Jaxon Ford is making a habit out of making big plays.
For the second straight game, the Saskatchewan Roughriders defensive back stopped an opponent on a third-and-one situation to force a turnover on downs.
The latest snuff came Sunday when the Hamilton Tiger-Cats gambled on their first possession the second half at the Saskatchewan 35-yard line. Ford got to quarterback Jake Dolegala at the line of scrimmage and got the Riders the ball back.
It was a critical play. The Riders led only 11-7 at that point. They went on to increase their advantage to 11 points thanks to an eight-play, 75-yard drive that culminated with Trevor Harris touchdown pass to Kian Schaffer-Baker.
The Riders steamrolled the Tiger-Cats following Ford’s pivotal tackle and ultimately won 38-7.
“I live for these moments. I love these moments,” Ford told Voice of the Roughriders Dave Thomas last week. “I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
Ford has been a playmaker since replacing Nelson Lokombo starting at safety in Week 3. He’s already up to 17 defensive tackles on the season, which are as many as he had in the first three years of his CFL career as he battled injuries.
But Ford’s growth is just about his tackling prowess.
“I’m getting a lot more reps in practice and feeling more comfortable back there,” he said. “It’s just being the man on the field and doing all the checks and stuff.”
“Everybody understands what he brings as far as physicality. He’s a very physical tackler,” Riders coach Corey Mace told reporters last week. “The most important thing back there at that position is his making sure that we’re getting everybody on the same page. He’s growing in that role tremendously.
“I’m proud of him taking advantage of his opportunity. I’m expecting things to continuously get better.”
Ford feels his preparation and film studies being his enhanced roll were a key contributor in being able to step up – especially at the right times.
“It’s just acting like you’re the starter even when you’re a backup and just staying ready,” he said.
The other big possession-changing stop on third-and-one from the Regina native and former U of R Cougar came against the Ottawa Redblacks on July 3.
Redblacks’ Bryson Barnes tried a quarterback sneak deep in Saskatchewan territory, but Ford came off the right side to stop him. The Riders might not have won 27-22 if not for Ford bringing down Barnes.
“They ran short yardage earlier in the game,” Ford said. “I’m not going to lie; I wasn’t aligned correctly on one of them. I got pushed back. But we made some corrections to it.
“We always say, ‘Be at your best when your best is required.’ … I just did my job.”
