It came to pass that Saskatchewan Roughriders quarterback Jack Coan made his CFL on-field debut on Saturday against the visiting Calgary Stampeders.
As much as he appreciated the game experience, part of him had hoped not to receive a single snap.
“It was bittersweet,” the former Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Wisconsin Badgers signal caller acknowledged after Saturday’s regular-season finale at Mosaic Stadium.
Earlier in the day, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers had defeated the host Montreal Alouettes 28-27 to clinch first place in the West Division.
Had Winnipeg lost, Saskatchewan would have been able to secure top spot by defeating Calgary.
With the Roughriders-Stampeders game not having any bearing on the standings, the Saskatchewan coaches opted to rest a handful of key starters — including quarterback Trevor Harris.
In place of Harris, Shea Patterson started behind centre for the seventh time this season. Late in the first half, the opportunity was also seized to get a first look at Coan in game conditions.
He completed 10 of 21 passes for 100 yards and one touchdown — a 19-yard scoring strike to Jerreth Sterns.
“I was thankful for the opportunity I got,” Coan said, “and I had a blast being out there.”
The 25-year-old passer had not seen any live action since the Roughriders’ pre-season finale on May 25.
“It was just so much fun to be back out there and see what I could see and see how it felt being in the game, with the speed of the game,” Coan said.
“It felt awesome.”
Especially at 7:34 of the fourth quarter, when Coan became the 84th Roughrider to throw a TD pass in the post-Second World War era.
“Great play design,” he said. “The O-line blocked great. Sterns had a great route.
“It was a lot of fun.”
Considering the circumstances, neither Coan nor Patterson received abundant first-team repetitions during practice sessions leading up to Saturday’s game.
The emphasis was on giving Harris most of the front-line duty in case the Roughriders needed to defeat Calgary to finish first.
Patterson, who started six games during the summer while Harris was recovering from a knee injury, went 5-for-12 for 56 yards on Saturday. Then the ball was handed to Coan.
“I was just trying to go through every play and go through my reads one at a time,” he said. “I wanted to get through my progressions and just trust myself.
“When you don’t play for a while, you don’t know exactly how the speed’s going to feel when you get in. You don’t know exactly what you’re going to see and what you’re not going to see.
“It was fun to be in there and to see what it was like.”
Next up for the Roughriders is Saturday’s West Division semi-final against the B.C. Lions (4:30 p.m., Mosaic Stadium). Tickets are available HERE.
