It’s strange to note that newcomer Ryquell Armstead had 207 yards on 25 carries, but no touchdowns
Not exactly known for his stellar scrambling ability or outlandish sense of humour, Saskatchewan’s quarterback ran three times for 17 yards and one touchdown in a 37-29 CFL win over the Calgary Stampeders. The victory ended the Roughriders’ seven-game winless streak and kept them in playoff contention with a 6-7-1 record.
“Ryquell and I as a two-headed monster in the rush game is gonna be a problem for people to handle,” Harris said with a smirk while responding to questions from Global TV’s Jacob Carr.
Harris laughed. Paused for a second. Maybe not long enough for maximum comedic effect, but it was a great line that unfortunately didn’t seem to immediately resonate with his hard-working audience. Then he got serious again.
“No, I’m gonna use my legs when I need to,” said Harris. “My knee continues to get healthier and healthier each week, which is something I think can be paramount for us. If I can be able to scramble for first downs, that can be something big for us down the line.”
Harris missed 13 games last season and six games this season because of injuries to different knees. Although he wasn’t a Damon Allen-type runner before the injuries, while playing for other CFL teams Harris could effectively elude would-be tacklers or throw quickly enough to avoid being sacked.
Sacks in five games since Harris returned: 0, 2, 2, 0, 1. Those are decent numbers.
Another noteworthy statistic: In his eight games this season, Harris has carried the football in only three of them — once for 11 yards against the Toronto Argonauts, three times for 27 yards and a touchdown against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and his most recent outing. He actually averages 7.8 yards per carry, so he can maybe run when necessary. He also completed 16 of 18 passes for 248 yards with one touchdowns and no interceptions against Calgary, averaging 13.8 yards per pass.
Harris has thrown 16 TD passes and only seven interceptions this season.
He’s obviously an accurate passer, even when hurried, so that trait will be more important than his running when the Roughriders play host to the Ottawa Redblacks on Saturday and finish their regular season with games against the Edmonton Elks, B.C. Lions and a home-field finale against Calgary.
Ouellette’s return is uncertain. And there’s no reason to hurry him back fter Armstead’s debut.
Armstead was the league’s fourth-leading rusher when he was released by Ottawa following a series of bad penalties. Armstead practised only three times with the Roughriders before being given their starting assignment, finding huge holes behind his blockers and looking winded at times because of his recent inactivity.
That’s OK though. The Roughriders now reportedly have a running quarterback to complement their new power back. Harris should also be credited with adding some laughter to the mix, because there wasn’t much laughing surrounding the team during a seven-game slide that — if it continued — would have ended the Roughriders’ postseason hopes.
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