Early-season Roughriders have magically reappeared

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Remember the beginning of this CFL season?

That’s when every good break favoured the Saskatchewan Roughriders, their defence was making big and timely plays, quarterback Trevor Harris was healthy, they were on a winning streak and seemed to be a bona fide playoff contender?

Well, they’re back.

Interrupted by an unexplainable seven-game winless skid that nearly wiped them from contention through August and September, the early-season Roughriders reappeared for a third straight victory Saturday at Commonwealth Stadium when they — true to form — didn’t dominate their opponent but managed to defeat the Edmonton Elks 28-24.

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The Roughriders even got to deploy their seldom-used victory formation! Most of the costly penalties were called against Edmonton. Saskatchewan didn’t get any players ejected, although dime-backer C.J. Reavis tried punching an opponent and somehow didn’t get tossed.

Defensive back Rolan Milligan Jr. grabbed his league-leading eighth interception, sparking more discussion about him winning the league’s outstanding player award. Amari Henderson, playing because starting cornerback Deontai Williams was suspended for pile-driving an opponent, smacked a fourth-quarter reception away from Edmonton receiver Kurleigh Gittens Jr.; the Riders recovered to seal their victory.

And when the Command Centre decided it wasn’t getting enough attention, it again waded needlessly into the fray to disallow an Elks reception by Javon Leake that was somehow considered a potential scoring play. When Riders head coach Corey Mace challenged a pass interference penalty, the Command Centre also overruled a call in Saskatchewan’s favour in the fourth quarter. That was about when CPC leader Pierre Poilievre’s pre-election commercials interrupted the telecast with a call to “Restore our freedoms!” and complain about “woke obsessions.” Football is now friendlier than politics.

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Indeed, it was like the good ol’ days of June and early July, when the Roughriders naively won five of their first six games before a bunch of “close” losses dropped their record to 5-7-1. They’re now poised to finish their regular season with five straight victories and clinch a home playoff game if they beat the visiting B.C. Lions on Saturday, with a slim possibility of passing the red-hot Winnipeg Blue Bombers for first place in the West.

CFL teams don’t typically win their first four games, go winless for seven and finish with five straight victories, particularly with an unreliable offence that needs to solidify its running attack.

Playing behind an offensive line that has been reconfigured numerous times this season, tailback Frankie Hickson gained only 46 yards on 15 carries against Edmonton. Hickson has explosive speed, but he isn’t the power-back the Roughriders have been seeking with the offseason signing of A.J. Ouellette and the midseason acquisition of Ryquell Armstead.

Ouellette may soon return from the six-game injury list, while Armstead remains sidelined after playing only one full game in which he gained 207 yards on 25 carries.

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“I’m never going to be deterred because I love this offence and love this group,” Harris, who completed 22 of 28 passes for 358 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions, said during his postgame media availability.

“I’m happy with where we are in terms of where we were about a month ago.”

Harris chided himself for tossing those interceptions, but he was also on-target with TD passes to Sam Emilus and KeeSean Johnson. Harris dropped the ball once, but that was one of two times the Roughriders lost fumbles that were ultimately negated by a quick referee’s whistle. Harris has evidently recovered fully from a knee injury that sidelined him for six games, so Rider fans no longer hold their breath when he lopes out of the backfield.

The victory moved the second-place Roughriders above .500 with an 8-7-1 record, one point ahead of the 8-8 Lions, and magically clinched a West playoff berth for each team while eliminating Edmonton and the Calgary Stampeders from postseason contention. It’s the first time Alberta’s traditional powerhouse franchises have missed the playoffs together since the 1958 formation of the Canadian Football League.

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There will be no crossover berths available this season either, where a more-deserving East team can move into the West playoffs, or vice versa.

The Roughriders deserve to be in the CFL playoffs. Well, the June/July Roughriders do. So do the October Roughriders. That team that went 0-6-1 through late July, all of August and part of September was certainly not postseason worthy.

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