It’s not pretty, but strong defensive play gets wins
Footage of the 2018 Saskatchewan Roughriders will never be put to music, unless it is performed by, say, Splodgenessabounds.
But in the absence of style points, the Roughriders will gratefully, unapologetically and deservedly accept the two points.
Such was the case Saturday night when the Roughriders outlasted the host B.C. Lions 24-21.
In the second half, the teams combined for a not-so-grand total of seven points. After a rather entertaining opening 30 minutes, the game became a festival of two-and-outs and punts.
Translation: The circumstances were conducive to a Roughriders victory, which improved their record to 5-4 and moved them into third place in the CFL’S West Division.
When a game becomes a defensive battle, the Chris Jones coached Roughriders enjoy a distinct advantage.
The Green and White, after all, is a defence-first team. That is what one would expect from a club that is guided by Jones, who boasts an impressive resume as a CFL defensive co-ordinator.
Jones’ defence ultimately decided the game on Saturday. On third-and-one-and-a-bit, Cody Fajardo — quarterbacking the Lions’ short-yardage team — was unable to take care of the “and-a-bit” portion with 31 seconds remaining.
(Fajardo, remember, sneaked one yard for the game-winning touchdown in the waning stages of last year’s East Division final, in which the Toronto Argonauts defeated the visiting Roughriders 25-21.)
Following Saturday’s turnover on downs, Roughriders quarterback Zach Collaros ran three consecutive plays from the victory formation, kneeling down each time.
The execution, it should be noted, was flawless.
That obligatory series was comparable, yardage-wise, to some of the Roughriders’ other possessions over the final two quarters. The offence, after piling up an uncharacteristic 20 points in the first half, virtually disappeared.
But the same could be said of the Lions’ offence, which was continually stymied by Jones’ schemes.
The defensive packages were not especially diverse. Jones routinely called for a three-man rush, dropping back nine men into coverage in the hope that Lions quarterback Travis Lulay would settle for negligible gains on underneath passes.
There was a time in Jones’ tenure with the Roughriders when a preference for a three-man rush was tantamount to surrender, due to the team’s inability to generate any pressure.
But this year, with a front three that features all-planet defensive ends Charleston Hughes and Willie Jefferson, the Roughriders can enjoy the best of both worlds.
Even though the defensive linemen are outnumbered, the offensive front is often overmatched.
There was a time in Jones’ tenure with the Roughriders when a preference for a three-man rush was tantamount to surrender.
Hughes, 34 going on 24, has an uncanny knack for sliding past or slipping between would-be blockers, and Jefferson’s athleticism also creates problems for anyone who dares to momentarily stand in his way.
So with Hughes and Jefferson collapsing the pocket, and a nonet of Roughriders blanketing the receivers, the rival offence is often disarmed.
Lately, the same can be said of Jones’ critics — this one included — who simply have to give the man due commendation as a result of the Roughriders’ resurgence.
He may be winning ugly, but he’s winning. That is the bottom line.