Roughriders beat Ticats 27-19. For game coverage, visit 3downnation.com Steve Milton on the running game
On the first play from scrimmage Friday night, the Tiger-Cats handed the ball to tailback C.J. Gable.
He made only four yards, so the Saskatchewan Roughriders went into a three-man front on what was essentially a passing down.
But the Tiger-Cats handed it to Gable again. This time he managed only three yards and the home team had to punt.
Bad call, you might say. Good advertising, we say.
Hamilton was planting the seeds of what might be and the Riders had to remain aware that this new regime was not afraid to hand the ball off. Fairly often, too. And the Tiger-Cats offensive line loves June Jones for that kind of marketing.
Since Jones has taken over from Kent Austin, the Tiger-Cats are, in the new coach’s own description, still a passing team, but they are now far more committed to rushing the ball.
Jeremiah Masoli and Gable carried the ball a total of 18 times in last week’s victory at Ottawa. That’s four more times than in any other game this year, and about seven more than the Cats averaged under Austin.
“I see it being successful right now,” veteran centre Mike Filer said heading into Fri-
day’s game.
“It’s really helping us out up front. Being able to run the ball, it just puts that in the back of the defensive line’s head: ‘Hey, we have to play the pass and the run.’ Where before we were predominantly a passing team.
“The other team could put their ears back and blitz upfield as fast as they can and not respect the run. The past two games, where we’ve been able to break through with some big runs and CJ had a helluva game last week, just allowing that to be another threat for us, helps us.”
Jones has a number “in my head” of times he wants the ball run, either through a rush or through a “long handoff,” like a screen pass, or short lateral pass in the backfield. He doesn’t reveal that number but it’s likely in the mid-20s, or so. And he scripts runs into first down possession.
The new coach would also be the first to admit that the run isn’t always going to work all game, and sometimes not at all, but the idea is to stick with it, to convince your opponents, especially the future ones, that you’re serious. When they’re convinced, they’ve got more to think about.
And having to think can create hesitation.
“Absolutely, it makes it easier to block, when you run enough,” Jones says.
“Even in the NFL we led the NFL in passing but we also averaged six yards a carry running. That was our way of keeping the defence off balance.
“I went into (last week in Ottawa) saying I was going to run the ball a couple of times at second and long with Jeremiah because of the tendencies they’d shown, and we were lucky enough to get first downs on those second and longs. Obviously now that we’ve done that, they’re going to be playing a little differently against us.”
Which is partly what you’re trying to establish. Force the other team out of what they think they want to do, to counteract what they think you might do.
“They have to play the run now,” Filer agrees. “The nice thing about coach Jones is that he’s not afraid to call some (running) plays at second and long, say second and six, where in the past everyone knew we were going to throw the football. It was pretty much ‘hang on tight because they’re coming.’”
Which doesn’t always translate into a win, but does translate into a better chance of one.