Instead of next-man-up, the Saskatchewan Roughriders are deploying a next-men-up mentality.
Heading into Friday’s home game against the Ottawa Redblacks (7 p.m., Mosaic Stadium), Saskatchewan’s injured list is expected to grow.
After placing running back A.J. Ouellette (knee) and halfback Rolan Milligan Jr. (knee) on the six-game injured list, and offensive lineman Zack Fry (knee) on the one-game injured list last week, the Roughriders were without more key players when the club returned to practice on Tuesday ahead of Friday’s Week 10 contest against Ottawa.
Among those not practising Tuesday were receiver Kian Schaffer-Baker (knee), receiver Samuel Emilus (foot), fullback Albert Awachie (ankle) and cornerback Tevaughn Campbell (forearm).
While head coach Corey Mace didn’t reveal their status’ for Friday’s game, he did say there’s a chance Milligan is out for the season.
“Rolan is going to be tough,” said Mace. “Don’t want to eliminate anything though.”
Schaffer-Baker and Campbell left last week’s game against Edmonton while Emilus was scratched prior to kickoff after being listed as a game-time decision.
With the depleted lineup, the Roughriders managed to overcome the injuries before escaping with a 28-26 win over the Elks, who handed the Green and White a 36-34 loss the week prior.
“Whoever is available for us, go out there and play,” Mace said when asked how the team is dealing with the recent influx of injuries. “I thought last game was kind of proof of that.
“Guys were called upon. Some guys hadn’t played a game in the CFL. Some guys had minimal snaps. But we found a way to come out with a win on the road versus a really good football team.
“I think it speaks to the culture of what we have around here and the expectations. We’re not making exceptions or excuses for anybody. We have a standard that we’ve got to meet.”
Some of those players who stepped up into starting roles were defensive back James Burgess Jr. and receiver D’Sean Mimbs, who both made important fourth-quarter plays to secure the victory for the Roughriders.
“I know most people would say next man up, but I try and not be like too much of a cliché person because it’s like, what are you going to do, not play with people?” said quarterback Trevor Harris. “We know who we are, and everybody in this locker room is here for a reason, and we have total faith in them.
“Obviously losing guys stinks. Injuries and people getting released is the worst part of football. (But) it’s banding together as brothers and believing in one another and having guys step up.”
While the Roughriders are used to seeing Emilus, Schaffer-Baker and KeeSean Johnson, who did have Saskatchewan’s lone touchdown catch in the game, serve as their leading pass catchers, Harris had to rely on his less experienced group in the second half on Saturday.
Third-year receiver Dhel Duncan-Busby led all receivers with four catches for 66 yards on the night while rookie Johnny Johnson III chipped in with four receptions for 48 yards. The Green and White also called upon others like Mimbs (one catch, 18 yards), Daniel Wiebe (one catch, nine yards) and Dylan Djete, who saw the field but didn’t get a target in his CFL debut.
“In pro football, you can’t have moments get too big,” said Harris, who threw for 239 yards. “And I didn’t see any deer-in-the-headlights looks. And if I do, typically I pull them aside and just say like, ‘Hey man, just run your route, do your job, do what you’ve done your whole life, and you come out of the route, the ball is going to be there for you.’
“I believe in those guys, and they know that. I’m not going to have any hesitation. I’m going to let the ball go on time and throw it to where I think they should be. And I got all kinds of faith that they’ll be where they’re supposed to be.
“No flinching here and that’s kind of our MO as a team — we don’t flinch.”
As the Roughriders (5-2) get set to host the winless Ottawa Redblacks (0-7) on Friday, they certainly aren’t flinching, but they are altering their preparations with less than a full week between games.
Typically, the Roughriders practice three times per week before holding a walk through the day before the game, but this week, Mace made some adjustments.
While he said it wasn’t necessarily directly related to the injuries, the team elected not to practice on Monday before holding a walk through on Tuesday. A full, closed practice is on the schedule for Wednesday before another walk through on Thursday.
“There’s some guys who were probably a little bit happy that we slowed it down a little bit for the mental aspect,” said Mace. “But as we’ve spoke about years prior, this is where I would like to honestly get to towards the middle of the season, the back end of the season, where we can keep everybody fresh.
“It’s a tough game, man. To go reload and go do it again on a short week, whether you come out 100 per cent healthy in a game, it’s tough on these guys’ body, and I understand that.
“Ultimately, it’s going to be their decision. If we can handle the mental reps today and then have a great practice tomorrow and finish it with a great game, then yeah, I’d love to do this more often. But that’s going to be up to them.”
Note: While Saskatchewan’s injured list is likely to grow this week, the club should get one player back as defensive back Nelson Lokombo (ankle) was working with the starting group on Tuesday in place of Campbell.
Additionally, defensive lineman Ali Saad (calf) returned to practice in limited fashion as he nears a return from the six-game injured list.
Fry and fellow offensive lineman Darius Bell (ankle), who was a full participant on Tuesday, will likely remain on the one-game injured list while returner James Letcher Jr. (elbow), receiver Mathew Sexton (ankle), defensive back JuJu Hughes (ankle), fullback Morgen Runge (pec), defensive lineman Lake Korte-Moore (knee) and long snapper Aaron Crawford (knee) are expected to stay on the six-game injured list.