Trevor Harris, whose first completion on Monday produced a 65-yard gain, looked even deeper during his first post-game media conference of 2024.
“There’s just a different aura around this team,” the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ starting quarterback said. “I’m just grateful to be a part of it.
“I think it’s going to be a special season here in Riderville.”
That prediction was made shortly after the Roughriders defeated the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 25-12 at Mosaic Stadium.
“Obviously, it’s a pre-season game, so it doesn’t matter in terms of when we go into the regular season, but if you’re going to keep score, you might as well try and win the game,” Harris said.
“Winning’s a habit. It’s a cliché, but you’ve got to try to win games, no matter what.
“I think we’re building something special here. It’s just one day at a time. We’re going to keep stacking bricks.”
The one-day-at-a-time mindset served Harris well during 310 days between games.
On July 15, he suffered a tibial plateau fracture of his right knee during the fourth quarter against the visiting Calgary Stampeders.
There was a time when Harris feared his playing career would be over. That notion, unsettling as it was, fuelled his resolve to return to the lineup.
His recovery was ahead of schedule, to the point where he could have been available — albeit at less than full efficiency — if the Roughriders had advanced to the 2023 West Division final.
Early in the off-season, any references to “recuperation” were cast aside and the emphasis shifted to becoming better than ever.
“People told me through this whole time, ‘It’s a new normal, Trev. It’s maybe not 100 per cent. Maybe it’s 100 per cent in different areas, but it’s going to be a new normal,’ ” he said.
“I told everybody throughout this whole process: ‘My new normal is going to be 120 per cent.’ ”
Harris is eminently qualified to discuss percentages. He boasts the highest career completion percentage — 70.6 — in CFL history.
He is 19th all-time in passing yards (29,884) and 21st in touchdown tosses (160).
But, with his 38th birthday looming, he was asked during the media conference: Do you feel you have something to prove to people in the CFL community who think, “He’s an older guy and he’s coming off a bad injury. Maybe he should have just ridden off into the sunset”?
“I hope they think that,” Harris responded. “Just watch.
“That’s not why I play. I play for the love of the guys in the locker room and to glorify Jesus. That’s really where my mind is at.
“It’s not about proving X, Y or Z wrong. It more or less is proving right the people who believe in me and have been with me all along — and just having fun playing this game.”
The fun began on the Roughriders’ fourth play from scrimmage, when Harris found a wide-open Shawn Bane Jr. 25 yards downfield. The speedy slotback sprinted another 40 yards before being tackled.
“I told him he has been caught from behind more than I have already this year,” Harris joked. “I’ve been caught zero times from behind this year and Bane: 1 … and he can run 23 miles an hour.”
The Roughriders’ marquee signal-caller hopes that lighthearted spirit is contagious.
“We tend to forget what we’re out there doing,” Harris said. “We get to play a kids’ game for a living. Praise God for that.
“It’s easy to just forget and go out there and think of everything as a life-and-death situation. We get to go out and play a game and have fun doing it and compete. I love to frickin’ compete in everything.
“It’s cool that this is our job.”
QUARTERBACK DERBY
Harris completed seven of nine passes for 123 yards — good for a quarterback-efficiency rating of 123.8 — before being succeeded by Mason Fine, Shea Patterson, Antonio Pipkin and Jack Coan.
Fine was at the controls when the Roughriders scored their first touchdown, on a one-yard run by Frankie Hickson at 12:11 of the second quarter.
After an interception by rookie linebacker Zakoby McClain gave Saskatchewan a first down on Winnipeg’s 31-yard line, the Roughriders ran five plays en route to the end zone.
Although Fine was not credited with any pass attempts, his aerial in the direction of Geronimo Allison resulted in a pass-interference penalty that gave Saskatchewan a first down on the five-yard line.
Patterson went 3-for-3 for 52 yards, including a 38-yard TD pass to Ajou Ajou.
The objective, for Patterson, is to claim the No. 2 spot on the quarterbacking depth chart.
“I’ve felt like I’ve done my time up here a little bit,” said Patterson, who had stints with the B.C. Lions and Montreal Alouettes before joining the Roughriders in 2023.
“I’ve been up here since 2021. I’ve been in a quarterback room with Michael Reilly and Nathan Rourke (with the Lions) and went over to Montreal and was Trevor’s backup.
“I came here and did the short-yardage stuff last year, got my feet wet with these guys, and I’m ready to take on another role and just be ready when my number is called.”
Patterson’s numbers in the pre-season opener would have been even more impressive if not for an offside penalty that negated a 43-yard completion to KeeSean Johnson.
Antonio Pipkin was 0-for-3 in limited duty behind centre.
Jack Coan, the only newcomer in the Roughriders’ quarterbacking quintet, went 6-for-8 for 40 yards.
A LOT ON THE LINE
One of the key battles is for the Roughriders’ starting left tackle spot on the offensive line. Trevor Reid, Jordan Tucker and Jacob Brammer are the finalists.
How did they fare on Monday?
“I’m going to have to take a deeper look at that,” Head Coach Corey Mace said. “I definitely know how the camp has been going. It has been a pretty good race.
“As far as the intricacies of each play, I’m going to have to put my eyes to that (by looking at the video) before I give you guys an answer.
“I was pretty pleased, though. The quarterback stayed upright for the most part. We’ll see what it looked like in the run game.”
The Roughriders handed off 25 times for 116 yards — an average of 4.6 yards per carry.
Clint Ratkovich led the way with 40 yards on six carries. Hickson rushed seven times for 33 yards. Thomas Bertrand-Hudon (25 yards) and A.J. Ouellette (18) were each handed the football six times as Offensive Co-ordinator Marc Mueller made a point of accentuating the run.
“When you’ve got a defensive co-ordinator and a defensive line guy as your head coach, your mentality is definitely up-front first,” said Ouellette, a marquee free-agent signing and the anticipated Week 1 starter at tailback.
“After the game, Coach Mueller came in and checked with me and said, ‘Is that enough runs for you?’ I said, ‘You did beautiful, man. Don’t worry about it.’
“I’m excited for this team. Frankie ran well. I’m excited for Rat Dog. I thought he ran some people over and showed some speed when he needed to.”
CATCH(ES) OF THE DAY
The Roughriders treated the crowd to two spectacular catches on Monday.
Ajou’s major was made possible by a one-handed catch he made 12 yards downfield. He sprinted the remaining 26 yards to pay dirt.
Also of note was Kian Schaffer-Baker’s 21-yard leaping, twisting, contested catch of a Harris aerial.
“That catch by Schaff is going to be a tough one to top as we go throughout the year,” Harris predicted.
DECISIONS, DECISIONS …
Mace was generally pleased with the carryover from training camp into Game 1 of the pre-season.
“We’ve had guys step up all throughout camp and it’s going to make the (roster) decisions hard for us,” he said.
“I wasn’t shocked by any of the playmakers making plays (on Monday). That’s been all camp.”
Coors Light Roughriders Training resumes this week with full workouts on Wednesday and Thursday at Griffiths Stadium in Saskatoon.
On Friday, the team will depart for Edmonton, where the Roughriders are to face the Elks on Saturday — a full week before the final cuts are due.
After the pre-season finale, the Roughriders will make their way back to Regina and resume training-camp workouts at Mosaic Stadium.
