Saskatchewan Roughriders quarterback Trevor Harris, always noted for his accuracy, took precision to a new plateau on Friday.
Nobody who has thrown 18 or more passes in a game for the Roughriders has a higher completion percentage than the 88.9-per-cent accuracy rate Harris registered during a 37-29 CFL victory over the Calgary Stampeders at McMahon Stadium.
The Roughriders’ starting quarterback went 16-for-18 for 248 yards and one touchdown.
Harris, who also ran three times for 17 yards and another major, finished the game with an eye-popping quarterback-efficiency rating of 152.1.
Until Friday, the best completion percentage by a Roughrider with 18 or more attempts was Cody Fajardo’s 85.7 in a 23-10 victory over the Ottawa REDBLACKS on Aug. 21, 2021 at Mosaic Stadium.
Harris’s most-recent gem heads a list of 66 games in which a Roughrider has completed at least 75 per cent of his passes, with a minimum of 15 attempts.
Also using 15 as the cut-off, the Roughriders’ team record for completion percentage (93.3) was set on Sept. 5, 1966 against the visiting Montreal Alouettes.
The Roughriders were 14-for-15 in a 44-0 rout of Montreal. Ron Lancaster was 13-for-14 (92.9%) for 219 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Paul Dudley added a 28-yard TD pass to Hugh Campbell, who scored all three of Saskatchewan’s aerial majors.
On Friday, Harris operated a run-oriented offence that showcased newcomer Ryquell Armstead, who gained 207 yards on 25 carries.
Overall, Saskatchewan ran the ball 35 times, with Harris contributing 17 yards and one touchdown on three rushes.
The 35 carries were the most by the Roughriders since July 29, 2019, when they ran the ball 35 times against the host B.C. Lions.
The 18 passes represented the Roughriders’ lowest total since Oct. 27, 2018, when they were 9-for-17 at home against B.C.
Harris attempted only five passes during Friday’s second half. How long had it been since he had thrown the ball so infrequently?
“Not since high school,” Harris responded. “At that point, we were trying to stay on the field and our O-line was moving them in the run game. We passed it when we needed to.”
And did so effectively.
Harris completed two passes — both to Kian Schaffer-Baker — on the Roughriders’ first possession of the second half.
After halftime, Saskatchewan ran the ball on six of its first seven plays before Harris found Schaffer-Baker for a 25-yard score on second-and-eight.
Late in the fourth quarter, Harris converted back-to-back second-down situations, finding Shawn Bane Jr. for 12 yards and KeeSean Johnson for four.
Those clutch completions helped the Roughriders extinguish valuable time before Brett Lauther kicked a 40-yard field goal with 1:47 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Lauther’s accuracy should also be lauded.
Over the last four games, he has made 11 of 12 field-goal attempts, with the lone miss being on a desperation 60-yarder into the wind.
Lauther is 10-for-10 on convert attempts, from 33 yards, over the last four games. Overall, he is on a 21-for-22 run (95.5%).
The Roughriders are to return to action on Saturday against Ottawa (1 p.m., Mosaic Stadium).
EXTRA (PERCENTAGE) POINTS
• Harris has topped 75 per cent three times as a Roughrider on four occasions while opposing Saskatchewan.
• Most completions by a Roughrider who completed at least 75 per cent of his passes: 36, by Darian Durant against the visiting Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Sept. 4, 2016. Durant went 36-for-47 (76.6%). He was 35-for-45 (77.8%) against the host Stampeders on Oct. 17, 2009.
• Most yards by a 75-per-cent-plus Roughriders quarterback: 492, by Kent Austin at Calgary on Oct. 8, 1989. Austin went 29-for-37 (78.4%).
• Austin boasts the best completion percentage (74.5) of any Roughrider who has attempted at least 50 passes. He went 41-for-55 against the host Toronto Argonauts on Oct. 31, 1993 — his final regular-season start as a Roughrider.
• Best completion percentage with at least 60 attempts: 64.5, by Austin (40-for-62 in overtime at B.C., Aug. 13, 1992).
• Tom Clements holds the record for the highest completion percentage by an opponent (90.0). He went 20-for-23 for 274 yards and four touchdowns against Saskatchewan at Winnipeg Stadium on July 5, 1986.
ROUGHRIDERS’ TOP SINGLE-GAME COMPLETION PERCENTAGES
88.9 — Trevor Harris (16-18) at Calgary, Sept. 20, 2024.
85.7 — Cody Fajardo (30-35) vs. Ottawa, Aug. 21, 2021.
85.2 — Ron Lancaster (23-27) vs. Edmonton, Aug 15, 1976.
85.2 — Cody Fajardo (23-27) at Toronto, Sept. 28, 2019.
84.2 — Tino Sunseri (16-19) vs. Calgary, Oct. 3, 2014.
83.3 — Joe Paopao (20-24) at B.C., Aug. 9, 1986.
83.3 — Cody Fajardo (15-18) at Winnipeg, Sept. 10, 2022.
82.6 — Darian Durant (19-23) vs. B.C., Nov. 10, 2013 (playoffs).
82.5 — Kevin Glenn (33-40) vs. Toronto, July 5, 2015.
82.1 — Isaac Harker (23-28) vs. Edmonton, Nov. 2, 2019.
