Kienan LaFrance’s patience is being rewarded

Kienan LaFrance is hoping to recapture some magic.

During the 2016 CFL playoffs, LaFrance took over as the Ottawa Redblacks’ tailback after Mossis Madu suffered an injury in the East Division final. Over Ottawa’s next two games, LaFrance rushed for 199 yards to help the Redblacks win the Grey Cup.

Now, 10 months later, the 26-year-old Winnipeg product is getting another opportunity due to an injury to a starter. On Saturday in his hometown, LaFrance will start for the Saskatchewan Roughriders in place of Cameron Marshall, who suffered a leg injury of undetermined severity in Sunday’s 38-24 victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at Mosaic Stadium.

As LaFrance prepares for Saturday’s game at Investors Group Field, he can derive some added self-assurance from his performance in the Redblacks’ Grey Cup run.

“It was definitely a confidence-booster,” he said after the Roughriders practised Tuesday. “Anytime you can go in there and be successful as a team and individually, it definitely helps your confidence.

“I’m excited to see what happens here and just to really put the foot to the gas.”

LaFrance was selected by Ottawa in the sixth round (45^th overall) of the 2015 CFL draft out of the University of Manitoba. The 5-foot-9, 213-pounder had six carries for 17 yards and two catches for one yard in 16 games as a CFL rookie in 2015.

In 2016, he again played 16 regular-season games and his numbers improved (37 carries for 163 yards, 12 receptions for 76 yards and a touchdown), but he saved his best performances for the playoffs.

LaFrance rushed 25 times for 157 yards and a touchdown in Ottawa’s 35-23 victory over the Edmonton Eskimos in the East Division final on Nov. 20. A week later, he had 11 carries for 42 yards and six catches for 31 yards in the Redblacks’ 39-33 overtime win over the Calgary Stampeders in the Grey Cup game.

That run of success showed LaFrance — and likely many others — that he can start in the CFL.

“I’m very competitive,” he said. “I like to go out there and show everyone what I can do. I think I have the tools in order to be successful, so it’s just a matter of it being a group effort, doing my job and making sure everyone is doing their job.”

The Roughriders signed LaFrance as a free agent in February, with some observers believing that he was destined to be the team’s starting tailback. But a leg injury LaFrance suffered in training camp allowed Marshall to win the job — and he handled the responsibility well through Saskatchewan’s first eight games.

Marshall had 434 yards rushing and 278 yards receiving entering Sunday’s Labour Day Classic and also had done a stellar job of helping to protect quarterback Kevin Glenn. LaFrance, meanwhile, had just six carries for 36 yards and one reception for one yard in spot duty in the six games he had played.

Late in the second quarter of Sunday’s game, however, Marshall took a handoff and immediately crumpled to the ground. LaFrance was summoned and handled the tailback duties the rest of the way, finishing with eight carries for 23 yards and one catch for 15 yards.

He’ll get a chance to build on those numbers Saturday, all while trying to prove he can do the job as well as Marshall did.

“As a player, there’s always pressure to play well,” LaFrance said. “But we’ve got a great group of guys and I don’t think we’re going to miss a beat at all.”

Roughriders head coach-GM Chris Jones feels the same way, suggesting LaFrance and Marshall are very similar in the way they run (“Neither one of them is what I would consider a blazer,” Jones said) and the way they block.

Glenn also sees similarities in the way the two backs make would-be tacklers miss. The quarterback said he was eager to “become a fan” after handing the ball to LaFrance, who impressed Glenn with his attentiveness when the tailback was on the injured list.

“When he wasn’t on the roster, he was still around the group listening to what was going on in the meetings,” Glenn said. “That’s what gives me the confidence that, when he does get in there, he’s going to know what he’s doing.

“He’s an athlete, too. You can’t take that away from him. That’s the kind of stuff you can’t coach. I’m excited to give him the ball, especially out in the open field, and see what he can do.”

LaFrance played high school football in Winnipeg before spending two seasons with the PFC’s Winnipeg Rifles. He moved from the junior ranks to the University of Manitoba, where he spent three seasons with the Bisons before being drafted by the Redblacks.

Now he’s headed home to make his first start for the Roughriders after patiently waiting his turn.

“Patience has kind of been the word of the last few years for me,” LaFrance said. “I’m embracing the role. I’m just stepping in to do my job — and I’m excited for the opportunity to play in Winnipeg …

“Being a kid from Manitoba, it’s always nice to be back on that field. It brings out some of the old memories and (lets you) reminisce a little bit. It’s going to be exciting.”