The Saskatchewan Roughriders 2023 season got off on a positive start with a 17-13 win against the Edmonton Elks on Sunday at Commonwealth Stadium.
Head Coach Craig Dickenson joined the SportsCage on Monday, fresh off the win.
Dickenson was pleased with the Roughriders’ victory, especially their ability to persevere through challenges in the fourth quarter.
“There were opportunities in that game where we could’ve folded and gotten beat and I felt like our leaders, our veteran players stepped up and kind of willed us to the win.”
Finishing It Off
With the excitement of Saskatchewan securing the first win of the season, quarterback Trevor Harris absorbed a hit on the Rider’s last offensive play as he threw the ball away with a few seconds remaining on the clock, trying to drain the final seconds of regulation.
Dickenson explains the play-call was intended to consume a certain amount of time.
“Be safe that you max protect it and you throw the ball out of bounds to kill some time.”
The play did not go off as smoothly as the team had hoped, since Harris held on to the ball a couple of extra seconds.
“It’s not a play design to take a hit.”,
Dickenson appreciates the toughness that his starting quarterback possesses.
“He’s got to take care of himself not only for his own career but for the future of the team. That play is designed to kill five or six seconds, not eight.”
In the final moments of the game, with a four-point lead, Dickenson wanted Harris to be on the field for the crucial offensive snap, since he’s the most experienced QB on the team’s roster.
“I don’t feel comfortable when the game’s on the line, putting in a rookie or somebody or who hasn’t done that before.”
Fortunately for the Roughriders, it appears that Harris only suffered a hip pointer, with the team believing that the quarterback should be fine.
Signs of Improvement
The offensive line for the Roughriders got to flex their muscles in the late stages of Sunday’s win as they led the path for Jamal Morrow to drain the clock in the final minutes of the win.
Dickenson was happy with his team’s ability to run the ball at a time when everybody knew the Roughriders were planning on running the ball.
“We feel that’s how you win football games, you’re good in the run game and you can stop the run and then when you need to make a pass, you’re able to do that as well.”
Saskatchewan’s strong discipline was a key factor in their win against the Elks, as they only had 56 penalty yards compared to Edmonton’s 85. Coach Dickenson expressed satisfaction with his team’s strictness on Sunday.
“The guys were sharp in terms of attention to detail and we’re going to keep hammering that home because we feel like if we you can be a smart football team in terms of having a high football I.Q. and making good decisions when it comes to playing within the rules, I think you have a chance each week.”
On Tuesday, the Roughriders will begin their short week of preparation before they welcome in the Winnipeg Blue Bombers for their home-opener on Friday. 620 CKRM will have coverage of the game, beginning with Countdown to Kickoff at 4:00, the opening kickoff is 7:00.
