Thanks to Adam Korsak, the Saskatchewan Roughriders were able to win on Sunday and Monday.
Korsak punted seven times for a 50.7-yard average on Sunday in Edmonton to help the Roughriders defeat the Elks 17-13.
In Korsak’s native Melbourne, Australia, the CFL game kicked off on Monday at 9:08 a.m., when friends and family members began watching the live feed of a most auspicious professional football debut.
“They messaged me after the game saying ‘congratulations on the win’ and stuff,” Korsak said after Tuesday’s practice at Mosaic Stadium.
“I have yet to speak to them on the phone, so I’ll maybe call them tonight and get their thoughts. They were able to work it out, which was good.”
Good would be a colossal understatement if used to describe Korsak’s first CFL punt, in particular.
Early in the first quarter, he unloaded a 51-yarder that rolled out of bounds at the Elks’ one-yard line.
“It’s always good to get a bit lucky and the ball rolls out perfectly,” Korsak said.
“It was good to get a good one away first up and kind of get the nerves at bay.”
After Week 1, Korsak is second in the league in gross average (50.7) and net average (43.7). The Calgary Stampeders’ Cody Grace, who is also from Australia, posted averages of 52.5 and 47.7.
The numbers are nice, but Korsak was most pleased with the digits on the Commonwealth Stadium scoreboard.
“The boys got a great win, so it’s awesome to be a part of a win like that,” said Korsak, who doubles as the holder for placekicker Brett Lauther. “We’ll get better each week, especially with the specialists as we get more comfortable.
“Jorgen (Hus) snapped the ball really well and the guys protected really well and we covered really well, so it was a great team win in the end.”
Korsak was chosen third overall in the CFL’s Global Draft on May 2.
He joined the Roughriders after starring at Rutgers University and winning the Ray Guy Award — presented annually to the top punter in NCAA football — in 2022.
“I’m very fortunate that I can still be playing football,” Korsak said. “I obviously played five years in college and I’m able to just continue playing.
“Being around the boys every day and in the locker room, there’s nothing better.”
QB WATCH
The Roughriders are playing a bit of a waiting game in advance of Friday’s home opener against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (7 p.m., Mosaic Stadium).
Quarterback Trevor Harris is being treated cautiously, at least for now.
“I think he’s going to be fine,” Head Coach Craig Dickenson said following Tuesday’s practice. “He’s got a little hip pointer, so we just wanted him to watch the other guys work today.
“It’s a short week, so we held him back today. We expect him to practise fully tomorrow.”
Harris was hurt on the Roughriders’ final offensive play on Sunday.
With the objective of exhausting precious seconds in the waning stages of the game, Harris rolled to his right and eventually threw away the football — a tactic that left Edmonton on its 24-yard line with just one tick left on the clock.
“It’s the right call,” Dickenson said. “I get hired to try to win games and put guys in good situations and we just didn’t execute it very well.”
After the Roughriders’ third-down incompletion-by-design, it was desperation time for the Elks.
Before Edmonton quarterback Taylor Cornelius could attempt a Hail Mary pass, he was felled by Charbel Dabire for Saskatchewan’s fifth sack of the day.
Although Harris was at Tuesday’s practice and in uniform, most of the first-team reps went to No. 2 quarterback Mason Fine.
INJURY UPDATE
Roughriders receiver Derel Walker did not practice on Tuesday. He was hurt late in Sunday’s game while blocking for running back Jamal Morrow on a 28-yard gain.
Asked about Walker’s status, Dickenson said: “We’ll probably have more on him tomorrow, but we held him out today.”
The eighth-year CFL receiver had three catches for 28 yards, including a touchdown, in his first game as a Roughrider.
Dickenson also disclosed that offensive lineman Philip Blake has undergone surgery to repair a torn pectoral muscle.
Blake, who is on the six-game injury list, was hurt June 2 in a 28-16 pre-season victory over Winnipeg at IG Field.
“It’s going to be a long-term injury,” said Dickenson, who hopes Blake will be able to return by season’s end.
LANIER LAUDED
Roughriders defensive end Anthony Lanier II had the CFL’s third-highest player grade in Week 1, according to Pro Football Focus.
Lanier II received a grade of 84.2 for his efforts against Edmonton.
First on the list was Montreal Alouettes defensive back Ciante Evans (85.7), followed by Blue Bombers offensive tackle Jermarcus Hardrick (84.2).
The Roughriders’ Peter Godber was the league’s top-rated centre in Week 1.
Player grades are part of the league’s new partnership with PFF.
