QUARTERBACK QUESTIONS
Collaros hurt in Riders loss to Ottawa
It took fewer than two games for the Saskatchewan Roughriders to turn to their backup plan at quarterback.
Zach Collaros started Thursday’s game against the Ottawa Redblacks, but was on the sideline in the second quarter. With Collaros unavailable, the Riders turned to Brandon Bridge, but it wasn’t nearly enough as the Riders were thumped 40-17 by the Redblacks.
Saskatchewan’s record dropped to 1-1 while the Redblacks opened their regular season with a victory. The Riders’ next game is June 30 when they play host to the Montreal Alouettes.
Chris Jones, the Riders’ head coach and general manager, didn’t have an update on Collaros’ status. Jones confirmed that Collaros did undergo concussion protocol.
“That’s about all I know right now,’’ Jones said. “We’ll see where he is physically in the next couple of days.”
The Riders had mixed results even when Collaros was at quarterback.
He completed four of 10 passes for 106 yards and touchdown, but was also intercepted twice — with one pick being returned 55 yards for a major by Jonathan Rose.
Collaros didn’t return to the game after being intercepted by Loucheiz Purifoy in the end zone.
Bridge didn’t fare much better, creating concerns about the quarterbacking if Collaros is sidelined for an indefinite period. Bridge generated some offence with his legs, but wasn’t able to generate a sustained passing attack. He completed 12 of 20 passes for 125 yards, with one interception.
Saskatchewan’s offensive line didn’t provide much protection for either quarterback. Collaros was under pressure for most of his time at quarterback and was sacked once. Bridge also absorbed a big hit when Avery Ellis sacked him late in the second quarter.
Regardless, Bridge felt the role was similar to the one he filled with the Riders in 2017 when he came off the bench to relieve Kevin Glenn. “Throughout training camp and the whole week, coach told me to be ready,’’ Bridge said. “That’s the same thing he said last year and that’s the same thing he said this year. When he said that Zach was going to be the starter to stay ready because if anything happens we’ll need you to do exactly what you did last year and come in and give us a spark if Zach is hurt. He said to go out and do what I do.”
The injury to Collaros leaves the Riders with Bridge and rookie David Watford as the only two quarterbacks on the roster. The team would have to find a third quarterback to fill in if Collaros is sidelined for any length of time.
“I didn’t think about that we had only one quarterback (left on the bench),’’ Bridge said. “I will just go out there and play my game. I’m obviously a runner and I will run if I have to. At the start, I saw a lot of man-to-man coverage that opened up a lot of holes. That’s why I took my shots running (in the first half ).’’
The performance of the quarterbacks overshadowed Duron Carter’s showing in his second start at cornerback with the Riders. Carter intercepted a Trevor Harris pass and returned it 28 yards for a touchdown. In 2017, Carter returned a pick 43 yards for a score against the Calgary Stampeders in his first start at cornerback.
“I want to be a competitor and every time I’m on the field I want to compete,’’ Carter said. “I want to be the best player, and they get paid too. They all want to be the best and we weren’t the best today.’’
However, Ottawa’s Diontae Spencer beat Carter for a 55-yard touchdown catch.
“Diontae is fast and I knew that,” Carter said. “Trevor threw a great ball where I couldn’t get my hand to it. It was a big play that I can’t give up.”
In the fourth quarter, Carter was also assessed two pass-interference penalties that kept an Ottawa scoring drive alive. Trevor Harris eventually found William Powell open for a four-yard touchdown pass at 6:40 of the fourth quarter.
NOTE: Defensive tackle Chuck Klingbeil, who played with the Roughriders in 1989 and 1990 before spending the next five NFL seasons with the Miami Dolphins, died Tuesday. He was 52. Klingbeil was named the most valuable defensive player in the 1989 Grey Cup game, in which Saskatchewan defeated the Tiger-cats 43-40.