During every Rider Broadcast Network pregame show, former Saskatchewan Roughriders defensive lineman and radio analyst Luc Mullinder offers his Three Keys to the Game. In a recurring segment this season, we’ll look at how the Riders met or missed expectations and how big of an effect they had on the outcome.
The 30-16 loss to the B.C. Lions on Sunday was miserable showing by the Riders, an effort filled with poor penalties (often at the worst times) and costly turnovers. Clean up even half of those many errors and the ballgame might have even turned out in their favour.
The self-inflicted mistakes undercut much of what the team did well against the Lions. Looking at Mullinder’s keys, the Riders fared all right.
1. Must get the ball out quickly. B.C.’s pass rush will be coming and trying to disrupt Trevor Harris as much as possible, so don’t give them time and get the ball moving as fast as possible.
How did the Riders do? They could have done better here, but it wasn’t bad overall.
Harris threw for 356 yards, which is more than respectable. He made good on 28 of his 42 pass attempts and mostly took what the defence gave him.
Harris got the ball moving. Where he and the Riders offensive line got into some trouble at times when they were forced to move the ball quicker than desired.
The quarterback was sacked three times, including twice by Lorenzo Mauldin IV. He also appeared to audible at the line of scrimmage when the Lions blitzed with the ball on the B.C. 27-yard line. Harris went for a deep shot to KeeSean Johnson and was picked off by T.J. Lee. Throwing off his back foot, Harris never came close to connecting with Johnson.
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The Riders hung tough here, but the Lions created enough havoc with their front seven to make Harris uncomfortable.
2. Dictate the pace vs. Darnell Sankey and the Lions defence. The B.C. linebacker is good at what he does, so throw in some quick offence and tempo and get Sankey and the entire defensive front moving horizontally.
How did the Riders do? Much like the first key, the Riders were OK in this regard but didn’t go enough of it.
They earn points for creativity by not only featuring offensive lineman Daniel Johnson as a wide receiver but then going a step further by throwing him a pass. The result was a five-yard reception and a 17-yard gain after the big fella showcased some power and fancy footwork along the sideline.
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It was the Lions, however, who were more noticeable with their tempo offence. It paid off for them on the scoreboard in the second quarter when quarterback Nathan Rourke sped up the pace and caught the Riders secondary unprepared. Rourke found Jevon Cottoy open in the end zone for a 23-yard strike.
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That play capped off a 70-yard drive on just four plays.
Higher marks to the Lions offence than Saskatchewan’s here.
3. Defensive tackles must be stout. Caleb Sanders, Mike Rose, Devin Adams, and Ali Saad must contain the run, and must get pressure on the quarterback and win the battles. It won’t be easy, but this will be a big part of a close contest.
How did the Riders do? In terms of stopping the run, the Riders were solid. The Lions racked up 76 yards on the ground, with feature running back Zander Horvath picking up 43 of those yards on 10 carries. Nothing wrong with that.
The Riders got enough pressure on Rourke, one of the most agile pivots in the league. They sacked him three times, courtesy of Jameer Thurman, Mike Rose, and Desmond Evans. Jaxon Ford also intercepted him. Jonathan Edouard did for that matter, too, but it was called back for offside.
Yes, Rourke still found a way to be productive with 355 yards passing and two touchdowns, but the Riders deserve credit for at least containing him.
This game really should have played out much differently. Blame the Riders’ mistakes for that. Because their implementation of Mullinder’s keys was at least satisfactory and perhaps even a little better than that.
