EDMONTON — Heading into the CFL rematch between the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Edmonton Elks, much of the talk surrounded what the Green and White were going to do if running back A.J. Ouellette was unable to play.
The standout back had suffered a knee injury in the previous meeting with the Elks and despite his best efforts was unable to take the field on Saturday night. Without his presence, the sense was Edmonton wouldn’t have to worry about the run and could focus on shutting down the Riders pass attack, something that could lead to a comfortable win for the home team in the rematch.
But Quali Conley had other ideas.
The rookie running back had shown flashes of brilliance during his debut against the Toronto Argonauts a month earlier, but what he put together against the Elks at Commonwealth Stadium was something else altogether.
And now any concerns about the Riders running game are pretty much in the rearview mirror.
Conley had 14 carries for 61 yards and another three catches for 36 yards, giving him 97 yards total from scrimmage against one of the league’s best defences. And it wasn’t just the yards, it was how he got them, with the highlight video from CFL social media giving you an idea.
An incredible outing, and just as incredible an ascension for a player who has only been in the CFL since the end of June.
“When I got here, I only had like two walk-through days to learn the whole thing, but they really broke down the playbook for me in the first couple days,” Conley told Rider Broadcast Network’s Luc Mulinder after the game. “I feel like the offense, they bring me in and treat me like part of the team. When the A.J. went down, we never skipped a beat, so I just feel like the offense trusts me, I trust myself, I trust the coaches.”
While Conley’s ridiculous agility was fully on display, he felt his ability to read and follow plays was just as important.
“I feel like coming to the CFL, I had to slow down my vision and actually see the holes develop and I feel like that's not showcased enough,” Conley said. “Also, my o-line blocked their asses off, so I feel like the o-line had a big part of it, too.”
And then, of course, there was that play.
As the highlight reel above shows, Conley pulled off a Saquon Barkley reverse hurdle for his biggest gain of the game on the ground and a play that had CFL fans everywhere buzzing in the aftermath.
Here’s Barkley’s play so you can decide for yourself who did it better.
Interestingly enough, the play actually came out of a bit of Riders’ pre-game preparation.
“We knew sometimes the corners go low, and we were in a little zone run, and I saw the man right there in the middle,” Conley said in breaking down how it came to be. “So I'm like, oh, I'm for the hurdle. Then somebody came off and grabbed me. I'm like, yeah, I'm still for the hurdle. I don't know how, but I'm just going to jump. I ended up jumping backwards, and it was all there.”
For all the success and the positive outcome, Conley was quick to point out the win was just one game, and it’ll be right back to work when the new week begins.
“Celebrate tonight, but tomorrow is on to the next game,” he said. “Just flush it, because we did win, but it was an ugly win, and we can't get hung up on this one win. We still have the rest of the season to play.”
The Roughriders are back in action on Friday when they host the winless Ottawa Redblacks. Game time is 7 p.m. at Mosaic Stadium.
