EDMONTON – Tommy Stevens was annoyed that he thought he let his team down in a moment that drew “scarred” flashbacks to his football childhood, but he can laugh about it now.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders quarterback fumbled the ball just one yard shy of the end zone in the dying seconds of the third quarter, resulting in what appeared to be a turnover. He was given a reprieve when the Edmonton Elks were called for too many men on the field.
That brief-yet-nullified mishap was the only thing that went wrong for Stevens on Saturday night.
The backup pivot punched in his third one-yard touchdown two plays later, giving his Riders a lead they’d never relinquish in a 28-26 win to avenge last week’s two-point loss to the Elks.
Still, he couldn’t shake that drop and had to talk about it, even as a lark.
“When I was in second grade, I remember playing a real cold game, and begged my dad to get me a long sleeve,” Stevens said. “My dad was a football coach. I wanted a long sleeve. He’s like, ‘Hell, no. You’re not getting a long-sleeve shirt.’ So, like a normal kid, I went to mom.
“And sure enough, first carry, I fumbled. My dad takes sleeves right to it. Since then, I’ve just been petrified to fumble the football.
“I don’t think if worn sleeves since.”
The sleeveless Stevens moved to quarterback in his sophomore year of high school, but he still looks – and plays – like a running back. He’s showed it all season, building off scoring two touchdowns in last year’s Grey Cup victory.
He’s up to eight rushing touchdowns this season thanks to his Saturday trio. Per the great Rob Vanstone, Stevens trails only Kent Austin for multi-game rushing touchdown performances by a quarterback. Stevens is up to four with his Grey Cup twosome included, whereas Austin is at six. He joined Austin, Rocky Butler, and Michael Bishop as the only Riders pivots to rush for three majors in a game.
Stevens revealed that he buys a dozen doughnuts for his offensive linemen whenever he scores a touchdown.
“It’s gonna be an expensive trip to Tim Hortons this week,” he said.
Riders coach Corey Mace described last Thursday’s affair as more “old school” compared to last week’s tilt “looked like a seven-on-seven game.”
The Roughriders needed all the power Stevens could muster in the do-over against the Elks, especially without injured running back A.J. Ouellette.
“You look at the touchdowns – those are huge for us – but it’s what he can do to close a game out,” Mace said. “You saw it tonight. You’ve seen it throughout the year.”
Their offensive push wasn’t quite the same in a game that was dragged out by an 81-minute delay, including halftime, due to lightning. It didn’t help that they were missing receiver Sam Emilus, who was a late scratch because of a foot injury, plus Kian Schaffer-Baker went down during the contest, too.
A week earlier, Trevor Harris bombed the ball down the field to the tune of 386 yards passing and four touchdowns through the air. Harris managed just 239 yards with one TD toss to KeeSean Johnson late in Saturday’s game. He had one interception as he did last week.
“We just couldn’t get an offensive flow throughout the first half and even midway through the third quarter,” Harris said. “Defences make adjustments. This is pro football, man.”
Speaking of which, the Riders don’t win this game their efforts on the other side of the ball.
Sure, they allowed Edmonton to score a touchdown on its first possession, much like last week’s tilt. They didn’t force a turnover, either. But the Riders held the Elks to 341 yards of net offence and only two touchdowns.
They did it without defensive back Rolan Milligan Jr., who is now on the six-game injured list. They also did it without cornerback Tevaughn Campbell for the second half of the game. He left with an upper-body injury that Mace said didn’t look great.
“We already have that mindset that when one person goes down, the next person’s going to step up, and there’s not going to be no drop-offs,” fellow corner Marcus Sayles said.
Sayles was steadfast in his belief that allowing 510 passing yards to Elks quarterback Cody Fajardo last Thursday was simply a result of busts from poor communication and that it wouldn’t happen again.
He was right.
“I feel like we did clean that up,” Sayles said. “They’re a great team and they’re still going to find their ways to get their explosive plays. But if we limit their explosive plays and don’t give them too many touchdowns, I feel like we're always going to be successful.”
The win was crucial for the Riders because it allows them to keep pace with the Elks at the top of the West Division. They’re at 5-2, whereas the Elks are 6-2. It also keeps them level in the season series with one last game in Regina later this season.
Stevens led the way with the ball tucked away.
“He has a very unique skill set. The fact that he can do that as well is awesome,” Harris said. “But someday he’ll get a chance to go in there and throw the ball.
“He’ll shock the world doing that more than what he does right now, because he’s (already) unique to be able to run the football like he does.”
Stevens doesn’t care about that right now. He just wants to help his team win.
That’s why his fumble was so irritating to him, even with getting across the goal line three times.
“My heart sank farther than you know what,” Stevens said. “I’d rather throw a pick than fumble, truthfully. It’s bad.”
It’s not bad if it doesn’t really happen, though. Throw in the three touchdowns, and Stevens has nothing to worry about – except maybe the Timmy’s bill.
