RIDERS' D-LINE WREAKED HAVOC IN OPENER
Defence stifled Ticats, but Green and White wasn't quite as great with its ground game
The Saskatchewan Roughriders' defensive-line rotation left the Hamilton Tiger-cats' heads spinning.
Members of the visiting side never really knew who was coming, or from what direction, on Saturday as the Roughriders opened their 2022 CFL regular-season slate with a 30-13 victory at Mosaic Stadium.
The tone was set on the opening series, when defensive end Pete Robertson forced a fumble by Tiger-cats quarterback Dane Evans and, for good measure, recovered the loose football.
Robertson had two sacks on the day — and he didn't even play two-thirds of the snaps!
Such was the grand design of defensive co-ordinator Jason Shivers and defensive line coach Ben Olson. The latter certainly wasn't Gentle Ben, considering the manner in which Evans and his colleagues on the Tiger-cats' offence were constantly bothered and bewildered.
A fresh start to the season was aided by the Roughriders' ability and inclination to keep fresh defensive linemen on the field.
The busiest among them was 2021 CFL sacks leader A.C. Leonard, who participated in 88.1 per cent of Saskatchewan's defensive snaps.
The Roughriders deployed three other defensive ends — Robertson (61.0 per cent), Charleston Hughes (45.8 per cent) and Nicholas Dheilly (6.8 per cent) as part of the rotation.
A comparable approach was taken with defensive tackles Anthony Lanier II (78.0 per cent), Garrett Marino (66.1 per cent) and Charbel Dabire (52.5 per cent).
The pass rush by committee helped the Roughriders amass eight sacks — only one fewer than the other seven teams combined — during Week 1.
Robertson led the way with two sacks, one of which forced a fumble that he recovered.
Hughes, Leonard and Dabire each toppled the quarterback on one occasion. Linebacker Larry Dean, safety Mike Edem and defensive back Rolan Milligan completed the hit parade.
FACTS AND FIEGERS
The Roughriders' running game was but a rumour Saturday. Jamal Morrow, Frankie Hickson and Kienan Lafrance combined for 24 yards on 13 carries.
However, Saskatchewan's running attack was robust in comparison to that of the Tigercats. Hamilton handed off to a tailback (Don Jackson) only five times, with the result being one yard (and a long gain of three).
All of this got me thinking — which, admittedly, is dangerous — so I reached out to CFL statistical guru Steve Daniel while attempting to apply some historical perspective to Saturday's lack of rushing yardage.
I asked Steve how often a team has had negligible (or negative) rushing yardage. He was able to uncover 10 games in the past 35 years, or thereabouts, in which a team has registered zero or fewer rushing yards.
Team-wise, a nadir was reached when Hamilton had 19 carries for (get this) minus-20 yards in a 1985 game.
Individually, Jamal Robertson of the 2009 Argonauts had one game in which he had six carries for minus-five yards. On the day, Toronto, er, rushed eight times for zero yards.
The best recorded run defence in Roughriders history? Rewind to June 20, 2004, when Calgary eked out six yards on 10 carries in a 33-10 loss at Taylor Field. Calgary's leading rusher was quarterback Marcus Crandell, with six yards on two carries. Stampeders running backs and fullbacks combined for zero yards on eight carries.
The worst recorded running game in Roughriders history? Well, it depends on your interpretation.
Saskatchewan was credited (?) with minus-eight rushing yards on Oct. 14, 1985, when it lost
51-14 in Hamilton.
(Appropriately, a car dealer's advertisement in the following day's edition of the Regina Leader-post trumpeted a “FALL BLOW- OUT!”)
However, the numbers were skewed by the rushing totals of quarterback Joe Paopao, whose statistical line included three carries for minus-43.
Today, those doomed plays would be written off as team losses instead of being listed in the rushing totals. Paopao's misadventures aside, the Roughriders had 13 carries for 35 yards.
If you subtract that game from consideration, in light of the anomaly relating to Paopao, what truly represents the Roughriders' low-water mark?
It may very well date back to Aug. 30, 1981, when the Roughriders rushed just four times for minus-one yard(s).
Greg Fieger paced Saskatchewan's ground game with one carry for one yard. Lester Brown chipped in with minus-two yards on three carries.
Despite the absence of a running game, the Roughriders threw a scare into an Edmonton powerhouse that overcame a 31-29 deficit and won 44-34 at Commonwealth Stadium.
With John Hufnagel sparkling at quarterback in relief of struggling starter Joe Barnes, Saskatchewan was able to emerge with a total offence of 419 yards — 420 of which was derived from a passing game that featured slotbacks Joey Walters (six catches, 134 yards, three touchdowns) and Chris Defrance (six catches, 162 yards).
WIN VS. WYNN
As referenced earlier, Saskatchewan did not permit a sack on Saturday. It was an unexpected showing, considering the porous nature of the offensive line in 2021 and the generally ravenous nature of the Tigercats' defensive linemen.
Oddly enough, though, it was the second time in a span of three games of consequence in which the Roughriders held the foe without a sack.
Rival pass-rushers were effectively kept away from quarterback Cody Fajardo on Nov. 28, when the Roughriders posted a 33-30 overtime victory over Calgary in the West Division semifinal.
There was relapse one week later, though, when Winnipeg felled Fajardo five times en route to defeating Saskatchewan 21-17 in the West final.
In Saturday's season opener, the Tiger-cats defensive line was held pretty much under control. That is saying something when you consider that the Roughriders had to contend with established players such as Dylan Wynn, Micah Johnson and Julian Howsare.
If a game ball can somehow be sliced into five pieces, then: (a) Contact the New England Patriots; and (b) Present fragments to left tackle Terran Vaughn, left guard Logan Ferland, centre Dan Clark, right guard Evan Johnson and right tackle Na'ty Rodgers.
FULLBACK FEVER
Roughriders offensive co-ordinator Jason Maas unveiled a funky formation on a fourth-quarter play that produced a 20-yard TD pass to Kian Schaffer-baker.
The offensive backfield consisted of Morrow, Fajardo and two fullbacks — James Tuck and Albert Awachie. Upon accepting the snap from Clark, Fajardo momentarily froze the defence by feigning a pass toward the left (where Morrow was situated). Schaffer-baker, meanwhile, took off on a route to the right corner and got behind defensive back Richard Leonard.
Fajardo was granted sufficient time by the aforementioned offensive linemen, along with Awachie (who took care of Howsare) and Tuck (who impeded linebacker Jovan Santos-knox).