The offensive line opened up some sizeable holes as the Saskatchewan Roughriders closed out the game.
Saskatchewan rushed for 70 of the 83 total yards it produced on the final possession of Sunday’s season-opening, 17-13 CFL victory over the Edmonton Elks at Commonwealth Stadium.
“When they know we’re running and we know we’re running and everybody in the stands knows, that’s when you want to be able to do it,” Head Coach Craig Dickenson said.
“I was proud of the O-line. We started a little slowly in the run game but, as the game went on, I felt like we got better.”
The Roughriders had 29 yards to show for 12 handoffs to a tailback until Jamal Morrow and Frankie Hickson took over the game in the final four minutes.
Morrow had six carries for 58 yards on Saskatchewan’s final possession. Hickson added two rushes for 12 yards, including a back-breaking 10-yarder that produced the Roughriders’ fifth and final first down of the clinching drive.
Credit must be dispensed to centre Peter Godber, guards Evan Johnson and Logan Ferland, and tackles Brandon Council and Eric Lofton.
“We believe in ourselves,” Johnson said. “Of course, the Offensive Co-ordinator (Kelly Jeffrey) made the decision to trust us as well.
“We really took it to them. We were able to run the ball and we were able to run the clock out. We were able to impose our will late in the game.
“We still have a lot to work on, but we’re really happy being able to dominate in the last quarter.”
Saskatchewan’s offence performed in robust fashion after Edmonton was stopped on three consecutive quarterback sneaks from the one-yard line.
“That’s absolutely huge,” Johnson said. “Down on the one, having three plays to score with (the defence lined up) a full yard off (the line of scrimmage), that’s hard to sell for a defence to try to stop that, especially three times.
“Big props to our defence. They really played well all game, especially on that stand. They really gave us the chance to go down, win the game, and control the last drive. They gave us the spark to get the job done.”
On the final play of the goal-line stand, defensive halfback Rolan Milligan Jr. stopped the Elks’ Kai Locksley for a loss of two yards.
“It just brings the energy and the whole momentum of the game right back up to where we can play,” Johnson said.
“Obviously, we’re talking as we’re going on the field like this is our chance to win it. We were saying that the couple of drives before, too, but with a little extra momentum and a little extra energy, we were able to get the job done.”
The offensive line also kept quarterback Trevor Harris relatively clean, allowing only two sacks.
EMILUS EMERGES
Two minutes remained when the Roughriders found themselves in a second-and-eight situation.
It was the only time they absolutely had to throw a pass on the final possession.
That throw, placed perfectly by Harris with little margin for error, was caught by Samuel Emilus over the middle for a 13-yard gain.
The importance of that play was underlined when Emilus received a game ball from Dickenson during a locker-room celebration.
Emilus, whom Saskatchewan selected in the first round (seventh overall) of the 2023 CFL draft, caught three passes for a team-high 51 yards on Sunday.
His 38-yard connection with Harris gave the Roughriders a first down on Edmonton’s six-yard line during the second quarter.
As well, Emilus was the intended receiver when Edmonton was called for pass interference early in the first quarter.
After the officials marched off 26 yards, Saskatchewan scored on the next play. Which brings us to …
WALKER WALKS IN
Derel Walker scored the Roughriders’ first touchdown of 2023 when he hauled in a four-yarder from Harris at 5:49 of the first quarter.
Walker, a wide receiver, lined up in a tight end’s slot to the right of Lofton. When the ball was snapped, Walker ran from right to left (parallel to the line of scrimmage) while Harris faked a handoff to Morrow in highly convincing fashion.
The diversion having been created, all it took was a short flip to Walker for him to trot into the end zone.
“I can’t even put it into words,” he said. “I’m so grateful for that play call. It just made things so simple for me. It felt great.
“It was just an easy walk-in — probably the easiest touchdown I have ever scored.”
The play was prescribed by Jeffrey in his first game as an Offensive Co-ordinator at the CFL level.
“There was no one around,” Walker said. “The coaches put together a great scheme on that play.
“I was just waiting for it to get called, because I knew what the outcome was going to be. There was no one within yards.”
Walker has caught all three of Harris’s TD passes as a Roughrider — one in the Green and White intra-squad game, one in pre-season play, and another one on Sunday.
The touchdown catch was the 34th in the CFL for Walker, who previously spent six seasons with Edmonton and one with the Toronto Argonauts.
One more note about Walker: He made a key block on Morrow’s 28-yard run late in the fourth quarter, as did Godber, Lofton and Ferland.
TRUTH FROM TREVOR
Harris provided a candid self-assessment after going 20-for-33 for 179 yards, with one touchdown and two interceptions, in his debut with the Roughriders.
“There’s a few things across the board for all of us, but I can’t miss a few throws that I missed today,” he said after Sunday’s game.
“I obviously turned the football over, and that’s something that I’ve done a pretty good job of avoiding my entire career.
“I’ll make sure to get better at that, because those are situations where, with as good a defence as we have, as long as we don’t put them in bad situations, we’re going to be just fine.
