THRICE IS NICE
Roughriders fullback Spencer Moore celebrates the 38-24 win over the Blue Bombers at Mosaic Stadium on Sunday. The Riders earned their third victory in a row.
Kevin Glenn’s third stint with the Saskatchewan Roughriders has been more than moderately successful, to say the least.
The veteran quarterback guided the Riders to a 38-24 victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in Sunday’s Labour Day Classic before 33,350 spectators at Mosaic Stadium.
The Riders improved their record to 5-4, equalling their win total for all of the 2016 season.
On Sunday, the 38-year-old Glenn threw for 386 yards and three touchdowns in his 200th CFL start. He is one of only six CFL quarterbacks to have started 200-plus games, the others being Damon Allen (304 starts), Anthony Calvillo (277), Ron Lancaster (257), Henry Burris (229) and Ricky Ray (209 and counting).
Glenn was especially excited to reach the milestone in a victorious effort.
“It doesn’t get better than that and this will be a memorable one,’’ said Glenn, whose record as a starter is 99-100-1. “With my 200th game to be the first Labour Day game in the new Mosaic Stadium and we win and I actually got the game ball … it was pretty nice.’’
Glenn’s latest stint with the Riders has also turned out nicely after the team experienced a slow start. The Riders were 2-4 before registering three consecutive convincing victories and moving from fifth place to fourth in the West Division.
“It has been a team effort,’’ Glenn said. “It just hasn’t been one side of the ball. It has been in all three phases and the guys understand that, they see it developing, and they believe in it. That’s a good thing, because when you start believing in it like this, you can start rolling off a lot of wins.’’
Glenn, the oldest active player in the league, has contributed to those wins. The Riders signed him during the off-season after longtime Saskatchewan quarterback Darian Durant was traded to the Montreal Alouettes for draft picks, contract negotiations having reached an impasse.
Glenn can still play and he has proven that during the 2017 season by moving to sixth on the CFL’s alltime passing-yardage list (51,559). He has also completed 19 touchdown passes. In 2016, Durant tossed 14 of the Riders’ 16 touchdown passes.
“Kevin is the heartbeat of this offence,’’ Riders centre Brendon LaBatte said. “The way this offence is built and the amount of playmakers that it has at its disposal, he’s just finding the guy who is the most open, giving him the ball, and allowing him to work.’’
Glenn spread the ball around Sunday. Bakari Grant had seven receptions for 139 yards. Naaman Roosevelt added six receptions for 119 yards and a touchdown. Duron Carter had a team-high 10 receptions for 101 yards and a touchdown.
This season, Glenn has completed 226 of 321 attempts — a 70.4-per-cent accuracy rate — for 2,730 yards with the aforementioned 19 touchdowns against eight interceptions.
“He does a lot for this team,’’ cornerback Jovon Johnson said. “Every team in this league revolves around their quarterback and how well they play. Kevin had been tremendous, but it has been a collective effort because he trusts his guys and they trust him.’’
Roosevelt is among the receivers who trust in Glenn, who spent his first three CFL seasons (2001 to 2003) with the Roughriders before returning to Saskatchewan in 2015 and again in 2017.
“I knew when he came in here that we had the weapons around him,’’ Roosevelt said. “For him, he’s just balling. He’s keeping us composed, telling us what we need to do on the field and where we need to go. He’s as good off the field as he is on the field. We meet up with him, have dinner, and it’s exciting to talk to him.’’
Glenn has also embraced being a leader.
“It helps us that he’s playing well on the field, but his leadership off the field had done a whole bunch for us,’’ LaBatte said. “He told us that if the offence comes out and we put up points early, we can put the whole team on our back and allow the defence to take off. In the last three weeks, that’s what we have been able to do.’’
The Riders are looking to build on their three-game winning streak Saturday in Winnipeg.