-old product of Mississauga, Ont., became the first Canadian quarterback to:
• Start a CFL game for the Roughriders since Eric Guthrie faced the Edmonton Eskimos on Nov. 6, 1977;
• Throw a touchdown pass for Saskatchewan since Guthrie did it on Oct. 30, 1977, versus Hamilton;
• Be part of a homegrown quarterback-tailback tandem in a CFL game — along with Kienan LaFrance — since Russ Jackson and Ron Stewart of the 1969 Ottawa Rough Riders;
• Start and win a CFL contest since the Calgary Stampeders’ Greg Vavra turned the trick on Oct. 14, 1985, against the Toronto Argonauts; and,
• Throw three TDs in a CFL game since Vavra did it on Sept. 9, 1984, for Calgary against Saskatchewan.
“It feels pretty good,” Bridge said of that last accomplishment. “Obviously, it has been such a long time.
“Like I said earlier, I’m trying to open up doors for the younger generation who are Canadians who want to play quarterback. I’m trying to lay that first stone so it’s an easier path for them.”
Bridge and the Stampeders’ Andrew Buckley are the only two Canadians currently listed as quarterbacks on their teams’ rosters. Other Canucks who were university quarterbacks — players like Ottawa Redblacks receiver Brad Sinopoli and former Montreal Alouettes safety Marc-Olivier Brouillette — had to change positions when they ascended to the CFL.
CFL teams can have three quarterbacks of any nationality on their rosters for games, so there isn’t any benefit to deploying a Canadian pivot when it comes to the national-international ratio. As a result, clubs typically use Americans in the belief that they have better training.
Bridge, who played collegiately at Alcorn State University and the University of South Alabama, believed he had a chance to be the Roughriders’ No. 1 QB after last season’s starter, Darian Durant, was traded to Montreal in January.
But the Roughriders signed Kevin Glenn as a free agent after dealing Durant and Glenn — who’s in his 17th CFL season — won the No. 1 job.
Bridge backed up Glenn through the first nine-plus games of the 2017 season, seeing action primarily in mop-up duty. But Glenn injured his throwing hand in Saskatchewan’s 48-28 loss to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Sept. 9 and that injury kept him out of Friday’s game.
As a result, Bridge made his first start for Saskatchewan and the second of his CFL career. He also led the Alouettes on Nov. 8, 2015, in their 30-24 overtime loss to the Roughriders.
“He did pretty well,” offensive tackle Thaddeus Coleman said after Friday’s contest. “He handled it a lot better than some guys were thinking. The pressure didn’t get to him at all. I was surprised myself. I’m really happy for the guy.”
“He did awesome,” added receiver Naaman Roosevelt. “He controlled the offence, he was poised the whole game and he made the right reads. I thought he did a good job all around.”
Roosevelt noted the offence undergoes a change when Bridge plays instead of Glenn.
The 5-foot-10, 205-pound Glenn is more of a pocket passer whose quick throws work well in Saskatchewan’s ball-control offence. The 6-foot-5, 230-pound Bridge, on the other hand, likes to move around inside and outside of the pocket — and to display his strong arm.
“He has a big arm, so I know he wants to throw it deep all the time,” Roosevelt said. “He also wants to run with it and we tell him, ‘Hey, if you don’t see anything, run the ball.’ He has been doing a good job of running and still looking downfield to help us get open.”
Bridge is now 34-for-51 passing for 434 yards with six touchdowns and one interception this season. He also has rushed four times for 20 yards and a TD.
On Friday, he was sacked three times, tackled for losses five times, and lost one of his two fumbles. Roughriders head coach-GM Chris Jones said Bridge “played decent” in the first half, but noted the offence has to do a better job of staying on the field when the team has a lead.
That message resonated with Bridge.
“I had a great week of preparation,” he said. “I knew the whole system. I knew the game plan. It was a very good game plan for what (the Tiger-Cats) ran. But at the end of the day, in the second half, I’ve definitely got to play better.”
