Robservations: Three quarterbacks = a Roughriders first … Jamal’s all-around excellence … Mario’s miracle … special teams Sunday … and thanks to Nasser!
Since joining the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Feb. 21, this inveterate numerical nerd has erupted for approximately 1,824,762 statistical references.
Unsurprisingly, we have dusted off the (cough!) abacus once more, for the purpose of initiating another deluge of digits.
Roughriders history was made on Sunday, when Jake Dolegala threw for 312 yards to help Saskatchewan outlast the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 32-30 at Mosaic Stadium.
On the first play of overtime, Dolegala went over the 300 mark by connecting with Jamal Morrow for 21-yarder.
Just like that, Dolegala became the third member of the 2023 Roughriders to throw for 300-plus yards in a game, following Trevor Harris and Mason Fine.
Never before had three different Saskatchewan passers reached 300 yards in the same season.
“Like I said at the beginning of the year, I think any of us could have played anywhere across the league and been starters,” Dolegala said leading up to Saturday’s game at Winnipeg’s IG Field (2 p.m., TSN, CKRM).
“It goes to our coaching. It goes to the leadership from Trev. I think we’re all locked in and we know the offence really well. Anytime any of us get an opportunity, I think we’re able to make the most of it.”
Harris, who began the season as the Roughriders’ No. 1 quarterback, threw for 413 yards against the visiting Blue Bombers on June 16.
Fine took over behind centre after Harris suffered a knee injury — one that required surgery — on July 15 against the Calgary Stampeders at Mosaic Stadium.
In Fine’s second start of the season, he amassed 302 aerial yards against the Toronto Argonauts on July 29 in Halifax.
Fine suffered a hamstring injury on Aug. 11 against the host Montreal Alouettes, opening the door for Dolegala’s elevation to a starting role.
The Roughriders have since won back-to-back home games against formidable opponents — the Blue Bombers and B.C. Lions — and therefore carry a 6-5 record into this weekend’s Labour Day rematch.
It says something about the Roughriders that they sport a winning record despite going three deep at football’s most important position.
“It says that we’ve got good receivers,” Head Coach Craig Dickenson noted. “It tells you that our offensive line is doing a good job. I think you also need to give credit to the offensive staff. I think the offensive staff under (Offensive Co-ordinator) Kelly Jeffrey has done a good job of designing game plans that suit each quarterback.
“I think you’ve got to give credit where credit is due mainly to the quarterbacks. They’re the guys back there making it work.”
One of the key contributors is the 37-year-old Harris, even though the 12th-year CFLer has not appeared in a game since mid-July.
“He’s in the room every day,” Dolegala said. “He’s giving us different ideas on what he’s seeing.
“Obviously, he has been around the game for what feels like forever — no offence to his age — and he brings a lot of that mentorship.
“He sees things slightly different than we see things, with us being younger. It’s great to have his advice, because he helps every day.”
Dolegala helps his own cause by steering clear of external chatter — an advisable approach for anyone who plays quarterback in the football fishbowl that is Saskatchewan.
“The fans are diehards there, so you’re always being looked at under a microscope,” Dolegala told reporters after the team arrived in Winnipeg on Friday.
“I only worry about what’s going on in the building. It’s the team that’s going out there and playing. It’s not (about) what everybody else is saying.
“Even you guys (in the media), you can say what you want about us but I’m not listening to the noise. I’m just focused on what we’re doing and on how we can get better each week.”
That mindset has benefited Dolegala over the past two games — his first back-to-back regular-season starts since entering the pro ranks with the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals in 2019.
How does it feel to finally get that opportunity?
“It’s awesome,” Dolegala replied. “It feels right.
“I feel like I’ve had that patience for as long as I have and it’s finally coming to fruition. It’s a really good feeling.”
AND NOW … MORE STATS!
Morrow stats, actually.
With four catches for 76 yards on Sunday, he posted the highest single-game receiving-yardage total by a Roughriders running back since 2012.
On Nov. 11 of that year, Kory Sheets had 77 yards on five catches in the West Division semi-final at Calgary’s McMahon Stadium.
Morrow’s 76 receiving yards were the most by a running back in a regular-season game since (guess who?) Sheets caught six passes for 138 yards in Edmonton on Aug. 10, 2012.
This season, the multi-talented Morrow has 25 receptions for 218 yards and one TD. He had 69 yards on eight catches, one of which produced a TD, against Calgary on July 15.
“We had a game earlier in the season where we were able to get me going in the pass game,” Morrow said. “It’s always fun and that’s part of the game that I really enjoy.
“It’s one of my specialties, I guess I would say.”
That has been the case dating back to his time at Washington State University, where he excelled along the ground (with 1,795 yards on 316 carries over four seasons) and via the aerial route (202 catches for 1,748 yards).
In fact, he scored on more receptions (14) than rushes (nine) at Washington State, where he is ranked third all-time in all-purpose yards (4,219).
