On this statistical tangent, we turn our focus on the arms race — the jockeying for positions atop the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ single-game passing categories.
The choice spots on the podium are typically reserved for Ron Lancaster, Kent Austin and Darian Durant (not necessarily in that order).
But there are some names, and some games, that may surprise you.
And, in the first example, there is a dead heat.
Most Games, Four-Plus TDs
8 — Kent Austin, Darian Durant and Ron Lancaster.
5 — Tom Burgess.
3 — Glenn Dobbs.
2 — Henry Burris, Kevin Glenn and Kerry Joseph.
1 — Joe (747) Adams, Joe Barnes, John Hufnagel and Bob Ptacek.
Austin is the regular-season leader, with eight. Durant, who threw four TD passes in the 2012 West Division semi-final against the host Calgary Stampeders, is one behind Austin on the regular-season list.
Three of Lancaster’s four-plus-TDs games were in the playoffs.
Now, let’s raise the bar a little …
Most Games, Five-Plus TDs
3 — Kent Austin.
2 — Tom Burgess and Ron Lancaster.
1 — Joe Barnes, Henry Burris and Darian Durant.
- Burris and Durant reached the magic number of five with the benefit of overtime.
Included in Austin’s tally is a team-record six-TD performance against the host B.C. Lions on Sept. 21, 1991.
Burgess’s pair of five-TD performances were separated by a month during the championship season of 1989.
The eyebrow-raiser here is Barnes, who threw for five scores against the host Montreal Alouettes on Aug. 2, 1981.
As a Roughrider, Barnes never threw three or four TD passes in game, instead taking the elevator directly to the fifth floor.
Hence the “1” beside Barnes’ name on the following list:
Most Games, Three-Plus TDs
39 — Ron Lancaster.
24 — Darian Durant.
18 — Kent Austin.
8 — Henry Burris and Glenn Dobbs.
7 — Tom Burgess.
6 — Frank Tripucka.
4 — Kerry Joseph and Kevin Glenn.
3 — Joe (747) Adams, John Hufnagel and Bob Ptacek.
2 — Jake Dolegala, Cody Fajardo, Marvin Graves, Nealon Greene, Warren Jones, Reggie Slack, Brett Smith and Rick Worman.
1 — Don Allard, Joe Barnes, Michael Bishop, Brandon Bridge, Rocky Butler, Marcus Crandell, Trevor Harris, Homer Jordan, Jimmy Kemp and Drew Willy.
- The totals include playoff/Grey Cup totals of seven (Lancaster), five (Durant) and one (Austin, Burris).
Shifting the focus from touchdowns to yards, we bring you the following lists, each of which incorporate regular-season, playoff and Grey Cup totals:
Most Games, 500-Plus Yards
4 — Kent Austin.
1 — Darian Durant.
Most Games, 400-Plus Yards
19 — Kent Austin.
7 — Darian Durant.
4 — Henry Burris.
2 — Joe (747) Adams, Jake Dolegala, Cody Fajardo, Ron Lancaster and Joe Paopao.
1 — Tom Burgess, Kevin Glenn, Trevor Harris, John Hufnagel, Kerry Joseph and Walter (Oke) Olson.
Most Games, 300-Plus Yards
46 — Kent Austin.
35 — Darian Durant.
28 — Ron Lancaster.
12 — Henry Burris.
10 — Tom Burgess, Cody Fajardo and Kevin Glenn.
9 — Kerry Joseph and Joe Paopao.
7 — Joe (747) Adams and Reggie Slack.
4 — Frank Tripucka.
3 — Homer Jordan.
2 — Joe Barnes, Michael Bishop, Zach Collaros, Marcus Crandell, Jake Dolegala, John Hufnagel and Rick Worman.
1 — Johnny Cook, Glenn Dobbs, Mason Fine, Mitchell Gale, Nealon Greene, Marvin Graves, Trevor Harris, Warren Jones, Kevin Mason, Walter (Oke) Olson, Bob Ptacek, Bernard Quarles, Danny Sanders and Steve Sarkisian.
Some thoughts …
- Note the domination of Austin in the 400-Plus category, even though he was the Roughriders’ uncontested starting quarterback for only four seasons (1990 to 1993).
- Lancaster’s 400-Plus total (two) may seem surprisingly low, until you consider that there was a greater emphasis on the running game during his career. And the Roughriders’ running attack featured George Reed. As they used to say, “Let George do it.”
- Lancaster threw for 400-plus yards only once in regular-season play. He scorched the visiting Hamilton Tiger-Cats for 418 yards on Sept. 28, 1973. His first yardage eruption took place on Nov. 11, 1963, when he threw for 492 yards in a playoff date with the visiting Calgary Stampeders. That game has long been dubbed “The Little Miracle of Taylor Field,” because the Roughriders won 39-12 after losing 35-9 at McMahon Stadium in the opener of the two-game, total-points Western Conference semi-final. The Roughriders won the set, 48-47.
- Walter (Oke) Olson was lightyears ahead of his time when he threw for 446 yards against the host Saskatoon Hilltops on Oct. 6, 1934. Thereafter, a Roughriders quarterback didn’t reach 300 yards, let alone 400, until Johnny Cook’s 310-yarder in Calgary on Sept. 25, 1948.
The Roughriders’ offence, you could say, was Cookin’!