“We’re going to put together multiple scoring drives every game. We have to make sure we clean up some of these mistakes and I have to make sure that I don’t put us in bad positions like that. It’s just inexcusable.”
The aforementioned goal-line stand took place shortly after Harris was intercepted by Nyles Morgan at Saskatchewan’s 21-yard line.
“If you had been down on the sidelines, there was total belief,” Harris said. “Even after I threw a boneheaded interception like that, a couple of guys just came up to me and said, ‘We think you’re the best. You don’t have to worry about anything. You go out and just be you, man. We know you’re going to make plays to finish the game.’
“During those moments when you feel like you’ve put the team in a bad spot, for people to say that was great.”
The latter description should soon apply to the Roughriders’ offence.
“We’re so early on in our offence,” Harris said. “We’re not going to be perfect early, but I really feel that this offence has the makings of something special.
“Rome wasn’t built in a day, but this offence is going to be special by the time we get a few weeks under our belt.”
ROLAN WITH THE PUNCHES
In addition to making the game-changing tackle, Milligan Jr. registered an interception, a team-high five defensive tackles and one pass knockdown.
The deflection thwarted what would have been a 10-yard, first-quarter touchdown pass from Taylor Cornelius to Eugene Lewis.
Later in the first half, Milligan Jr. injured a finger.
“It got a little dislocated,” he said, “but I got it right.”
Once the dislocated digit was snapped back into place — ouch! — a timely tape job provided the necessary stability and eased some of the discomfort.
“I just try and be here for my teammates,” Milligan Jr. said. “I want them to be able to rely on me to do my job and to handle my business like I’m supposed to. If I’m available to do it, that’s what I’m supposed to do.
“It wasn’t too crazy. I just had to make sure it was all right and then I was back in there, ready to go.”
Milligan Jr. addressed it all in a matter-of-fact manner, leaving it to the head coach to marvel about the third-year Roughriders defensive back.
“Outstanding football player,” Dickenson said. “Outstanding person.
“He was the guy who made the tackle on the goal line. He intercepted the ball playing with a dislocated finger.
“He’s awesome. I love the guy.”
SHORT SNORTS
- The Roughriders’ defensive front bothered Cornelius to the tune of five sacks while also limiting Edmonton to 73 yards on 16 rushes. Subtract a 24-yard run by Kevin Brown and a 14-yard scramble by Cornelius and the Elks eked out 35 yards over their remaining 14 rushes.
- Four of the Roughriders’ five sacks were made by a defensive tackle — namely Micah Johnson, DeMarcus Christmas, Miles Brown and Charbel Dabire. The fifth sacker (defensive end Anthony Lanier II) was primarily a tackle during his breakout season of 2022.
- A study in opposites: Saskatchewan averaged 4.1 yards on first downs and 7.0 yards on second downs. Edmonton, by contrast, averaged 8.1 yards on first downs but only 1.4 on second downs. The Elks managed only 23 yards over 17 second-down plays.
- Saskatchewan was 13-for-26 (50%) on second-down conversions. Edmonton was 4-for-18 (22.2%). And here’s one! In second-down situations where seven or more yards were required, Saskatchewan was 10-for-18 (55.6%). Edmonton was 1-for-12 (8.3%).
- Edmonton’s 18-game home-field losing streak began on Oct. 26, 2019, when the Roughriders won 27-24 on a last-play, 43-yard field goal by Brett Lauther.
- Adam Korsak’s first CFL game was a gem. So was his first CFL punt. Over the course of the game, Korsak averaged 50.7 yards on seven punts. Net average: 43.7 yards. His introductory punt was a 51-yarder that rolled out of bounds at the one-yard line. To conclude the fourth quarter, Korsak launched a 64-yarder that was retrieved on the Elks’ two-yard line and returned for a gain of six. (Yes, Korsak got a game ball.)
- Eighteen of the 33 passes thrown by Harris were intended for either Shawn Bane Jr. (who was targeted 10 times) or Jake Wieneke (eight). Bane Jr. had a team-high six receptions for 36 yards, along with a 15-yard run (on second-and-10). Wieneke caught four passes for 46 yards.
- Mario Alford’s lone kickoff return was a 62-yarder that was aided by blocks from Hickson, Emilus, Albert Awachie, Nelson Lokombo and Lake Korte-Moore.
- Lewis accounted for 73.2 per cent of Edmonton’s receiving yards (148 of 202). His 102-yard TD was Edmonton’s first 100-plus-yard reception since Walker went off for 101 — also in a season opener (2018).
- Edmonton had the game’s first four offensive plays of 10 yards or more. Saskatchewan countered with the next seven — and 15 of the final 19.
- Amari Henderson had three of the Roughriders’ five pass knockdowns. Milligan and Nic Marshall had the other two.
- The Roughriders are to return to action Friday, 7 p.m., against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. A “Dad’s Night Out” theme is being rolled out in conjunction with Father’s Day weekend.
