HAIL THE RETURN KINGS
Roughriders break franchise record
It seems like a broken record to marvel at the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ ability to score touchdowns without their offence being on the field.
So, appropriately, the 2018 Roughriders have broken a record.
Saskatchewan has already registered the most return touchdowns (10) in franchise history, with seven regular-season games remaining.
The standard was set Saturday, when Saskatchewan returned two interceptions for touchdowns — courtesy of Willie Jefferson (97 yards) and Samuel Eguavoen (103) — in a 32-27 CFL victory over the host Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
According to the great Steve Daniel, the CFL’S director of game information and statistics, Saskatchewan’s previous record of eight return touchdowns was set in 1976 and tied in 2003.
“The add-on,” Daniel says while contributing vitally to the regularly scheduled Leader-postmortem, “is that the 1976 Riders also had an own-team kickrecovery score, making it nine.”
The ninth score was by Cleveland Vann, who recovered a Roughriders kickoff Sept. 19, 1976 and returned it 36 yards for a touchdown during a 25-22 loss to the visiting Edmonton Eskimos.
However, as Daniel notes, Vann’s recovery was “not strictly a ‘return’ and what I view statistically as offence, as that is what an onside-kick play is — an attempt by the offence to retain the ball and obtain a first down or possession, as Winnipeg has done twice recently.”
Saskatchewan also came oh-so-close to another return touchdown Sept. 2, during a
31-23 home-field victory over Winnipeg. The Roughriders’ opening TD, on a short run by Nick Marshall, came after Matt Elam returned an interception 53 yards to the one-yard line.
This season’s Roughriders return touchdowns break down as follows: Six on interceptions (two by Marshall, and singles by Jefferson, Eguavoen, Tobi Antigha and Duron Carter), two on punt returns (Christion Jones, Kyran Moore), one on a fumble return (Charleston Hughes) and one on a blockedpunt return (Eguavoen).
Daniel points out that the 1987 B.C. Lions hold the league record of 15 return TDS (six interceptions, five fumbles, four punts).
Saskatchewan has eight defensive return TDS this season, three shy of B.C.’S record from 1987.
SIX PICK-SIXES
With seven games remaining, the Roughriders have already tied a 42-year-old team singleseason record for interceptionreturn touchdowns — six.
Vann, Lorne Richardson, Ken Mceachern, Paul Williams, James Marshall and Bill Manchuk went the distance in 1976, when the Roughriders played 16 regular-season games. (Each CFL team has played 18 games since 1986.)
In 1976, the Roughriders set a single-season interceptionreturn yardage record of 640
(on 36 picks). The 2018 edition has 505 return yards on only 13 interceptions. Average return: 38.8 yards.
With 221 interception-return yards Saturday, Saskatchewan recorded its second-highest single-game total. The Roughriders had 291 yards on Aug. 24, 1972 in a 35-3 victory over the Calgary Stampeders.
Here’s an oddity: Saskatchewan’s single-season interceptions record of 39 was set by a 1987 team that posted a 5-12-1 record and missed the playoffs.
UNLUCKY SEVEN
The 2018 Roughriders have only seven touchdown passes after 11 games. In that context, the Green and White could end up with one of the least-effective passing attacks in franchise history.
The all-time low of eight TD passes — each of which was thrown by Dave Grosz — was set in 1961. Saskatchewan eked out nine scoring tosses in 1979.
Saskatchewan has also had unexceptional single-season TD -pass totals of 11 (in 1959 and 1996), 12 (1968), 13 (1987), 14 (1955, 1985 and 2001) and 15 (1953, 1963, 1977) since 1952, when the schedule was expanded from 14 to 16 games per team.
This year’s Roughriders have five TD passes from Zach Collaros, plus singles from Brandon Bridge and David Watford.
This much is assured: Collaros will not be tagged with the Roughriders’ lowest team-leading TD -pass total.
That, er, distinction belongs to Danny Sanders, whose four TD passes — all to Joey Walters — led the team during the 2-14 season of 1979.
However, this could very well be only the 13th season in which the Roughriders’ team-high TD pass total is a single digit. The
other numbers ...
Six: Don Allard, 1959; Jimmy Kemp, 1996.
Seven: Tom Burgess, 1987; Michael Bishop, Darian Durant and Marcus Crandell (tie), 2008.
Eight: Grosz, 1961; Joe Barnes, 1980; Marvin Graves, 2001; Durant, 2014.
Nine: Allard, 1960; Joe Paopao, 1985; Reggie Slack, 1997.
ROBOKICKER, PART 2
Brett Lauther is on pace to set a Roughriders single-season mark for field-goal accuracy, which is saying something.
Canadian Football Hall of Famer Dave Ridgway (a.k.a. Robokicker) connected on 90.6 per cent of his attempts (48 of
53) in 1993. Lauther is at 92.1 (35 of 38).
MORE SCORES THAN SNORES
The Roughriders’ 14 offensive TDS put them in non-elite company.
The lowest total to date: 15, in 1979.
While playing 16 games, Saskatchewan also had meagre offensive-td totals of 20 (1961), 21 (1959), 23 (1963), 24 (1960, 1980), 25 (1987) and 26 (2001).
Saskatchewan is on pace for 20 offensive TDS (after 16 games) and 23 (after 18).
BOMBERS BLUE; DEJA VU
For the second time since 2014, the Roughriders have won in Winnipeg despite surrendering the game’s only two offensive touchdowns.
On Aug. 7, 2014, Saskatchewan prevailed 23-17 while allowing a TD run and a TD pass, both by Drew Willy. The Roughriders’ defence produced two TDS (on a David Lee fumble recovery and a Terrell Maze pick-six).
Fast forward to Saturday when, à la Willy, Winnipeg ’s Chris Streveler ran and threw for a TD. Again, the Saskatchewan defence scored twice, thanks to Jefferson and Eguavoen, and the offence was shut out.
HITCH SCREAM
Was it the Banjo Bowl or the Gaitor Bowl?
Anthony Gaitor scored the Bombers’ second touchdown Saturday when he stepped in front of a telegraphed hitch screen pass by Collaros and motored 55 yards to the end zone.
The Roughriders should have seen it coming. Earlier in the first quarter, Gaitor and Brandon Alexander had blown up a lateral pass to Moore, who lost six yards. (Statistically, the play was recorded as a run.)
Collaros subsequently looked for Moore on the ill-fated pass. Saskatchewan lined up with four receivers stacked to the quarterback’s right. Jordan Williamslambert was in front. Behind him were Naaman Roosevelt and Shaq Evans, who were lined up side-by-side in front of Moore.
Even though Moore theoretically had three blockers, an unimpeded Gaitor jumped the route. It was another shining moment for Saskatchewan’s runand-snooze offence.
SHORT SNORTS
The Roughriders have won four games in a row for the first time since 2016, when the Green and White posted only five victories all season.
All three of Loucheiz Purifoy’s interceptions this season have been at the expense of three of the four quarterbacks who played Saturday in Winnipeg. While with the Ottawa Redblacks, Purifoy intercepted Collaros on June 21. On Saturday, Purifoy picked off both Winnipeg quarterbacks — Streveler and Matt Nichols.
Purifoy made his first interception Saturday with assistance from defensive tackle Makana Henry (who hurried Nichols) and the omnipresent Eguavoen (who tipped the ball before it was picked off ).
Collaros, who was knocked out of Saturday’s game, has cleared CFL concussion protocol, according to a 3Downnation report. Justin Dunk, who broke the story Monday, added that Collaros is expected to practise Tuesday. The Roughriders are to return to action Saturday against Ottawa (7 p.m., Mosaic Stadium).