Tommy (Sandman) Stevens put the game to bed.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders’ short-yardage quarterback closed out last Friday’s CFL clash with the Ottawa REDBLACKS by carrying the football five times in a span of six plays late in the fourth quarter.
Stevens played an integral role in the generation of three crucial first downs that ultimately put the visiting team in kneel-down mode. A 27-22 victory improved Saskatchewan’s record to 3-1.
Long before the game in Ottawa, starting quarterback Trevor Harris had repeatedly referred to Stevens as “Mariano Rivera” — invoking the name of a legendary New York Yankees relief pitcher who memorably approached the mound to the accompaniment of “Enter Sandman,” recorded by Metallica.
Somewhat comparably, “Wild Thing” was played at McMahon Stadium when Stevens excelled in short-yardage situations for the Calgary Stampeders from 2022 to 2024.
A signature song has not yet been established in Saskatchewan. Assorted fans and media commentators have attempted to concoct a catchy nickname for Stevens — i.e., Tommy Tsunami, Touchdown Tommy — but with lukewarm success at best.
The 6-foot-4, 245-pounder is even tougher to tackle than the development of a nickname that resonates.
He has been virtually automatic in move-the-chains situations, as was demonstrated during the final possession in Ottawa.
After the REDBLACKS’ short-yardage team was unsuccessful on a third-down gamble, Stevens — not Harris — walked on to the field to lead the offensive unit as it prepared to scrimmage the ball from the visitors’ 15-yard line.
He ran for five yards before Harris re-entered the game, completed a 27-yarder to Samuel Emilus, and returned to the sideline to take in Tommy Time.
Stevens ran for gains of six and seven to produce another first down.
A third successive carry, for slightly fewer than 10 yards, produced a second-and-centimetres situation. Stevens gained a yard to extinguish the REDBLACKS’ final hope.
All that was left was for Harris to operate the offence from the victory formation.
“I love having an impact on the game and I was happy to be called on at the end,” Stevens said leading up to Sunday’s home date with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
“I feel like we did a lot of good things, and it starts up front (on the offensive line). I wish everybody could see the guys up front and their eyes — the way their demeanour changes when they know we’re going to be running the ball and trying to grind it out.
“It was awesome to be a part of and I’m glad that it was part of our plan going in. I’m glad we were able to execute.”
Stevens finished with eight carries for 38 yards — his highest single-game totals since signing with Saskatchewan as a free agent in 2025.
He had three touchdown runs in as many games this season before helping the Roughriders run over the REDBLACKS during Friday’s fourth quarter.
“I think people take pride in teams that run the football and try to grind it out,” Stevens said. “It presents an old-school mentality.
“I’ve always thought it’s very, very cool to see teams that can put teams in conflict that way and ultimately beat the will out of them. There’s nothing like that. It is a defeated look from defences when they know that they’re struggling to get stops.
“It’s easier to stop a team that is more finesse (in style). You can give them different looks — zone pressures, man pressures. You can change things up in the defensive backfield or do things to stop a finesse, speed game.
“It’s a lot more difficult to stop a power, run-the-football-down-your-throat (attack). It’s a really cool style and a really cool brand of football — something I grew up with.
“I grew up with all defensive players in my family. They look at me like I’m the soft one, playing quarterback. I’ve always tried to prove my worth to not only the people in my house, but also my uncles and whatnot.
“Like I keep saying, I’m so thankful to be here and to have a role on this team.”
Stevens is also thankful for the people who block for him. On Friday, running back Quali Conley helped to clear some of the paths.
“When we’re able to do these types of things, we add an extra hat in the run game,” he noted. “Typically, if we hand it off to the running back, we get one less blocker. This way, we had me running the football and the running back blocking, so we were able to gain an extra hat. It truly becomes 12-on-12 football.
“It’s obviously very satisfying, but it’s not easy by any means. We work really hard to do it and it all starts up front. If those guys aren’t willing to buy in and ultimately make my life easier, it wouldn’t work.
“It’s a collective 12-man effort. We need all moving parts to be on the same page for the play to work. That’s offensive football and, luckily, I couldn’t be in a better place for that.”
