The Saskatchewan Roughriders’ defence has gone on the offensive this CFL season.
The Roughriders have scored nine defensive touchdowns, including a team-record seven on interception returns. The new mark was set Monday, when defensive end Willie Jefferson picked off a Mike Reilly pass and returned it 49 yards for a game-changing major in Saskatchewan’s 19-12 victory over the Edmonton Eskimos at Mosaic Stadium.
🏃🏾♂️💨 I’m gone https://t.co/kxRGDMCgA5
— Willie Jefferson III (@Stmn_Willie_Bmn) October 8, 2018
“At the end of the day, that’s just a big play,” Jefferson said after the Roughriders officially clinched a playoff spot. “Right place, right time, great circumstance — game-winner.”
And record-breaker. The franchise’s previous single-season standard of six interception returns for touchdowns was set in 1976.
With Monday’s effort, Jefferson also tied a Roughriders individual record with two pick-sixes in a season. His first of the season occurred Sept. 8 against the host Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
T
hrow in two fumble returns for touchdowns this season and the Roughriders’ defence is just one TD away from what head coach-GM Chris Jones called “the benchmark” for single-season scoring by a defence.
“Our mindset as a defence is takeaways,” Jefferson said. “We know we’ve got one of the most athletic defences in the league and, when we get our hands on the ball, we want to finish the plays — and if finishing the play means touchdowns, then touchdowns are what we want.”
The seven interception-return TDs this season have come in different circumstances. Some have provided insurance points, some have created much-needed momentum, some haven’t had any impact on the final outcome and some have completely changed the games in which they occurred.
Here’s a look at each of the Roughriders’ seven pick-sixes in 2018.
- June 15 — Saskatchewan 27, Toronto 19
With the Roughriders leading the Argonauts 17-12 in the teams’ regular-season opener, cornerback Nick Marshall snags an errant Ricky Ray pass and returns it 66 yards for a touchdown at 7:14 of the fourth quarter. The Argos cut the lead to 24-19 on their next possession, but Saskatchewan holds on.
- June 21 — Ottawa 40, Saskatchewan 17
Jonathan Rose’s 55-yard pick-six (and the subsequent two-point convert) gives Ottawa a 14-7 lead at 1:24 of the second quarter, but the Roughriders get a TD return of their own just over three minutes later. Cornerback Duron Carter makes a diving interception, gets up and races 28 yards for a major. Brett Lauther kicks the convert to tie the score 14-14 at 4:31 of the second quarter, but the Redblacks eventually pull away.
- July 28 — Calgary 34, Saskatchewan 22
The Stampeders build up a 24-0 first-quarter lead before the Roughriders get on the board with a Lauther field goal. Saskatchewan scores its first touchdown of the contest at 10:26 of the second quarter, when Tobi Antigha — having dropped from defensive end to safety — snares a Bo Levi Mitchell pass and returns it 52 yards for the major. After the Roughriders eventually cut the deficit to 24-19, the Stampeders score 10 of the game’s next 13 points to seal the deal.
- Aug. 19 — Saskatchewan 40, Calgary 27
The Roughriders are leading the Stampeders 6-0 as the first quarter draws to a close, but Marshall makes it 12-0 on the final play of the frame when he picks off a Mitchell pass and races 67 yards to paydirt. Marshall ties the franchise’s single-season record for pick-sixes, joining five other players in the record book. Calgary never gets closer than eight points the rest of the way.
- Sept. 8 — Saskatchewan 32, Winnipeg 27
The Bombers are leading 10-0 and are scrimmaging at the Roughriders’ 13-yard line when Jefferson strikes. He leaps in the air just as Matt Nichols delivers, snags the ball and goes 97 yards for a momentum-changing pick-six at 1:24 of the second quarter. Winnipeg recovers and eventually reclaims its 10-point lead at 17-7, but Lauther kicks two field goals to cut into the lead. Then …
- Sept. 8 — Saskatchewan 32, Winnipeg 27
Nichols, under heavy pressure, tries to underhand a pass into the flat from the Roughriders’ seven-yard line. The throw goes right to linebacker Sam Eguavoen, who scoots untouched for a 103-yard TD at 14:07 of the second quarter. The third-longest pick-six in franchise history and Jefferson’s effort represent a 28-point swing in the contest. Winnipeg rallies to take a 27-26 lead in the fourth quarter, but two Lauther field goals in the game’s final three minutes propel the Roughriders to the victory.
- Oct. 8 — Saskatchewan 19, Edmonton 12
Jefferson becomes the seventh player in franchise history to record two interception-return TDs in a season, picking off a Reilly pass at the Eskimos’ 49-yard line and — after taking a few seconds off the clock with a cross-country excursion — scoring at 13:23 of the fourth quarter. The TD and Lauther’s convert give Saskatchewan a 16-12 lead and it goes on to its seventh win in its past eight games.
Charleston Hughes (57-yard fumble return against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on July 5) and Eguavoen (30-yard fumble return off a blocked punt against Calgary on Aug. 19) also have scored defensive touchdowns for the Roughriders this season.
“Every time we get our hands on the ball, it’s close (to being a TD),” Jones said when asked why his defence has been so adept at producing points. “We know that we’re fast, we’re very athletic and we don’t take a lot of dumb penalties behind the football (to neutralize a return) …
“When we get the ball, you’ve got a bunch of receivers who don’t play defence so they don’t tackle. You’ve got the quarterback, who isn’t tackling anybody usually. And then you’ve got the offensive line. If we can transition and get out in the open field, we should have an advantage.”
