Davis: Saskatchewan Roughriders couldn’t give away their CFL season opener

Article content

Try as they might, the Saskatchewan Roughriders couldn’t give away their CFL season opener against the Ottawa Redblacks.

They lost turnovers. They lost players. But they didn’t lose their composure, they “didn’t flinch,” which is why the Roughriders defeated Ottawa 31-26 at Mosaic Stadium on Thursday.

Article content

Article content

Roughriders quarterback Trevor Harris uses that phrase regularly: “Don’t flinch!” He used it again in post-game interviews while discussing his second-quarter interception and two lost fumbles by Riders receivers Sam Emilus and KeeSean Johnson.

Article content

None of those turnovers turned into Redblacks points.

“Self-inflicted wounds,” Harris said during his post-game media availability. “Those are things we can get better at, fixable things, not things where we’re looking around the room and saying, ‘Shoot, we don’t have any guys who can make big plays.’ We’re gonna be all right.”

Then he added: “We didn’t have a single person flinch.”

Losing a turnover battle is usually fatal in CFL games, but Saskatchewan’s defence made sure the 3-1 discrepancy in giveaways led to two punts and a missed field goal, giving the football quickly back to the Roughriders offence. And when the Redblacks were threatening to retake the lead in the fourth quarter, Riders middle linebacker Jameer Thurman and defensive end Malik Carney recorded game-saving sacks.

Despite the early-game losses of slotback Kian Schaffer-Baker and running back A.J. Ouellette, who appeared to suffer a foot and head injury respectively in the first quarter, Harris didn’t get sacked once by a Redblacks team that boasts one of the league’s strongest defensive lines.

Article content

Article content

Left tackle Payton Collins, playing his first CFL game on an offensive line that need rejiggering because it has already lost three players to pre-season injuries, hurt a knee in the fourth quarter. And earlier in the game, Riders defensive back Rolan Milligan Jr. absorbed a head hit that knocked him out of the contest.

Four starters, including the league’s outstanding defensive player, were missing as the Roughriders overcame a 7-0 deficit and held on to win their fifth straight season opener, admittedly against a team that hasn’t won in Regina since 2018. But the Redblacks are considered to be contenders in the East, largely because up-and-coming quarterback Dru Brown is operating an offence flush with talented receivers, including free-agent acquisition Eugene Lewis.

Brown passed for 413 yards, completing 34 of 41 passes with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Lewis caught five passes for 57 yards and a touchdown, third on the team behind Justin Hardy (eight catches for 133 yards and a touchdown) and Bralon Addison (8-112).

Article content

Although he missed a couple open receivers — perhaps because he barely played in the pre-season — Harris completed 19 of 26 passes for 277 yards with touchdown tosses to Emilus and backup tailback Thomas Bertrand-Hudon, who was playing because Ouellette left the game early. Bertrand-Hudon had 74 yards from scrimmage, added a touchdown run and seemed to handle his blocking assignments.

It was a pretty good demonstration of why some pundits believe the Roughriders are strong candidates to win the West.

There was a calmness within the whole squad, knowing Bertrand-Hudon could handle his multiple responsibilities; that veteran Mitch Picton could step into Schaffer-Baker’s spot while Emilus turned in an eight-catch, 133-yard performance; that the secondary could put newcomer Kerfalla Exumé at cornerback and shift DBs Tevaughn Campbell and Marcus Sayles into different positions to compensate for Milligan’s departure; and that untested lineman Daniel Johnson could replace Collins.

Article content

Other than a botched hold on a field-goal attempt, the special teams were solid, uplifted by the straight-upfield running of returner Mario Alford. And the coaching decisions were sound, made patiently and with purpose, right up to the game-sealing punt and coverage with eight seconds remaining.

There may be some hand-wringing about the announced attendance of 25,973, because there weren’t nearly that many spectators in the stadium, but that’s an off-field issue.

On-field the Roughriders appear to be unflinching and self-assured, just as they described themselves during training camp. It’s early and there will be lots of challenges, starting with finding replacements for their injured starters before Saturday’s road game against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, but the Roughriders survived a pretty serious test and aren’t quivering about the next one.

The Regina Leader-Post has created an Afternoon Headlines newsletter that can be delivered daily to your inbox so you are up to date with the most vital news of the day. Click here to subscribe.

With some online platforms blocking access to the journalism upon which you depend, our website is your destination for up-to-the-minute news, so make sure to bookmark leaderpost.com and sign up for our newsletters so we can keep you informed. Click here to subscribe.

Article content