REGINA -- The Saskatchewan Roughriders are the first to admit they didn’t have their best performance in their Week 6 match-up against the Calgary Stampeders.
A tough start that saw the Stampeders run roughshod on both sides of the ball set the tone for the contest, and an improved second half wouldn’t be enough for Saskatchewan to avoid their first and only loss of the season.
Since that time, though, it’s safe to say the Riders have been on a roll.
Four straight victories have the Green and White in first place overall in the Canadian Football League and in an exceptionally positive frame of mind heading into their rematch with the Stampeders on Saturday night -- with a touch of revenge to go along with it.
“We feel like that was probably our worst game defensively, especially from a mental standpoint. We made so many mental mistakes, so there was so much to learn from on that front,” veteran defensive lineman Micah Johnson told voice of the Roughriders Dave Thomas.
“They came into our house and handled business. We have a lot of pride in protecting our home and they came out and got that win against us. So it's a chance to be able to return the favour for sure.”
One thing that’s for certain is the Roughriders look like a different team defensively compared to where they were back in mid-July. That’s especially true on the line, which has made life miserable for opposing quarterbacks the last two outings while holding the opposition to single digits in points.
Saskatchewan’s 34-6 win over Montreal saw the Als record only 169 yards of offence as McLeod Bethel-Thompson was scrambling on almost every play. Then came last week’s 29-9 win over Hamilton, where Bo Levi Mitchell had only 254 yards of offence and was sacked six times.
“We’re gelling, man, and I think it's showing,” Johnson, who has 10 tackles and five sacks on the campaign, said. “Everybody on the D-line loves each other, we have a good relationship and everybody wants the guy next to him to win. We're doing things to help out the guy beside us."
“It's a very, very talented group. I feel like that competitive edge is taking over to where everybody's trying to get some and we’ve got so many dogs in the room that you better be fast getting there.”
It doesn’t hurt to have a wealth of experience anchoring the defence up front. Johnson is a 12-year veteran of the CFL, with defensive tackle Mike Rose having played eight seasons, defensive end Malik Carney five and Shane Ray the baby of the bunch with three seasons -- but four with Denver in the NFL before that.
As a result, throwing a few wrinkles into the fire to try and get to the quarterback isn’t much of a problem, with head coach and defensive coordinator Corey Mace even letting the defensive line set things up themselves pre-snap if they feel changes are warranted.
“I think that's a reason why you've seen us play the way we play,” Johnson said. “You can take your hands off and let us do our thing. There’s a lot of football in that room, a lot of guys have played at a high level. He's really giving us a chance to spread our wings, take control of some things, take control of some fronts. We want to rush out of calls and things like that. That's good for us.”
It especially makes a difference when teams start throwing out unusual schemes and plays that might not have been game-planned for -- when you have a bunch of guys who have seen just about everything there is to see from an offence, it’s hard to be surprised.
“We're able to analyze it in the game and come up right there on the spot with what we can do to beat them,” Johnson said. “We're making adjustments on the sideline and it's having a veteran group. It's easy to make those adjustments because of the communication and we can draw it up right there on the sidelines and we'll all understand what to do.”
Johnson himself has found other ways to contribute to the team, including slotting in as an occasional back-up for an offensive line that has seen more than its far share of injuries this season. While he’s as confident as can be on the other side of the line of scrimmage, Johnson admits to feeling the nerves when it comes to trying to move the ball forward.
“It's fun but it's stressful for me,” Johnson said with a laugh. “I don't want to mess up. I don't ever want to go out there and be a reason the offence didn't get a first down with a hold or offside or something like that. So for me, I'm tiptoeing on eggshells, listening to the O-line and double-checking with them."
“But it's always fun, especially when we do short yardage, it's like my get back. I get to initiate some hitting on a short yardage versus getting piled on by eight guys.”
The Riders are back on the field on Saturday, with Teagan Witko, Justin Dunk and Wes Cates bringing the pre-game festivities at 2 p.m. Dave Thomas and Luc Mullinder have the game call at 5 p.m. Listen to our extensive coverage at the 620 CKRM Co-operators Rider Broadcast Network.
