Robservations: Dolegala data deluge … Trevor’s take … Riders’ top 10 catches … and lots of names
Jake Dolegala has helped the Saskatchewan Roughriders pull off a rare hat trick — or a helmet trick, to use football parlance.
On Sunday, he became the third Roughriders starting quarterback to lead the team to victory during the 2023 CFL season.
He joined Trevor Harris and Mason Fine as the triumphant starters for the 5-5 Roughriders, who are coming off a 34-29 victory over the visiting B.C. Lions.
In the modern (post-Second World War) history of the Roughriders, there are only three other instances of the team celebrating at least one victory with three different starting quarterbacks by the 10-game mark.
The briskest pace was set in 2008, when Marcus Crandell, Darian Durant and Michael Bishop all tasted victory by mid-season. Saskatchewan hit the nine-game mark when Bishop, making his debut with the Green and White, was behind centre for a 19-6 victory over the visiting Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Labour Day weekend.
The 2008 edition went on to become the first (and heretofore only) Roughriders team to win with four different quarterbacks of record. Steven Jyles got the nod in Saskatchewan’s 17th regular-season game of 2008.
Three other Roughriders teams have deployed the season’s third victorious starter in the 10th game.
Rocky Butler completed the trifecta in 2002 (following Nealon Greene and Kevin Glenn) and 2006 (after Kerry Joseph and Marcus Crandell).
The same time frame applied to this season’s troika of Harris, Fine and Dolegala.
There are four other examples of Saskatchewan winning with three starters over the course of a season.
1953: Frank Tripucka, Glenn Dobbs, Frank Filchock. (Filchock became No. 3 in the 12th game.)
1983: Joe (747) Adams, John Hufnagel, Homer Jordan. (Jordan got on the board in the 15th game.)
2001: Glenn, Marvin Graves, Keith Smith. (Smith completed the hat trick in Game 14.)
2014: Durant, Joseph, Tino Sunseri. (Joseph made it No. 3 in the regular-season finale.)
One more Dolegala note!
Last weekend, he became the first player to throw three touchdown passes in his first or second start with Saskatchewan since July 19, 2008, when Durant connected for three majors in a 41-33 victory over the visiting Montreal Alouettes. That was Durant’s second start for the Roughriders.
TREVOR’S TAKE
Harris can relate to Dolegala in many ways, considering the long, meandering roads that both players navigated en route to the CFL and, eventually, to starting status.
So I thought it would be interesting to solicit the perspective of someone who has been there, done that.
“(Dolegala) had tons of pitstops before coming up here,” Harris said. “I played on a lot of different teams in a short amount of time and he’s the same way, but it goes to show the talent and the ability that he has.
“You don’t have all these teams bringing him in unless he has some rare traits. You see those rare traits with his arm strength and even with his athletic ability.
“Shoot, if you even go watch him play golf, he’s probably the best golfer on the team. It’s probably not even close. He’s an absolute stud in golf.
“He’s one of those guys who is very talented in a lot of ways.”
Those talents were on display last weekend when Dolegala found Kian Schaffer-Baker, Jerreth Sterns and Samuel Emilus for TDs against a B.C. defence that is one of the league’s best.
Dolegala demonstrated the electric throwing arm that has long been a trademark. But there is much more to the equation.
“He’s a great anticipatory thrower,” Harris noted. “He’s able to see things before they’re happening.
“When you evaluate quarterbacks, that’s something you really want to see. Are they accurate? Are they tough and competitive? Do the guys love him? Can they throw with anticipation?”
Yes, yes, yes and yes.
Then you factor in Dolegala’s awe-inspiring arm strength.
“There’s only a few who I’ve been around who really have that type of arm, but the great ones are able to take that arm and be able to tone it down and have some touch on it, because how many times do you need to throw it 70 yards in a game?
“Now, if you need to, Jake can do it, but he’s able to put some touch on passes as well.
“I couldn’t think of a handful of guys I’ve played with who have stronger arms than him.”
ARMS RACE
Who has the strongest arm in Roughriders history?
I posed that question in the best-selling, June 23, 2020 edition of the Regina Leader-Post. Then I answered it myself.
The aforementioned Michael Bishop led the top-10 list — an arbitrary assessment, I acknowledge, but there weren’t many people who disagreed.
Bishop was followed by Henry Burris, Joe (747) Adams, Kerry Joseph, Glenn Dobbs, Kevin Mason, Brandon Bridge, Warren Jones, Harold Smith and Ed Buzzell.
That was a pre-Dolegala poll, though, so where would he rank?
The top three of Bishop, Burris and Adams is pretty difficult to crack, so let’s slide in Dolegala at No. 4 and allow for the possibility of an eventual ascent to the podium.
