Derek Mortensen/Electric Umbrella
Tobi Antigha has asked people what life is like in the CFL playoffs, but he’s still unsure of exactly what to expect Sunday.
“I guess I’ll find out when I get there,” the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ rookie defensive end said after Thursday’s closed practice. “The only thing I can do is prepare the right way, execute and play hard.
“That’s the only thing I can control. When it comes down to it, you just control what you can control and do your job.”
Antigha, 24, and his fellow Roughriders rookies will experience the CFL post-season for the first time Sunday, when Saskatchewan visits the Ottawa Redblacks for the East Division semifinal.
Antigha has the luxury of sitting beside veteran Eddie Steele in the Roughriders’ locker room, so the CFL freshman has been asking his teammate questions in hopes of getting an understanding of what’s about to happen.
“Eddie’s a guy who has been there and done it,” Antigha said. “He won a Grey Cup (with the Edmonton Eskimos in 2015). He knows what the atmosphere is and what it’s like to play in those games. He gives me good feedback.”
And Steele isn’t the only one.
The veterans in the Roughriders’ locker room collectively have 135 games of CFL playoff experience under their belts (not including 31 Grey Cup appearances) and they’re sharing the things they’ve learned about the post-season with their younger teammates.
“They flat-out tell you it’s different,” Antigha said. “They don’t beat around the bush with it; they let you know it’s cranked up and every little detail matters. They’re very keen on letting me know that.”
Antigha played 17 games for Saskatchewan in the regular season and recorded 30 tackles, 18 quarterback pressures, six special-teams stops, five sacks, three tackles for losses, two pass knockdowns and a fumble recovery. Based on that showing, he was Saskatchewan’s nominee for the CFL award as most outstanding rookie.
The stakes will be higher Sunday than they were in the regular season, but Antigha wants to treat the semifinal like any other game rather than getting caught up in the hype.
That said, he admitted his heart rate might be a little higher.
“It’s going to be a little more exciting,” Antigha said. “But that’s basically it. I don’t feel any pressure. I just feel excited to play in my first career playoff game. The atmosphere is going to pump the adrenaline up a little bit more.”
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At the other end of the experience spectrum is Roughriders quarterback Kevin Glenn, who has been in 16 playoff games during his 17-year career.
The 38-year-old pivot has started 11 playoff games and has a 4-7 record.
Glenn has an edge in experience on Ottawa quarterback Trevor Harris, who is set to make his first career start in the post-season (although he has dressed for five playoff games and two Grey Cups).
“The nerves are going to be there (for Harris),” Glenn told reporters Wednesday. “There’s going to be a lot of excitement (and) a lot of anxiety.
“I can almost guarantee you that he’s probably going to be very, very anxious to get the game going,” Glenn added with a smile. “He probably won’t be able to sleep the night before so maybe that will make him a little bit tired and our D-line can chase him down and tackle him.”
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Harris is in his first season as Ottawa’s starter, having ascended to No. 1 after Henry Burris retired following the 2016 season.
But Harris is hardly unproven.
In 2015, he started 16 games for the Toronto Argonauts in place of the injured Ricky Ray and threw 33 touchdown passes. Last season — Harris’ first in Ottawa — he started 10 games when Burris was out and helped get the Redblacks to the Grey Cup game.
Harris didn’t play Sept. 29 when Ottawa lost 18-17 to the visiting Roughriders, but he threw for 262 yards with two touchdowns in the Redblacks’ 33-32 victory Oct. 13 at Mosaic Stadium.
“He played pretty well against us over here,” Roughriders head coach-GM Chris Jones said when asked how his team has fared against Harris. “Last year, we got after him pretty good for three quarters and then they replaced him with Henry.
“We’ll see. We’ve got to do a great job. I know he knows where to go with the football. He’s a competitor. I was around him in Toronto and he’s a worker. I can assure you he has watched his film.”
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The Roughriders were shut out when the divisional nominees for the CFL awards were announced Thursday.
Ray will face Edmonton quarterback Mike Reilly for the most-outstanding-player award in balloting by members of the Football Reporters of Canada and the league’s head coaches.
The other finalists are: Calgary Stampeders linebacker Alex Singleton and Montreal Alouettes linebacker Kyries Hebert (defensive player); Winnipeg Blue Bombers tailback Andrew Harris and Ottawa slotback Brad Sinopoli (Canadian); Winnipeg’s Stanley Bryant and Toronto’s Sean McEwen (offensive lineman); Calgary’s Roy Finch and Ottawa’s Diontae Spencer (special-teams player); Calgary receiver Marken Michel and Toronto tailback James Wilder Jr. (rookie); and, Calgary’s Dave Dickenson and Toronto’s Marc Trestman (coach of the year).
The winners are to be announced Nov. 23 in Ottawa.
