Saskatchewan opts to rest starting QB Trevor Harris in Week 21 against Elks as playoffs loom, Brayden Schager could also see action

All the time, study and preparation over the last three seasons is about to pay off for Saskatchewan Roughriders quarterback Jack Coan.

For the first time in his tenure with the Green and White, Coan will get the start in a CFL football game.

The Riders revealed on Thursday that the 27-year-old Sayville, N.Y. product will be behind centre when Saskatchewan closes out the regular season against the Edmonton Elks on Saturday at Mosaic Stadium.

The opportunity is a long-time coming for Coan, who has seen limited game action the past three seasons as the third-string quarterback before taking over back-up duties this year.

“It’s awesome,” Coan said. “I remember after every game, I forgot how much fun it was to be out there. Just the adrenaline you get, the thrill of getting hit, getting back up, all that stuff is just awesome. You don’t get that when you’re sitting on the sidelines, so I just remember how much fun it is and it’s great.”

Coan played a handful of downs late in Saskatchewan’s loss to the Montreal Alouettes in Week 19 and saw the most action of his CFL career two seasons ago when he completed 10 of 21 passes for 100 yards in the regular season finale against the Calgary Stampeders.

Through all that time on the sidelines, it’s been a matter of staying as sharp as possible just in case he should be called on at a moment’s notice.

“I feel like I’m really confident just in the way I prepare and how hard I work,” he said. “I like to think that I truly try to get one per cent better each and every day, that I’m better today than I was last year, I’m better today than I was yesterday. I just try to carry that mindset and truly try to get better each day.”

Of course, improving without having a chance to prove yourself on the field can be tough. Coan shows what he can do each and every day in practice, but getting out in a game and facing live ammunition is something else altogether.

And Coan is most certainly looking forward to the test.

“I’m always taking the reps behind the plays and seeing if I did the right thing here and there, but it’s a little bit different in the game,” he said. “The speed’s a little bit faster, you get hit a little bit, so it’s a little bit different. So there’s definitely a little bit of curiosity. You always have confidence in yourself, but it’ll be awesome to get back out there.”

The opportunity to rest starter Trevor Harris after a season of wear-and-tear wasn’t an easy decision for head coach Corey Mace or Harris himself.

“As you would expect, Trevor’s a competitor, man,” Mace said. “He definitely didn’t want to not play, but that’s why you love him. But I think deep, deep, deep down inside, he understands.”

There’s also a chance that third string pivot Brayden Schager will see some reps on Saturday, but Mace remained non-committal in that direction.

“”We’ll see how the game flows,” he said. “We’ve given reps to Schager as well this week and last year we did end up doing that between Jake (Maier) and Jack So we’ll see how game flow goes.”

Coan wouldn’t be surprised to see Schager do extremely well for himself should he get the opportunity.

“I’ve taken a lot of things from Brayden, just seeing the way he plays and views the game,” Coan said. “I’ve tried to maybe take some of that and put it in my game and we’re always just bouncing ideas off each other and talking about the offense and little details that might not be so clear. So it’s been awesome just having all those guys in the room and it’s a great room.”

Having the opportunity to learn from and study Harris’ work on the field certainly helps as well, especially when it comes to how deliberate the 5,000-yard passer is when it comes to his preparation.

“The way he watches film and the way he views the tape he’s watching is just so intentional with what he’s looking at,” Coan said. “Whether it’s a play we’re going to be running versus certain looks or certain tells a defense has. In college, I would watch a ton of tape, but I think at times I was probably just watching and not getting too much out of it. Where now I feel like when I’m watching, I’m truly trying to get something out of it.”

The Rider Broadcast Network will have all the action Saturday against Edmonton beginning with the pregame show with Teagan Witko and Wes Cates at 11 a.m., followed by Dave Thomas and Luc Mullinder with the game call at kickoff at 2 p.m.