THE NUMBERS GUY
Durant headed for the record books
Darian Durant is poised to move up a notch on the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ quarterbacking podium.
Entering the 2016 CFL season, Durant is third on the Roughriders’ all-time list in passing yards (24,668), attempts (3,087), completions (1,896) and touchdowns (135).
In each category, the 33-yearold Durant is well within range of second-ranked Kent Austin, who had 26,626 passing yards, 3,413 attempts, 1,964 completions and 152 touchdowns while quarterbacking the Green and White from 1987 to 1993.
Austin, who also played for the B.C. Lions and Winnipeg Blue Bombers, is 12th on the all-time passing-yardage list with 36,030. Durant is 18th and within striking distance of Sam Etcheverry (who is 14th with 30,381 yards), Tom Burgess (15th, 30,308), Kerry Joseph (16th, 28,097) and Condredge Holloway (17th, 25,193).
The football careers of Austin and Durant intersected in 2007. That was Austin’s sole season as the Roughriders’ head coach — a magical year that was capped when Saskatchewan defeated the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 23-19 in the Grey Cup game.
Durant was the Roughriders’ third-string quarterback in that game, behind Joseph — who was named the CFL’s most outstanding player in 2007 — and Marcus Crandell.
At the time, Durant was a secondyear member of the Roughriders. Austin was so impressed that he referred to Durant as one of the most intelligent quarterbacks he had encountered. Even so, Durant did not play a single down that season, during which he wore No. 14.
The former University of North Carolina Tar Heels pivot became a Roughrider on April 12, 2006, when his CFL rights were acquired from the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in return for those of another negotiationlist quarterback, Reggie Ball.
The Durant-Ball swap was part of a blockbuster trade in which the Roughriders obtained the first overall selection in the Ottawa Renegades dispersal draft from Hamilton in return for star tailback-returner Corey Holmes. Then-Roughriders general manager Roy Shivers spent the No. 1 pick on Joseph.
Durant was used sparingly as a first-year Roughrider, completing his only pass attempt (for a 14-yard gain) and rushing for a 20-yard advance.
He did not see any extended duty until July 4, 2008, when Crandell suffered a pulled hamstring in the first quarter of a road game against the B.C. Lions. Crandell was replaced by Steven Jyles, who was generally ineffective while finishing the first half.
Ken Miller, the Roughriders’ head coach of the day, inserted Durant to begin the third quarter and he helped Saskatchewan win 26-16. Durant started the following week and was the No. 1 quarterback for four games that season, which in his case was interrupted by a rib injury.
Miller installed Durant as the uncontested first-string quarterback before the 2009 season. Durant has since quarterbacked Saskatchewan to the 2009, 2010 and 2013 West Division titles, along with a Grey Cup championship three years ago.
Since then, Durant has dealt with back-to-back season-ending injuries. He suffered a torn tendon in his right elbow on Sept. 7, 2014, in Winnipeg. He returned to duty on June 27, 2015, and performed impressively in the season opener against the visiting Blue Bombers, only to suffer a ruptured left Achilles tendon shortly before halftime.
If not for those injuries, Durant would have leapfrogged Austin in the aforementioned four passing categories. Barring another injury, Durant should soon surpass his former head coach in passing yards, attempts, completions and touchdowns.
It will be a taller order, however, for Durant to approach the all-time totals of Ron Lancaster, who had 46,710 aerial yards, 5,834 attempts, 3,186 completions and 299 touchdowns while quarterbacking the Roughriders from 1963 to 1978.