REGINA – Saskatchewan Roughriders fullback Morgen Runge finds himself in a rather unique position when it comes to playing for a Canadian Football League club.
While most teams carry a single player in what is primarily a blocking position in the offence, Runge finds himself on the depth chart week in and week out, joining starter Albert Awachie to bring additional protection for quarterback Trevor Harris and open running room for running back A.J. Ouellette.
That’s because, quite simply, Runge has become too valuable an all-around asset to leave off the team.
It’s a far cry from where he was last season, as after taking a shot in training camps the previous two campaigns and coming up short, he finally cracked the roster.
“Last year was the year to kind of make things happen,” Runge said in a conversation with the Voice of the Roughriders Dave Thomas at a recent practice. “It was a big time for getting ready to play professional football and it's been awesome. We've been working really hard and it's been a lot of fun. The work is evident.”
It certainly didn’t hurt Runge’s case that he was thrown into the fire right off the hop soon after making the team. With Awachie nicked up heading into the season opener against the Ottawa Redblacks, Runge received the start in his first CFL game and helped Saskatchewan to a 31-26 victory.
“That was a crazy time,” Runge said. “My whole goal going into training camp last year was just to make the team and then to find out week one versus Ottawa, I'm getting the start, I was able to lean on a lot of the guys, seeing how A.J. [Ouellette] does things, seeing how Albert does things.
“I really took the game preparation serious, working towards being in the film, understanding what we're doing. I felt good physically and training camp obviously helped out a lot when we only had two fullbacks, so we got lots of reps in training camp to really get behind our pads and feel comfortable in the box and everything. The whole experience was good for getting ready for that.”
From there, be it spelling off Awachie or getting things done on special teams, Runge just built on his stature until he became an invaluable member of the team.
“Really just being willing to play the game the right way,” Runge said when asked how that happened. “What I love seeing from other fullbacks in the league is guys who are just not afraid to get in there. A lot of times we're looking at the scouting reports and looking at the defensive ends and it's like, this guy's bigger than me, but still just the tenacity and willingness to not give up on reps and continue to work and really grit out some tough runs. That was the big thing I think that helped me out.”
Roughriders head coach Corey Mace said Runge’s willingness to be an all-around workhorse is a major factor keeping him in the lineup game after game.
“Over time, any player you get in here, cutting your teeth as a young buck, your goal is to make this team,” Mace said. “Then as you get comfortable being around it, you want to do as much as possible to help the team. He’s certainly done that. Whether it’s on special teams or if we ask him to do stuff on offence, he’s got a great skill set. Runge should be the new word for, I don’t want to say dirty, but he’s a scrappy dude. If you were still allowed to smoke cigarettes on the sidelines, he’d probably be one of those dudes… he has excellent assets to help the team.”
It all led to the biggest moment in Runge’s career – becoming a Grey Cup champion in his rookie season.
“That was actually my first championship win in my football career, and honestly, I just couldn't believe it,” Runge said. “But it paints the picture clear in my mind that we have a high standard and when you come out on top, it's not easy to stay at the top. So it really puts the picture clear in the mind of how important every little detail is to make sure that we can continue to play some winning football.”
The Roughriders are back in action on Friday when they host the Toronto Argonauts at Mosaic Stadium. The pregame show begins at 4 p.m. and Dave Thomas and Luc Mullinder will have the game call at kick-off at 7 p.m.
