It was a catch that looked simple enough, a jogging snag at the back of the end zone. But there was more to it than that.
KeeSean Johnson caught a two-yard toss from quarterback Trevor Harris with four seconds left in the first half last Thursday. That reception gave the Saskatchewan Roughriders the lead over the Edmonton Elks heading into the break.
It wouldn’t have happened without a bit more skill and flair than it might have initially appeared.
“I trust where my quarterback leads me, and he threw the ball to the back of the end zone,” Johnson said to Voice of Roughriders Dave Thomas this week at practice. “I had to make a quick adjustment from going more to the middle to the back. I had to catch over my shoulder at that point.”
It’s the over-the-shoulder part that stands out here. No simple feat.
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But that’s just it. Johnson and the rest of the Riders receiving corps have made the challenging grabs look mundane this season. They’re making catches with ease.
The numbers for the team’s top three pass catchers if off-the-charts good.
Kian Schaffer-Baker is second in the CFL with 656 yards, trailing only Montreal’s Tyson Philpot (839 yards). However, Philpot has played an extra game. They both have four touchdowns.
Not far behind is Johnson, who’s fifth in the league with 567 yards. He’s matched Schaffer-Baker’s touchdown total. And then there’s Sam Emilus; he’s been to the end zone three times and recorded 448 receiving yards. The latter stat is good for 15th in the CFL.
Three receivers in the top 15 – again with a games-played deficit on most rivals – is quite the feat.
Part of the secret sauce is three excellent players pushing each other to be better for the benefit of the group at large.
“We’re all competitors. We all want to make plays. But it’s a team thing,” Johnson said. “We’re going to celebrate each other’s success no matter who it is.”
Still, there’s only one ball to go around.
Receivers coach Marquay McDaniel said the message to his charges is keep drives going, and the rest will take care of itself.
“I always tell them, ‘Hey, if everybody wants the ball, stay on the field,’” McDaniel said during this week’s SportsCage Coaches Show. “The more plays we get, the longer drives we get, the ball is spread around, and Trevor will find the open guy.
“That’s one thing with having a quarterback like Trevor. He’s not just going to lock in on one guy. If he does and he’s not open, he’s moving on to the next guy. If the second guy isn’t open, he can even go back to the third guy. Our big three are getting a lot of targets if you look at it, so I’m pretty sure they’re happy.”
There was a lot to be happy about with the receivers last week against the Elks. There were some outstanding catches, highlighted by Schaffer-Baker’s one-handed pull-in and the Johnson catch in the end zone.
Their season totals all got a healthy boost in the pass-happy contest.
Schaffer-Baker caught eight passes for 185 yards versus Edmonton. Johnson had seven receptions for 88 yards. Emilus matched KSB’s catch total and had 84 yards. All three had majors.
They’ve now got to try to replicate that performance against the same opponent on Saturday.
It’s a tough task, but it’s a mix of faith and trust between Harris and the receivers to execute that instills a high belief in the offence.
“That’s something that I have in Trevor,” Johnson said. “That’s something that he has in our whole core.”
