OTTAWA — During every Rider Broadcast Network pregame show, former Saskatchewan Roughriders defensive lineman and current live game analyst Luc Mullinder offers his Three Keys to the Game. In a recurring segment this season, we’ll take a look at how the Riders met or missed when it came to those metrics and how big of an effect they had on the outcome.
As for Week 5 against the Ottawa Redblacks, for the second time this season the Riders met all three of Luc’s metrics — some moreso than others — and that turned out to be a crucial factor in the 27-22 win that saw Saskatchewan improve to 3-1 on the campaign
1 – Special teams coverage has to be better. After giving up touchdowns the last couple of games, don’t let that happen in this game. Khalil Pimpleton specifically can’t be allowed to be his usual dangerous self.
How did the Riders do? Pretty close to perfect.
Saskatchewan simply had to be better on special teams coverage after giving up big play touchdowns the previous two games, and it’s safe to say they got the job done and then some on Friday night.
Pimpleton was held to only 33 yards on punt returns and 49 yards on kickoff returns, and the Riders special teams came up with one of the biggest plays of the game when Nick Wiebe stripped the ball from Pimpleton on what was turning into a solid return and then recovered the fumble. That was a huge momentum changer in the game and helped propel the Riders to a 14-point third quarter.
And as it turns out, the returner everyone had to be afraid of wasn’t in the Redblacks line-up — Mathew Sexton had a key punt return touchdown in the second quarter that gave Saskatchewan a lead they’d never relinquish.
A special teams win across the board for Saskatchewan.
2 – Win the first down battle. Move the ball well when you have it and then get Jake Maier into second and long as much as possible. He’s struggled in those situations this season, so putting the former Riders QB in second-and-seven situations could lead to a bonanza for the Riders DBs.
How did the Riders do? Technically, fine.
It was a bit of an odd night in that neither offence was really moving the ball all that well from start to finish, but Riders certainly got the better of the overall battle, as the score would indicate.
All told, Saskatchewan had 20 first downs on the night, compared to 17 for Ottawa. So the first down battle went the Riders way by a slim margin, but nothing compared to the gaudy numbers they’d put up in their first three games.
Basically, it was one of those nights for Trevor Harris and crew, but they came away with the victory thanks to moving the ball just a bit better than Ottawa, and that’s the most important thing.
3 – Protect Trevor Harris. Give him time to throw the ball and he can do a good job, but if he keeps getting hit like he did in Toronto, something is going to go wrong and soon. Offensive lines have been good all over the league, Saskatchewan needs to match that calibre after an off game last week.
How did the Riders do? Pretty good on the whole.
Ottawa only got to Harris once in the game, and while he faced a bit more pressure than he would have liked on more than a few plays, there weren’t many opportunities for the Redblacks to put a hurtin’ on the veteran pivot.
So it’s safe to say the Riders offensive line won the trench battle, but there’s little question that if things were a touch better and Harris had even a tiny bit more time overall, he could have put up plenty more yards.
Again, a win is a win. Harris came out of it healthy and generally unbothered, and it’s on to a touch match-up against Bo-Levi Mitchell and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats next week.