“It’s something I take a lot of pride in,” Morrow said of his versatility. “Anytime an offence is able to put a running back in space against a linebacker, you’ve got to take advantage of those opportunities, and I think we’ve been able to do that.”
Case in point: The 2023 Labour Day Classic.
Late in the fourth quarter, Morrow made receptions for 17 and 24 yards on back-to-back plays to put the Roughriders on Winnipeg’s 15-yard line. Shortly thereafter, a Brett Lauther field goal created a 24-24 tie and forced overtime.
Then, on the first possession of OT, Dolegala’s 21-yard toss to Morrow gave Saskatchewan a first down on Winnipeg’s one-yard line. Short-yardage quarterback Antonio Pipkin plunged into the end zone on the next play, whereupon Dolegala found Shawn Bane Jr. for what proved to be a game-winning two-point convert.
“In critical situations, that’s when you’ve got to be able to make big plays,” Morrow said. “At Washington State, Coach (Mike) Leach would always say, ‘Just make routine plays.’
“So for us, whatever play is called, you have to go out there and do your job. That’s kind of how I look at it.
“You’re just playing football. When the ball comes your way, make a play.”
MARIO’S MIRACLE MAJOR
In last year’s Labour Day rematch, the Roughriders’ Mario Alford scored as improbable a touchdown as you can imagine.
He returned the second-half kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown despite being one of several Saskatchewan players who was afflicted with the Norovirus.
“I was just dead sick,” Alford recalled on Friday. “I was just trying to battle the game out, because most of our team was sick.
“I was sick. I have no idea how I did it, but I did it. It felt great to know that I can put up a fight like that and still perform like that.”
The scoring sprint in Winnipeg produced one of the four return touchdowns Alford registered last year en route to being named the CFL’s top special teams player.
In 2023, he has scored two return TDs, both of which came after fielding a punt against Calgary on July 15.
He came close to reaching the end zone again last Sunday, when he averaged 13.7 yards on six punt returns and returned four kickoffs for an average of 38.8 yards.
“Two or three times, I was real close (to taking one all the way),” Alford said. “There’s not going to be a touchdown return every game but, as long as I can get my guys in great field position, we’ll let the offence and the kicking unit do their jobs.”
SOMETHING SPECIAL
Let’s revisit the special teams’ all-around excellence in the Labour Day Classic:
- Alford’s contributions have already been noted. Next …
- Lauther connected on all five of his field-goal attempts, one of which was a 53-yarder. He also recovered his own onside kickoff on the game’s opening play.
- Adam Korsak averaged 53.4 yards per punt. Two of his punts produced a single in the fourth quarter, during which every point was crucial.
- Winnipeg’s return teams were held to averages of 8.1 (punts) and 13.5 (kickoffs).
With all of that in mind, Dickenson was asked for his thoughts on the overall performance of the special teams.
“There’s always ways to improve,” he said. “We can do better. We can take fewer penalties and we’re going to continue to work on that.
“But it was a much-needed and appreciated effort from the special teams. When you play a team like Winnipeg — one that is loaded and, from top to bottom, as good as anyone you’ll see — you’ve got to try to find an edge. I thought our special teams units gave us an edge in that game and helped us win.”
What will be required to defeat Winnipeg a second straight time?
“It’s going to take a superior effort, no doubt about it,” Dickenson stated.
“(The Bombers) are going to come out firing. It’s going to be a slugfest.
“They’re a real good team. They didn’t play as well as they’re capable of in that first game (of the home-and-home set) and I think they know that.
“I think they’re a prideful group that’s going to come out and give us everything they’ve got. They’re going to still try to run the ball on us and I think they’re going to take some shots downfield.
“It’s going to be a fun game. With these back-to-backs, you never know, but I do know this: Our guys are ready to play and they know the Bombers are ready as well, so it should be a lot of fun.”
ROLL CREDITS …
- Nice people who deserve a plug: Dr. Jordan. Buchko, Brent Buchko, Dave Pettigrew, Thomas Judek, Kyle Carson, Andre Bolduc, Lawrence Ansah-Addo, Ashley Kirsch, Darrell Romuld, Daniel Reech, Vicki Orobko, Andre Proulx, Spencer Proulx, Anja Warunkiewicz, Guillaume Frenehard, Krissy Sumnauth, Ron Bailey, Eldon Hall, Jaxon Ford, Thomas Bertrand-Hudon, Mitch Picton, Trevor Buhnai, Anton Amundrud, Bob Irving, Jeff Kitts, Heather Dufault, Eric Lofton, Jake Dolegala, Mason Fine, Trevor Harris, Jamal Morrow, Jenna Trider, Makayla Glessman, Everlee Herber, Leo Herber and, with apologies for the lack of a surname, Nasser — who drove us from the airport to the stadium and then to the hotel after we landed in Winnipeg on Friday. We could not have been welcomed to the city by a nicer, funnier guy.
