Marc Mueller was asked if he could recall a pass from the past.
Was there a time in his quarterbacking career — which included front-line duty with the Sheldon-Williams Spartans and University of Regina Rams — when he completed a long pass after receiving a snap from his team’s one-yard line?
“Not that I can remember — at least not to our own team,” the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ Offensive Co-ordinator quipped after Tuesday’s walk-through at Mosaic Stadium.
The question became topical after Trevor Harris launched a bomb from the Roughriders’ end zone and hit Joe Robustelli in stride for what turned out to be a crucial 48-yard gain during Saturday’s fourth quarter against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
Although the Roughriders did not attain the goal of producing their first 109-yard drive since 1991, the Harris-to-Robustelli explosion helped the visiting side to move into range for one of Brett Lauther’s five field goals.
Lauther outscored the opposition as the Roughriders won 21-13 to improve their CFL-leading record to 10-2.
Six days earlier, another bold call by Mueller generated a buzz after figuring in a Saskatchewan victory.
Harris was asked to punt on third-and-six from Winnipeg’s 44-yard line with less than a minute and a half remaining in the 60th Labour Day Classic.
The quarterback’s first punt since 2008 caught the Blue Bombers, and virtually everyone else in the stadium, off guard.
The punt travelled 45 yards (after 1.98 seconds of hang time and several bounces) and resulted in a rouge that put Saskatchewan ahead 32-24.
That single point became crucial when Winnipeg answered with a touchdown drive. Trailing 32-30, the Blue Bombers were forced to attempt a two-point convert with 30 seconds remaining in the game.
Tevaughn Campbell proceeded to intercept Zach Collaros and sprint 112 yards to give Saskatchewan the final two points in a 34-30 win.
After back-to-back games with an unconventional — and successful — call, is Mueller becoming a mad scientist of sorts?
“Yeah, maybe you’ll see A.J. (Ouellette, running back) line up at quarterback and hand off to me on an inside zone,” Harris joked on Tuesday.
“The (punt) was a game-management situation. The second one was a situation where, ‘Hey, we’re backed up … this could be a turning point in the game,’ and he trusts us.
“You walk away from that moment being thankful that your offensive co-ordinator trusts you in those moments.”
Trust between quarterback and play-caller was instantly established after Mueller was hired in December of 2023.
“He has always had a calm demeanour and an ability to laugh at himself, which is maybe second only to you,” Harris told an inveterately self-deprecating scribe.
“He makes football fun, he’s hyper-intelligent, and he was willing to listen to me from the experiences I’ve had through the years of, ‘This is kind of how I see this play sorting out in my mind with timing and footwork.’
“He has been very open in allowing me to kind of be myself within the structure of this offence. He’ll put his foot down in certain areas where it’s, ‘No, I don’t want it done this way.’
“It has been one of those things where we’ve grown together. He has helped me grow a lot as player, so I can only hope that I’ve helped him a little bit along the way.
“Marc is someone who has always had such a diverse, great personality for this role. He gets people to all pull in one direction.
“That’s the mark of not only great co-ordinators, but future head coaches. They’re able to pull people in the same direction and they’re someone you’re always willing to follow.”
Mueller has followed in famous footsteps.
His iconic grandfather, Ron Lancaster, doubled as the Roughriders’ offensive co-ordinator during his latter years as the starting quarterback.
The Little General was known for fearless and unpredictable play calls, regardless of the job description or the magnitude of the moment.
In the 1973 West semi-final, for example, he threw a three-yard touchdown pass to a linebacker — Charlie Collins lined up as a tight end in short-yardage situations — to provide the capper as Saskatchewan defeated the B.C. Lions 33-13.
Fast forward to 1999. In the East final against the host Montreal Alouettes, the Lancaster-coached Hamilton Tiger-Cats shockingly opted to pass on third-and-inches with under two minutes left.
Tiger-Cats quarterback Danny McManus aimed the football toward Joe Hagins — a linebacker, of course — and he made a contested catch for a 27-yard gain. Hamilton scored the winning TD three plays later.
“The play either surprises them or it doesn’t,” Lancaster told reporters after the game. “I don’t care. You can’t sit back. You’ve got to take chances.”
The calculated risk paid off handsomely for the Tiger-Cats — who went on to win the Grey Cup — and for Lancaster, whose “audacious gamble” was referenced in the lead paragraph of a Canadian Press story.
“I mean, he was the ultimate gambler,” Mueller said of his late grandfather. “You don’t throw more than 450 interceptions (playoffs included) without being a gambler, right?
“In our case, it was an opportunity for our guys, who we trust to make plays. They do it in practice all the time, whether it’s a simple six-yard route or a 25-yard route. We have confidence that those guys will get there and that Trevor will give them the chance to catch it.”
The confidence in Mueller is such that he was handed a game ball by Harris after Saturday’s Labour Day Rematch.
“He has just done a tremendous job of leading us all year,” Harris said. “We’re very, very lucky to have him.
“With the detail that he goes into with his prep every week, he could get a game ball every week, so I just thought it was time.
“Nobody had any of those outstanding, standout, crazy-stat games, so it was one of those times where it was, ‘I think he has earned it.’ ”
Which brings us to one more question: Before Saturday, had Mueller ever received a game ball?
“I might have stole one,” he replied, “but that would be about it.”