Welcome to the Octopus List, KeeSean Johnson!
On Saturday, Johnson became the 16th member of the Saskatchewan Roughriders to register an Octopus — an eight-point scoring spree that consists of a touchdown and a two-point conversion by the same player.
In collaboration with quarterback Trevor Harris, Johnson converted his own four-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter of the Roughriders’ 28-26 CFL victory over the host Edmonton Elks on Saturday.
In fact, Johnson has scored both Saskatchewan touchdowns that have been followed by a two-pointer this season. His three-yard score against the Calgary Stampeders on June 20 at McMahon Stadium was followed by A.J. Ouellette’s run for a deuce.
And here’s a quirky stat: Vernon Adams Jr., who is in his second season as the Stampeders’ starting quarterback, was the 12th Roughrider to register an Octopus. Not only that, he accomplished that feat at his current home stadium, McMahon Stadium.
Adams Jr. punctuated his one-yard TD run with a two-pointer in a 30-7 Saskatchewan victory over the Stampeders on Oct. 20, 2017. He was primarily the Roughriders’ short-yardage quarterback in 11 games with the Green and White in 2017.
Saskatchewan has crossed the goal line 105 times on conversions since the two-point convert was introduced in 1975. An Octopus has materialized 15.2 per cent of the time.
The first Octopus was on the seventh two-pointer in Roughriders history. Joe Barnes converted his 10-yard touchdown run against the host Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Oct. 4, 1981.
Aside from Johnson, Barnes and Adams Jr., the following Roughriders players have produced on Octopus:
• Ray Elgaard (July 16, 1983 vs. Hamilton).
• Mike Saunders (Nov. 8, 1992 at Calgary).
• Don Narcisse (Oct. 1, 1995 vs. Baltimore).
• Dan Farthing (Oct. 28, 1995 at B.C.).
• Elijah Thurmon (Oct. 1, 2005 at B.C.).
• Weston Dressler (July 10, 2015 at B.C.).
• Rob Bagg (July 26, 2015 vs. Hamilton).
• Ryan Smith (Oct. 9, 2015 at Hamilton).
• Caleb Holley (Sept. 4, 2016 vs. Winnipeg).
• Darian Durant (Sept. 4, 2016 vs. Winnipeg).
• William Powell (July 27, 2019 at B.C.).
• Cody Fajardo (Sept. 14, 2019 vs. Montreal).
• Mitch Picton (June 18, 2022 at Edmonton).
Fajardo, who collaborated with Picton for the latter Octopus, was the opposing quarterback when Johnson joined the list on Saturday in Edmonton.
A GOOD OMEN?
An Ottawa-based CFL team is poised to play an Aug. 7 road game against the Roughriders for the second time.
The first time — during the Green and White’s championship season of 1989 — the home side drubbed the Rough Riders 58-22 and established an enduring franchise single-game record for points scored.
In that early August matchup of 1989, Saskatchewan led 21-0 after the first quarter on the strength of two touchdown passes from Tom Burgess to Jeff Fairholm. Tim McCray added a 44-yard run for his first of two majors on the day.
Burgess threw four touchdown passes before Kent Austin took over at quarterback midway through the third quarter, with Saskatchewan leading 41-14. Austin later threw the Roughriders’ fifth TD pass of the day.
Burgess continued his scorching start to the season — one that included 19 touchdown passes over the team’s first six games. He also had 19 at the seven-game mark.
The second-highest total — 17 — is shared by Durant (in 2013) and Harris (2026).
Harris threw his 17th TD pass to help Saskatchewan defeat Edmonton on Saturday.
Next up for Harris and associates is Friday’s game against the Ottawa REDBLACKS (7 p.m., Mosaic Stadium). Tickets are AVAILABLE HERE.
Harris was a member of the REDBLACKS from 2016 to 2018. In fact, he was the East Division’s All-Star quarterback during Ottawa’s championship season of 2016.
Burgess and Durant also have ties to Ottawa.
The Roughriders acquired Burgess from Ottawa in an April 21, 1987 deal that sent veteran quarterback Joe Paopao to the nation’s capital. Durant’s first connection to the CFL was when he was placed on the Ottawa Renegades’ negotiation list.
