Liam Richards/Electric Umbrella
On Sept. 29, the Saskatchewan Roughriders were given 203 reasons to ponder their run defence.
That night in Ottawa, the Redblacks rolled up 203 yards rushing against the Roughriders — a total that included a franchise-record 187 yards by William Powell.
Saskatchewan overcame Ottawa’s ground game to post an 18-17 CFL victory, but the Roughriders’ defence is still stinging from that showing.
“We had talked about (stopping the run), but we didn’t make it as important as we’re making it right now,” middle linebacker Henoc Muamba said after Wednesday’s practice at Mosaic Stadium. “In games before that, guys ran for more but we still won, so we kind of kept it on the back burner and didn’t take it as seriously as maybe we should have.
“Coach (Chris) Jones did a great job of taking ownership as a leader and saying that it was his fault, that he didn’t make it important enough to us. As a defence — and as the middle linebacker — we’ve got to make it our main focus.
“We’ve got everything we need in terms of playing the pass and rushing the quarterback, but in order to make them pass the ball, we’ve got to stop the run. That’s the key to this team. That’s the key to this defence. That’s the key for our playoff run.”
Saskatchewan goes into Friday’s rematch with the visiting Redblacks with the CFL’s seventh-ranked run defence, allowing an average of 105.0 yards per game.
Teams have run 277 times against the Roughriders (the second-highest such total in the league) and are averaging 5.3 yards per carry. But Saskatchewan is fourth in rushing first downs allowed (94) and first in rushing touchdowns surrendered (six).
In Muamba’s mind, the Roughriders aren’t far from finding a solution.
“We have ample time to fix ourselves up and get ourselves ready so we can get to where we want to get to — a deep run into the playoffs and into the Grey Cup,” he said. “This is a perfect time for us to open up our eyes and be more sensitive to that.”
Trouble is, the Roughriders’ final four regular-season games are against teams that rank in the top six in rushing attacks in the CFL. Ottawa is fifth (94.1 yards per game), the Calgary Stampeders are second (105.1), the Montreal Alouettes are third (102.0) and the Edmonton Eskimos are sixth (92.9).
The first test comes Friday at Mosaic Stadium.
“Coach Jones has been harping since that game (in Ottawa) to the whole team about how important the running game is going to be down the stretch and into the playoffs,” Muamba said. “If we’re able to shut down the run and we’re able to run the ball effectively on offence as well, I don’t think there’s any team in this league that can match up very well with us.”
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The Roughriders go into Week 17 with the least-productive running game among CFL offences.
Saskatchewan has averaged just 69.9 yards per game, more than 15 yards behind the league’s eighth-ranked run offence (that of the Toronto Argonauts).
Even so, the Roughriders are still feeling good about their final drive during Saturday’s 27-24 victory over the host Argonauts.
With the score tied 24-24, Saskatchewan marched 63 yards in 11 plays and ate up more than three minutes to set up Tyler Crapigna’s 18-yard field goal with seven seconds left in regulation time. The possession included five runs by Kienan LaFrance, who gained 39 yards.
“I told our offensive line today, ‘Statistically, we’re not one of the teams that looks like they’re able to run the ball,’ ” Jones said. “But there, when we needed it down the stretch against a very good Toronto defence at home — (playing a) second game on the road (in as many weeks) — we played very well and were able to control the football.”
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That late-game drive allowed the Roughriders to overcome a 13-point deficit against the Argos, who led 16-3 late in the second quarter.
In Ottawa, Saskatchewan trailed the Redblacks 17-0 before rallying for the victory.
According to the CFL, it’s the first time that the Roughriders have erased double-digit deficits to post back-to-back wins since September of 2010.
On Sept. 17, 2010, the Roughriders trailed Calgary 37-26 before coming back to win 43-37 in overtime. Eight days later, Saskatchewan rallied from a 15-0 deficit to defeat the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 32-25.
The back-to-back rallies also mark the first time since September of 1981 that Saskatchewan has come back from at least 13 points down to win consecutive games. That year, the Roughriders won three such games in a row.
On Sept. 6, they trailed Montreal 26-8 before coming back to win 35-26. On Sept. 12, the Roughriders recovered from a 25-11 deficit to beat the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 32-25. And eight days after that, the Ottawa Rough Riders led 14-0 before Saskatchewan pulled out a 26-23 victory.
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Speaking of comebacks, Chris Lyles is set to make one.
The rookie defensive back started Saskatchewan’s first six regular-season games before suffering a knee injury. He then spent six weeks on the injured list and two on the practice roster.
Lyles is to return to the Roughriders’ roster Friday in place of cornerback Kacy Rodgers II, who won’t play due to a leg injury suffered in Toronto.
“It has been a long time coming,” Lyles said. “All I had to do was be patient, trust my coaches and do my job when I was off the field. I worked hard and waited until my number was called.”
Lyles had 18 tackles, one pass knockdown and one fumble recovery while playing halfback to start the season. On Friday, he’ll play outside for the first time since the pre-season.
“It has been a minute since I’ve played corner, but the ability to play there isn’t something I was going to lose,” Lyles said. “It’s just good that I’m back at my regular position.”
