Campbell makes up for blown coverage with TD
Tevaughn Campbell’s first taste of the end zone came with a healthy slice of redemption.
The backup defensive back was eager to atone for a blown coverage in the fourth quarter of the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ 40-27 loss to the B.C. Lions on July 16.
Campbell — filling in for injured cornerback Justin Cox — allowed Lions receiver Shawn Gore to run past him into the open field, snagging a key 59-yard touchdown to break a 26-26 tie.
“I kind of took it personally because I was the next man up and everyone was depending on me to come out and play like they’ve seen me play in practice,” offered Campbell. “I didn’t hold up to my expectations in that game so I felt I owed the team something. I owed myself something.”
Campbell got his payback six days later during Saskatchewan’s first victory of the season — a 3029 triumph over the Ottawa Redblacks.
It came in the second quarter when Otha Foster blocked a punt and Campbell scooped it up, sprinting into the end zone for his first career major.
“Once I saw that ball bouncing I said, ‘Hey, this is my opportunity to prove something,’ ” said the second-year CFLer. “At the moment I wasn’t really thinking about (the B.C. game) but afterwards I kind of thought about it. You mess up and you have to put it behind you. That’s exactly what happened.”
Campbell waited a long time for his first touchdown at Mosaic Stadium. The former University of Regina Rams star — an accomplished returner at the CIS level — had come close on a few occasions but never quite hit pay dirt.
“It means a little more to me just because I’m adopted to this city,” noted the 23-year-old native of Scarborough, Ont.
“I moved here at a young age to start my university career. It took me until my professional career to score my first touchdown here. The feeling was even better now because I’m on the Riders in front of the home fans.”
The crowd erupted when Foster got a hand on the punt and sent it bouncing in Campbell’s direction.
Once he secured the ball, the former U of R track star let his instincts take over, showing off the wheels that helped him set an electronically timed record in the 40-yard dash at the 2015 CFL draft combine (4.355 seconds).
“I played a little basketball before I could pick it up,” Campbell said with a smile. “When you get the ball in your hands, you turn on the jets a little. I got it and all I could see was the end zone so that’s all I wanted.”
It was also a welcome sight for Riders head coach/GM Chris Jones, who noted after the game that Campbell took his error to heart a week earlier.
“Tevaughn is a great kid,” Jones said. “He’s going to be a really good player for a long time in this league once he learns to be physical and play every play. He took it very personal and wanted to come back and play a solid football game.”
An off-season pickup from the Calgary Stampeders, Campbell has mainly cut his teeth on special teams this season.
However, when the next opportunity comes on defence, he plans to be ready.
“I never say I’ll just be a specialteams player,” he added.
“I practise for both so that’s definitely what I hold my expectation up to. At the beginning of the year I started with a slim number of special teams and then I worked my way up to pretty much all the special teams. I try to work one level up. That’s what I’m aiming for.”
I moved here at a young age to start my university career. It took me until my professional career to score my first touchdown here.