Fans at Mosaic Stadium erupted into cheers when Saskatchewan Roughriders' defensive lineman Malik Carney sacked Winnipeg Blue Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros and forced a fumble which he recovered in the second quarter.
"Whoa, it's time to hit that celly — lifted up that bike, started popping that wheelie and I saw everybody hitting it with me," Carney said on Rider Broadcast Network post-game. "That was an electric moment in the Labour Day Classic."
That wheelie celebration has been Carney's signature for a while, he provided more details and shared anyone in Rider Nation can perform it.
"Whatever you are able to ride, it could be a bike, a motorcycle, a dirt bike, a four-wheeler, whatever you want — you have to lift it up and hit it," Carney said.
The Green and White were victorious against the Bombers in the 60th Labour Day Classic with a 34-30 win.
"We knew that it was going to be a dog fight, but I believe in my dogs," Carney said. "Defensively, all around, we know that we got a great front, we got great linebackers, and we also got great DBs."
The 29-year-old Carney finished the game with three defensive tackles, two sacks, one forced fumble which he recovered and one tackle for loss.
"He got the trifecta there. Coach Phillip Daniels and the staff are always looking at different match-ups and other factors to see if we can find something we like. Certainly, that's a match-up, Scoop over guards, speed mixed with power. He's got enough power I think to play a three technique if need be," head coach Corey Mace said. "It's a good match-up anytime we can get those guys isolated. We can do it with other guys as well. Tonight was Scoop's night as it pertains to that."
This season, Carney has started 11 games for Saskatchewan while tallying 25 defensive tackles, six sacks and one forced fumble. Carney is one sack shy of his single-season career best seven which he accomplished with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 2022. When Carney was asked if he could be a versatile piece for the Riders' defence, he readily agreed.
"Put me anywhere," Carney said. "I'm going to play as best as I can: three tech, off the ball, linebacker, dropping in coverage, rushing on the edge — I can do it."
Carney and the defence have one motto Mace uses consistently and he thinks it was exemplified against the Bombers.
"We know that we have a phrase that we go: 'We may bend, but we don't break.' We showed that a few times in pulling them out on a turnover with our offence, we were able to keep them out and hold them to three points, so that was a good stop for us," Carney said. "Also, being relentless in our rush as a defence, we preach on physicality and making havoc for the offence to communicate and get their plays off, so that's what we focus on, and that's what we're going to continue to do."
The Green and White's next game will be a Labour Day rematch against Winnipeg on Saturday.
"There are going to be adjustments on both sides, so it's about countering those adjustments and working on the fly," Carney said. "They're going to always work back to their tendencies and what they call. We've got to do a better job of executing our plays because we know that they're going to make changes and it's up to us to make it happen."
Catch the Labour Day Classic rematch when Saskatchewan travels to Winnipeg to take on the Bombers. Teagan Witko, Justin Dunk, and Wes Cates bring you the pre-game show at 11 a.m. Dave Thomas and Luc Mullinder have the game call at 2 p.m. Listen to our detailed coverage on 620 CKRM Co-operators Rider Broadcast Network.
