Craig Dickenson saw a red flag — in the form of too many flags — and resolved to take action.
Heading into the 2023 season, the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ Head Coach established an ambitious objective of fielding the CFL’s least-penalized team.
After four games, the Roughriders are nicely on track.
They have been assessed only 5.5 penalties per game, an average that ties them with the Ottawa REDBLACKS for the fewest in the league.
Saskatchewan has been assessed 22 penalties, two of which have been declined. The 20 accepted penalties rank the Roughriders second-best, one behind Ottawa.
The number 20 is especially eye-popping when you consider that 50 penalties had been marched off against Saskatchewan last year at the four-game mark.
Clearly, Dickenson’s message has been heard and absorbed by the players.
“We’ll continue to beat that drum,” he said. “My personal quest this year is to get us to play clean and to still be a very physical team. So far, I think we’ll be able to accomplish it, but it’s one of those things where we’ve got to stay on it every day. We’ll just keep working.”
After four games this year, Saskatchewan has been penalized 212 yards — compared to 480 at this juncture in 2022.
The contrast is especially pronounced when you consider Game 4, then and now.
2022: 16 penalties for 155 yards in a 41-20 victory over the Montreal Alouettes.
2023: Four penalties for 42 yards in a 12-11 conquest of the Edmonton Elks.
“We can still do better,” Dickenson emphasized as the Roughriders prepare for Saturday’s home date with the Calgary Stampeders. “That’s the point I’m going to make to the guys.
“We had four in the last game. Two of them were preventable. We need to make sure that, when we can prevent them, we do.”
TREVOR’S TOTALS
Roughriders quarterback Trevor Harris is 231 passing yards shy of 30,000 for his career.
On Saturday, he could become the 19th CFLer to reach that milestone.
That list includes seven former Saskatchewan quarterbacks — Henry Burris (who finished with 63,639), Kevin Glenn (52,867), Ron Lancaster (50,535), Tom Clements (39,041), Kent Austin (36,030), Darian Durant (31,740) and Tom Burgess (30,308).
Harris is also poised to become the third quarterback to reach 30,000 yards while wearing a Roughriders jersey at the time.
Lancaster hit that milestone on Oct. 15, 1972 against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Burgess reached 30,000 on Oct. 1, 1995 against the Baltimore Stallions.
As a Roughrider, Lancaster also hit 40,000 (Sept. 28, 1975 vs. the B.C. Lions) and 50,000 (Sept. 24, 1978 vs. Ottawa Rough Riders).
Glenn was with the Green and White when he reached 50,000 — on July 22, 2017 against Calgary.
Durant and Austin were approaching 30,000 yards when they were traded by the Roughriders. Durant threw for 28,507 yards before joining the Alouettes in 2017. Austin was at 26,626 yards when he joined the Lions in 1994.
STATISTICAL SHORT SNORTS
- Another looming milestone: Roughriders middle linebacker Larry Dean needs three defensive tackles to reach 500 for his career. With 32 defensive tackles this season, Dean is second in the CFL to Calgary’s Micah Awe (37).
- Saskatchewan is averaging 289.8 passing yards per game — second only to B.C. (308.0).
- The Roughriders’ defence has allowed the lowest completion percentage (59.5) and the fewest completions (72).
- Saskatchewan’s Adam Korsak is averaging a league-best 50.9 yards per punt.
- The Roughriders’ Shawn Bane Jr. has gained 151 of his 286 receiving yards after the catch. He is sixth in the league in receiving yardage and second in yards after the catch.
- Harris had the top grade (88.2) of any CFL offensive player last week, according to Pro Football Focus. Saskatchewan also emerged from the nailbiter against Edmonton with the CFL’s top-rated offensive line for Week 5 (75.7). The Roughriders’ Mitch Picton was the highest-rated receiver (75.0).
INJURY UPDATE
Eleven players received the DNP — Did Not Practice — Designation on Wednesday’s injury report.
Listed as DNP were defensive backs Rolan Milligan Jr. (back/foot), C.J. Reavis (leg) and Kosi Onyeka (leg), defensive linemen Anthony Lanier II (foot), Charbel Dabire (leg) and Lake Korte-Moore (leg), receiver Jake Wieneke (knee), centre Peter Godber (hand), offensive tackle Brandon Council (finger), kicker Brett Lauther (leg) and linebacker Matt Dean (foot).
Defensive back Amari Henderson (rib) was a limited participant on Wednesday after being listed as DNP the day before.
Defensive back Rodney Clemons (ankle) was listed as limited for the second straight day.
