REGINA — While much of the focus during training camp and preseason has been on getting to know new players and how second-year pros have adjusted to the Canadian Football League game, Jorgen Hus finds himself on the complete opposite side of the scale.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders' long snapper has been a staple on the team since the 2015 season and plays his 150th career game when the Riders take the field on Thursday night against the Ottawa Redblacks at Mosaic Stadium. That, without question, is a career to be proud of, even if it’s one that seems to have flashed by.
“I don't know, but I blinked and it's been 10 years, so it's flying by,” Hus told voice of the Roughriders, Dave Thomas. “I enjoy being out here, around football and helping the younger guys out in whatever way I can. We've got a talented group, so they're fun to be around.”
Hus was plenty aware that the momentous game was on the horizon and has pretty much had the date circled on his calendar.
“I definitely knew about it. It's funny because game 100 was also versus Ottawa and here we are at 150 versus Ottawa again,” Hus said. “It's one of those things I'll probably think more about after the fact. I try and keep my mind focused on the main thing, football, doing my job and not getting caught up in all that other stuff, because you've got to stay focused. Then after the game, maybe reflect a little bit more, and after the season even more so, but I try to stay focused in the zone.”
Hus is a born and bred Saskatchewan player, having grown up in Saskatoon, played junior football with the Saskatoon Hilltops and U Sports football with the University of Regina Rams. That all led to his first game with the Roughriders in the 2015 preseason, albeit in a rather unusual venue — the northern Alberta community of Fort McMurray.
“It was cool. It was exciting, good to be around them,” Hus said of the contest against Edmonton. “We had a lot of good dudes on the team back in 2015. That season didn't go very well, but it's crazy how quick the time's gone. The seasons always fly by, the off-seasons fly by and here we are 10 years later.”
Hus’ position on the field is a unique one, as it’s his job to get the ball to the punter or holder on place kicks in a good position to set up the play. It requires precision and coordination in addition to being ready to block and cover the play downfield.
Hus played linebacker the majority of his career before taking on long-snapping duties with the Riders. He’s worked to maintain the hard-hitting style of that position while focusing on his main duties.
“When I made the conversion to long snapping, I always said I'm always going to train like I'm still playing linebacker,” Hus explained. “I'm a positional player because I want to be an athlete, I want to be able to help and contribute. You can run downfield, cover on punts, just because you don't make the tackle doesn't mean you didn't help make the play. There's definitely a lot of things that you can do there to help out.”
Hus’ contributions to the team most certainly haven’t gone unnoticed, as head coach Corey Mace was more than happy to point out.
“Everything. Steady, constant and consistent,” Mace said. “He’s been out there, doing it for a long time for a reason and on top of that he’s an excellent human, great teammate. This team means a lot to everyone in that locker room and uptick that for him. I’m so happy to have him in the building."
“[Playing] 150 games is quite the landmark for anybody, I’m sure he loves it, but I know where his heart is and while this will be a cool experience for him, I know what he wants.”
That, of course, is plenty of winning football and a Grey Cup at the end of it all. But if this is the last time Hus sees his name mentioned for a while when it comes to on-field action, then he’ll be just fine.
“I've always said the biggest compliment you can get as a long snapper is when people look at you, they keep looking and they pass you by,” Hus said. “It means that they trust you to do your job and you want to go unnoticed as much as possible. You don't want to be talked about too much. If you are, sometimes it's not for good reasons. That's the brand, stay unnoticed.”
Catch Thursday’s pre-game show with Teagan Witko, Justin Dunk and Wes Cates at 4 p.m. while Dave Thomas and Luc Mullinder have the game call at 7 p.m. You can hear everything on the 620 CKRM Co-operators Rider Broadcast Network.