HAMILTON — One of the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ smallest players made a “gigantic” play in Sunday’s 33-30 victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
With the Roughriders in a second-and-17 predicament and just under two minutes left in the fourth quarter, 5-foot-9, 175-pound Jerreth Sterns moved the chains with an 18-yard reception. In so doing, he withstood a jarring hit from safety Stavros Katsantonis.
Sterns’ catch ignited an eight-play, 88-yard drive that was punctuated by a 10-yard touchdown pass from Trevor Harris to Kian Schaffer-Baker.
Brett Lauther added the game-tying convert with 43 seconds left and subsequently settled matters with a 43-yard, walk-off field goal.
Although the Roughriders’ final touchdown drive was recorded as an 88-yarder, the Green and White actually had to move 95 yards after Harris was sacked on first down. Then came the gutsy catch by Sterns.
“It was gigantic,” Harris said. “The first play of the series, I wish I would have been able to get rid of it. They took away the primary receiver. The defence did a good job of mixing up their zones.
“Sterns did a tremendous job hanging on to it. He is a tremendous receiver in this league — one of the best route-runners I’ve ever played with.”
The second-year Roughriders receiver was re-routed to the sideline after being shaken up by the hit, but he returned to the field for the tail end of the game-tying touchdown drive.
“It is tough, but we work on those things after practice,” Sterns said. “You’ll see us doing contested catches with the receivers hitting each other’s arms and trying to pull on it and making it hard on each other.
“I’m glad to see the work paying off.”
Sterns played an integral role in all three of the Roughriders’ touchdown drives on Sunday.
His 29-yard connection with Harris was followed by a 24-yard, first-quarter touchdown pass to Schaffer-Baker.
In the third frame, Sterns was targeted on back-to-back plays — which produced gains of 22 and 19 yards — before short-yardage quarterback Shea Patterson scored on a one-yard run.
“I have always been a reliable receiver since I started playing receiver (as a first-year college player),” Sterns said. “I hope to continue to do so.
“I’m just blessed, honestly.”
Sterns opened the season with 81 yards on a team-high seven catches as the Roughriders downed the host Edmonton Elks 29-21 on June 8. He followed up with six grabs for 112 yards on Sunday.
Production of that scale is hardly novel for Sterns.
As a member of the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers in 2021, he amassed NCAA-leading totals of 150 catches and 1,902 receiving yards in 14 games. With 17 TDs, he was tied for first in the nation.
