Corey Mace, Logan Ferland and Rolan Milligan Jr. will all hope to hear their name called at the CFL Awards on Thursday night in Vancouver
Roughriders head coach Corey Mace, offensive lineman Logan Ferland and defensive back Rolan Milligan Jr. are all up for individual CFL awards, which will be presented on Thursday night.
In his first season as a CFL head coach, Mace guided the team to a second-place finish in the West Division standings with a 9-8-1 record after two seasons of missing the playoffs.
While his leadership was evident in the locker room and the community with the culture change that took place, his work on the sidelines was equally as impressive as his defence ranked first in the league in several categories including turnovers forced and rushing yards allowed.
“And I honestly think it’s only going to get better from here … I think we have the foundation that we need to push forward to accomplish the things we want to accomplish as an organization.”
Along the offensive line, Ferland was unanimously voted as the team’s top lineman before being named the West Division nominee.
The 27-year-old Melfort product started all 18 regular season games for the Roughriders in his fourth full season, with 11 of those starts at guard, six at centre and one at right tackle. Led by Ferland, Saskatchewan’s offensive line allowed just 35 sacks, down from 54 the year prior.
“I think it’s going to be tough just not seeing the boys there,” Ferland said of his trip to Vancouver this week. “(But) I won’t be alone. There will still be some men there that are representing this organization and I’m excited for that.”
Defensively, Milligan had an outstanding season in green and white as he led all CFL defenders with eight interceptions, while racking up 111 total defensive plays, which ranked fifth in the league and first among non-linebackers.
He also had 10 pass deflections, which ranked fourth in the league, en route to being named a CFL all-star.
Milligan will be up against Montreal Alouettes linebacker Tyrice Beverette for the league’s most outstanding defensive player award on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Hamilton Tiger-Cats quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell will be up against Winnipeg Blue Bombers running back Brady Oliveira for the league’s most outstanding player award while Oliveira will be against Montreal Alouettes defensive lineman Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund for top Canadian honours.
B.C. Lions kicker Sean Whyte is up against Toronto Argonauts returner Janarion Grant for the top special teams player while Edmonton Elks linebacker Nick Anderson and Hamilton Tiger-Cats receiver Shermar Bridges compete for top rookie honours.
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