Liam Richards/Electric Umbrella
The Saskatchewan Roughriders suffered a costly loss Saturday that didn’t have anything to do with the score of their CFL game.
Guard Brendon LaBatte, the Roughriders’ nominee for the league award as most outstanding offensive lineman, sustained an injury to his left leg in the second quarter of a 28-13 loss to the Edmonton Eskimos at Mosaic Stadium.
LaBatte was driven to the Roughriders’ locker room on a cart after suffering the injury and was on crutches following the game. Head coach-GM Chris Jones said the injury “does not look good” and suggested that LaBatte “probably will be out” for the East Division semifinal against the host Ottawa Redblacks on Nov. 12.
“Anytime you lose your best offensive lineman, that’s tough,” Jones said. “I don’t think anybody in the league would get up in the morning and want that to happen to their team.”
LaBatte missed the final 15 games of Saskatchewan’s 2016 regular season after suffering what turned out to be a bruised nerve in his neck. Following an off-season of rehabilitation, the 31-year-old product of Weyburn started all 18 regular-season games for the Roughriders this season.
After playing left guard for the first six contests, LaBatte moved to centre to replace the injured Dan Clark. LaBatte spent nine games at that spot before shifting back to guard for the final three games of the regular season after Clark returned.
LaBatte was injured Saturday on Marcus Thigpen’s 12-yard touchdown reception.
“When you lose your candidate as most outstanding lineman, it’s always devastating,” Clark said. “But we pride ourselves in our O-line room on being able to play as the next man up.”
Right guard Peter Dyakowski moved to left guard after LaBatte was injured and rookie Dariusz Bladek took over at right guard.
That could be the alignment the Roughriders use for the East semifinal or they could deploy Derek Dennis at left guard and Dyakowski at right guard. Dennis, who played left guard when LaBatte was at centre, was scratched in each of the final two regular-season games.
“(LaBatte’s injury) sucks, especially in the last game of the season when you’ve already made the playoffs,” said right tackle Thaddeus Coleman. “But we’ve got to move on and we’ve got to put in the next guy.
“We have depth, so that’s the good thing about it. All we can do is move on and have a guy step in and step up.”
Cornerback Jovon Johnson left Saturday’s game early in the fourth quarter after absorbing a hit to the head from Eskimos receiver Vidal Hazelton. After going to the Roughriders’ locker room, Johnson returned to the bench in uniform but didn’t re-enter the game.
Jones said Johnson would be re-evaluated later this week.
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The Roughriders changed things up again Saturday.
For the fourth time in five games, Jones pulled starting quarterback Kevin Glenn and replaced him with backup Brandon Bridge.
Glenn was at the controls for Saskatchewan’s first four possessions and completed five of 10 pass attempts for 63 yards. He was sacked once before being replaced with the Eskimos leading 11-0 with about six minutes left in the first half.
Jones has hooked Glenn in five of the past seven games, including a contest Oct. 27 against the Montreal Alouettes. But that move was part of a rotation Jones devised to give Glenn, Bridge and Vernon Adams Jr., some playing time in that game.
In spite of Saturday’s move, Jones reiterated that Glenn remains atop the depth chart going into the playoffs.
“Kevin’s our starter,” Jones said, “and we’ll just make adjustments as the game goes.”
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Glenn’s first completion Saturday was a special one.
The veteran pivot found slotback Bakari Grant for a seven-yard gain on the game’s first play, giving Grant 1,002 receiving yards for the season. It’s the first time in his CFL career that Grant has gone over 1,000 yards in a season.
“It took seven years to get it, so you appreciate anything that takes that long and you’re thankful,” said Grant, who had three receptions for 38 yards to finish the season with a career-high 84 receptions and 1,033 yards. “It’s extra-special because Kevin threw me my first ball in the CFL, so to get 1,000 with him is special.”
On July 16, 2011, Glenn threw a seven-yard pass to Grant in the first quarter of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats’ 33-3 victory over the visiting Roughriders. That was the first reception of Grant’s career.
“That’s pretty cool,” Glenn said Saturday. “We go back a ways, back to his rookie year in Hamilton, so it’s cool to have relationships like that and see the progress and the success that other players have with the help of myself.”
Grant became the third Roughriders receiver this season to exceed 1,000 yards, joining Duron Carter (1,043) and Naaman Roosevelt (1,035). It’s the first time since 2013 (when Weston Dressler, Chris Getzlaf and Taj Smith reached the milestone) that Saskatchewan has had three 1,000-yard receivers.
The fact that Grant got there in a defeat was something of a downer.
“We’re all competitors, so we don’t like to lose,” he said. “But in the long run, when I look back on my season and on my career, I’ll appreciate it a little bit more.”
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Jones admitted after the contest that it was “pretty cold” on the field, but he wouldn’t connect the weather with the Roughriders’ play.
“I think we were just undisciplined, took too many penalties and missed too many assignments,” said Jones, whose team was assessed 11 penalties for 124 yards — its highest yardage total of the season. “I certainly hope that that’s not indicative of what we’ll do next week.”