TOP 10, PART 2
With Dolegala playing a key role, my list of the top 10 catches in Roughriders history (as witnessed by this dusty historian) has required some alterations.
Dolegala’s third TD pass on Sunday was a 37-yarder to Emilus, who caught the football at its highest point — pilfering the pigskin from the fingertips of B.C.’s Marcus Sayles — and rolled into the end zone.
So, Mr. Historian, where does that one rank?
- Joey Walters: His diving, one-handed touchdown catch against B.C. on July 18, 1982 at Taylor Field will always be No. 1 in my books. I mean, a photo of the catch is my screen-saver! How does anyone counter that?
- Duron Carter: His one-handed, backhanded stab of a Glenn aerial for an 18-yard major against the visiting Toronto Argonauts quickly went viral on July 29, 2017. In fact, the grab is still shown on many “best of …” compilations.
- Samuel Emilus: Welcome to the podium, Sam!
- Bob Richardson: The burly tight end pretty much punched the Roughriders’ ticket to the 1976 Grey Cup game with a fourth-quarter, one-handed, 25-yard TD catch in the Western Conference final against Edmonton. As Ron Lancaster said afterward: “That wasn’t a pass. It was a catch.”
- Don Narcisse: How do you limit No. 80 to just one? A challenge, yes, but one we will embrace. On Oct. 17, 1993, Narcisse made a one-handed TD catch of a Kent Austin aerial during a lopsided victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Let’s go with that one. Perhaps a list of Narcisse’s top 10 (or 20?) catches is in order.
- Rob Bagg: The Roughriders’ No. 6 one-handed a pass that was behind him during a Sept. 24, 2017 home date with the Calgary Stampeders. I put Bagg at No. 6 simply because, well, his uniform number made it a nice fit. It should probably be higher, but who gets bumped?
- Steve Mazurak: The first great, great, great, great catch I ever witnessed in person. On Sept. 1, 1975, he made a diving, over-the-shoulder catch of a Lancaster bomb for a 54-yard gain against Winnipeg. It was entirely appropriate that, late in the fourth quarter, “Maz” caught the game-winning TD pass.
- Ray Elgaard: In the 1989 West Division final at Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium, Elgaard’s second TD of the day resulted from a leaping catch in the right corner of the end zone. Overall, it was a stunning display of athleticism, as the future Hall of Famer somehow managed to land in-bounds.
- Chris DeFrance: Narcisse 2.0. How do you pick just one DeFrance catch? Hmmm. How about the beauty from Aug. 9, 1981? Against the Lions at Taylor Field, DeFrance caught a 25-yarder from John Hufnagel despite being hit from both sides by a B.C. defensive back. The catch, in and of itself, was impressive. Then DeFrance held on despite being crunched not once, but twice. He did that all the time. All. The Time.
- Ryan Smith: A leaping, twisting, gravity-defying 41-yard catch by Smith on July 4, 2015 against Toronto rivalled Carter’s 2017 dazzler for sheer social-media buzz. Toronto went on to win 43-40 in overtime. The victorious quarterback: Trevor Harris.
ROLL CREDITS …
- Nice people who deserve a plug: Navee Chantal Jasper, Rex Harrison Jones, Anthony Partipilo, Arielle Zerr, Eva Fletcher, John Phillips, Morgan Fleury, Seth Strankman, Ally Chmielnicki, Mark Habicht, Jenn Senger, Mitchell Saretzky, Tyler Daku, Jacqueline Hurlbert, Rebecca Perigny, Jenn Senger, Marnie Forsberg, Caleb Blundell, Karina Peterson, Kelly Peterson, Phyllis Littletent, Zayden Littletent, Meekah Littletent, Chase Littletent, Terri Wiest, Jo Shepherd, Josh Robins, Carissa Robins, Elizabeth Robins, Weston Robins, Bryce Hitchens, Frank Kovacs, Erwin Klempner, Dick White, Kevin Gallant, Philip Blake, Logan Ferland, Jason Shivers, Jeremy Clark, Craig Dickenson, Bob Dickenson, Sue Dickenson, Wanda Harron, Dave Harron, Dan Plaster, Dante De Caria, Barry Clarke, Allison Bamford, Cal Filson, Trey Reider, Rod Fink, Jeff Fairholm, Brett Lauther, Godfrey Onyeka, A.J. Allen, Anthony Lanier II, Rolan Milligan Jr., Tim Iannone, Stuart McComish, Allan Ly, Peter Mills, Bob Smith, Barry Taman, Frank Flegel, Brent Buchko, Mike Thomas, Diya Jyjesh, Mussarat Parveen, Jason Nicurity, Tom Pura, Glen Duck, Lance Donison and Cindy Margetts.