Only two players named Burgess, by the way, have suited up for Saskatchewan in a regular-season game. Defensive back James Burgess Jr. made his CFL debut this past Saturday in Edmonton.
SO CLOSE!
The recent two-game set with Edmonton was the second-closest home-and-home set in Roughriders history.
The games were decided by a combined four points. The opener was Edmonton’s 36-34 victory at Mosaic Stadium on July 23.
The combined margin was two points when the Roughriders and Stampeders played back-to-back games in 1948. Saskatchewan lost 13-12 in Calgary on Sept. 25 and 12-11 at Taylor Field on Oct. 2.
As in 2026, there was a four-point margin when the Roughriders and Winnipeg Blue Bombers met in 1954. The teams played to a 12-12 tie in Winnipeg on Sept. 3. Four days later, the Roughriders defeated the Blue Bombers 18-14 at Taylor Field.
Until recently, Saskatchewan’s closest home-and-home with Edmonton was in 2009. On Sept 20, Edmonton won 31-27 in Saskatchewan. The Roughriders avenged the defeat by winning 23-20 at Commonwealth Stadium on Sept. 26.
The combined margin in those two games: Seven points.
TREVOR’S TDS
Harris is only the third Roughriders quarterback to throw at least one TD pass in each of the team’s first seven games of the season.
Austin set the team record of 13 games in 1992. He had 28 TD passes at the 13-game mark en route to establishing a franchise record of 35 aerial scores.
Ron Lancaster had 11 TD passes over the Roughriders’ first eight games in 1975. Harris can tie Lancaster for second spot on Friday.
Also of note: Harris is 49 yards shy of becoming only the 12th CFL quarterback to reach a career milestone of 40,000.
He needs one TD pass to move ahead of Zach Collaros and into sole possession of 13th in league history. Collaros, currently on the Blue Bombers’ six-game injured list, has 221 career TD tosses.
Harris and Collaros both broke into the CFL with the Toronto Argonauts in 2012.
CLUTCH COMPLETIONS
The Roughriders continue to lead the CFL in second-down conversion rate (58.9 per cent).
Saskatchewan has been above 50 per cent in each of its first seven games. That is the first time that has happened since the CFL began including second-down information in its game statistics packages in 2016.
Last year at this juncture, the Roughriders were 79-for-151 (52.3 per cent) in second-down situations and had been above 50 per cent in four of seven games.
After seven games this year, Saskatchewan has scored a touchdown 23 times in 30 trips to the red zone. Conversion percentage: 76.7.
The 2025 Grey Cup-champion Roughriders were 11-for-21 (52.4 per cent) in the red zone at the seven-game mark.
Saskatchewan was 4-for-5 in the red zone on Saturday. For all practical purposes, the team was 4-for-4. On the game’s final possession, the Roughriders advanced to Edmonton’s four-yard line before Harris extinguished the final few seconds on the clock with three consecutive kneel-downs.
GREY CUP FOLLOW-UP
As a defending Grey Cup champion, Saskatchewan has had back-to-back 5-2 starts.
The 2014 Roughriders also won five of their first seven games after capturing a championship the previous November.
Saskatchewan enjoyed 6-1 starts after winning titles in 1966 and 2007.
The 1990 Roughriders were 3-4 at the seven-game mark.
EXTRA POINTS
• The Roughriders have the league’s best record in games against West Division opponents (3-1).
• Saskatchewan and Winnipeg are the only teams without a loss on the road (3-0) this season.
• The Roughriders and Blue Bombers are tied for second in sacks (17), one behind Calgary. The Stampeders and Blue Bombers have each played one more game than Saskatchewan.
• The Roughriders lead the league in average time of possession (31:25), completion percentage (72.7) and opposing second-down conversion percentage (42.8).
• Johnson and teammate Kian Schaffer-Baker are tied for tops in the CFL in second-down receptions (19).
• Saskatchewan linebacker Josh Woods is first in interception return yards (126). One of his two picks was for a 107-yard TD.
