Saskatchewan Roughriders defensive lineman Caleb Sanders has become a bit of a problem for opposing offences as of late, and Winnipeg Blue Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros can tell you all about it.
With 2:18 to play in the first quarter of the Labour Day Classic rematch on Saturday afternoon in Winnipeg, Sanders was left completely unblocked by the Bombers’ offensive line. He quickly got up to full speed and hammered Collaros for a sack and a nine-yard loss.
Winnipeg punted on the next play, and the game was kept scoreless.
It was another example of how Sanders is evolving into a dangerous pass rusher. He now has a career-high five sacks on the season heading into Saskatchewan’s third bye of the campaign.
Not a bad turn of events after an ankle injury saw the fourth-year veteran of the CFL trench wars get off to a slow start to the campaign.
“I thought the guys around me did a really good job of just keeping my head up, helping me to keep my confidence up, all of that,” Sanders said. “Now we're getting into the meat of the season, and I feel like I've just hit my groove, doing what I know I can do.”
Sanders comes in at 6-foot-1 and 270 pounds, which makes him a large human being but relatively undersized as a CFL defensive lineman. As a result, he’s put a focus on developing his speed over the winter.
As the Bombers found out on his sack, it’s working.
“Every offseason I'm trying to get faster and stronger, especially faster as you can only get so strong especially at my size,” Sanders said. “I really key on just getting faster, getting more explosive, and I think that's really paid off for me.”
While Saskatchewan’s defence did what they could to push their team to a win on Saturday, the offence just couldn’t find a way to put up points. That led to a frustrating 19-6 loss.
Asked what the Riders would have to do to find a win in a potential playoff battle with Winnipeg, Sanders immediately focused on one of the problem areas from the rematch: finding a way to stop Brady Oliveira.
Winnipeg’s outstanding running back had a solid outing in their win, racking up 14 carries for 100 yards after being held to only 28 yards on the ground in Saskatchewan’s 32-26 win in the Labour Day Classic.
That improved outing played a role in Winnipeg’s win, as the Bombers were able to diversify their offence a lot more compared to the previous weekend.
“He's an elite back, so, if you stop him, I feel like that stops a lot of their offence,” Sanders said. “It's obviously built around him. He's one of the best backs, if not the best back, in the league. I thought we did a better job of it last week. Even (Saturday) we didn't do a terrible job at it. You make a team one-dimensional, then there's not a whole lot of things that they can do.”
The bye week couldn’t come at a better time for the Roughriders. They are battling a host of injuries to many of their top players. How many will be able to return after the break is up in the air, but Sanders knows getting some of their top talent back will be key down the stretch.
“I think just getting our bodies back underneath us is the number-one priority,” Sanders said, adding that the break will help with all the small nagging injuries most players have at this time of year. “Just being able to get off the legs for a week will help, but, at the same time, not take it too easy. We still have to work out and all those things so we don't get out of shape.”
The Riders are back in action on Sept. 25 when they travel to Vancouver to take on the B.C. Lions.
