GLENN’S TALENT FOR TOUCHDOWNS COMING TO THE ‘FOUR’ THIS SEASON
Robservations ...
■ Kevin Glenn has thrown four touchdown passes in two of the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ last four games. Such a feat had not been accomplished by a member of the local CFL team since 1991, when Kent Austin went on a run that is unlikely to be rivalled, let alone duplicated.
In a scintillating stretch of six games, Austin threw or exceeded four touchdown passes four times. Game 7 of that season: Five touchdown passes. Game 9: Four. Game 10: Four more. Game 12: A franchise-record six.
In 1979 — the year Glenn was born — the Roughriders’ Danny Sanders threw four touchdown passes. That was Sanders’ teamleading season total. (All four touchdown passes were to the same player — the oft-mentioned Joey Walters.)
Here are some numerical nuggets from Steve Daniel, the CFL’s statistician extraordinaire: Since 1950, a Saskatchewan quarterback has thrown at least four TD passes in 37 games. Glenn, with 11 aerial TDs in five contests this season, has a chance to register one of the better six-game runs in franchise history. The best: Austin’s 23 touchdown passes from Games 7 to 12 in 1991. Tom Burgess (1989) had 19 TD passes in six games and Glenn Dobbs (1951) had 17. Burgess had three games of four or more TD passes during his hot start in 1989. Darian Durant had six-game stretches with 17 and 16 scoring strikes in 2013. Henry Burris fired 14 TDs over the first six games in 2000.
Ron Lancaster’s best six-game regular-season total, by the way, was 13 touchdowns (to begin the 1966 campaign, and spanning late 1972/early 1973).
One more from Daniel: Glenn’s totals of 1,598 aerial yards and 11 touchdown passes are the highest of his 17-year career at the five-game mark. His previous five-game highs were 1,555 yards (with the 2007 Winnipeg Blue Bombers) and eight touchdowns (with the 2010 Hamilton TigerCats).
■ Now that CFL head coaches are limited to one challenge per game, the onus should be on the league’s officials to ensure that illegal contact on a receiver is still called with some vigilance. Enforcement of that rule has contributed to an increasingly exciting game.
■ Kudos to the Roughriders for honouring the memory of the late Joe McKnight — with his family present at Mosaic Stadium — before Saturday’s game against the Toronto Argonauts. It was a class move.
■ One scribbler’s ranking of the five best catches by a Roughrider, with some rehashing of a column from earlier this week: (1) Walters’ diving one-handed touchdown versus the B.C. Lions, 1982; (1A) Duron Carter’s one-handed, backhanded grab on Saturday; (3) Bob Richardson’s one-handed TD catch versus the Edmonton Eskimos in the 1976 Western Conference final; (4) Ray Elgaard making a leaping TD catch while somehow staying in-bounds during the 1989 West Division final in Edmonton; (5) Jeff Fairholm catching a 75-yard touchdown bomb from Austin in the 1989 Grey Cup game, even though the Tiger-Cats’ Stephen Jordan was flagged for pass interference.
■ Although the Roughriders’ 2-3 record is unspectacular, consider this: Last year, Saskatchewan did not record its second victory until Sept. 18. The 2015 Roughriders didn’t win, period, until Sept. 6, and the second win was on Sept. 27.
■ The Roughriders’ Bakari Grant has earned the right to wear No. 81, which will always be identifiable with Elgaard. Like Elgaard, Grant is an aggressive runner after the catch. Eventually, though, the Roughriders’ No. 81 should be retired.
■ Elgaard, Fairholm and Don Narcisse once gave the Roughriders three receivers who were all worthy of double coverage. The 2017 edition may very well have four — Grant, Carter, Naaman Roosevelt and Caleb Holley. And wait until Rob Bagg rounds into form.
■ That new hit song about hockey is quite catchy. Have you heard “Esposito?” I think that’s what it’s called, anyway.
■ Fake news? It was announced Tuesday that Bernadette McIntyre is retiring as the CEO of Wascana Centre Authority. That may be true, but Bernadette will never truly retire. She is involved in so many things — especially with regard to curling — and is a great gift to our great city. Thanks, Bernadette, for all you do. Don’t ever “retire!”
A street should be named after her. Unfortunately, McIntyre Street is taken. How about Bernadette Bay? Bernadette Boulevard? Et cetera.
■ Nice people who deserve a plug: Steve Daniel, Shirley Prokop, Eric Anderson, Duron Carter, Paige Hansen, Craig Baird, Kelly Hamilton, Wilma Staff, Les Staff, Rob Kruk, David Hamilton, Amanda Ruller, Adam Schubert, Gail Mund, Brandon Harder, Mick Panko, Bernadette McIntyre, Ben Szumack, Wendy Medwid, Jason Kraft and the friendly game-day volunteers at Mosaic Stadium.