Davis: Please explain how the Saskatchewan Roughriders aren't 0-3 this CFL season
The Saskatchewan Roughriders have every reason to be winless this CFL season.
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Injuries, a tough road schedule, repeatedly falling behind 7-0, too many penalties and a reliable kicker who no longer seems reliable. All good excuses for a 0-3 record.
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Yet the Roughriders are undefeated. Playing exclusively against winless East teams, the Roughriders improved to 3-0 by overcoming another fourth-quarter wobble and scoring an improbable, game-winning touchdown on Mario Alford's 99-yard, last-second kickoff return.
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'We could definitely do better,' fourth-year Roughriders linebacker A.J. Allen, who recorded his first quarterback sack against Grey Cup MVP Nick Arbuckle, said during a postgame interview.
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'But there's always room for improvement. And we won the game.'
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It was the third straight time Saskatchewan's defence surrendered the game's first touchdown. The Riders were also playing a second road game in six days while missing injured receivers Kian Schaffer-Baker and Sam Emilus, offensive linemen Sean McEwen and Payton Collins and linebacker C.J. Avery.
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While Allen again replaced Avery on a defence that stopped Toronto's offence three times on goal-to-go situations in the second quarter, receiver Dohnte Williams stepped up offensively with two touchdowns on four catches for 125 yards.
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Running behind a pieced-together offensive line that allowed only one sack, A.J. Ouellette had 91 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries, plus unstoppable short-yardage quarterback Tommy Stevens added a touchdown and 30 yards on six carries.
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It was a vicious contest, sparked by a low, illegal-block penalty against Riders receiver Dhel Duncan-Busby that knocked Argos linebacker Kenneth George Jr. out of the game.
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The play wasn't initially penalized, but the Command Centre intervened to impose a 10-yarder in a game that eventually saw 29 penalties assessed for 307 yards. One play later, Argos defensive lineman Jordan Williams was penalized for a dirty hit on Riders QB Trevor Harris.
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'It was a disaster,' said Riders head coach Corey Mace. 'In this league you really make it tough to win when you're giving away free yards.
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'We obviously have to get better at that. But to be able to come out here against the defending Grey Cup champions and Grey Cup MVP and walk out with a win on a short week, we feel good about that.'
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Ouellette, Ka'Deem Carey and Andrew Harris, the most productive Canadian running back to play in the CFL, and now in Ottawa with Stanback, who surpassed the 5,000 yards rushing mark last week. 'Through my faith, I've been able to have patience, and patience is something that I've needed through my entire career, because of the great running backs ahead of me,' said the perpetually smiling Adeboboye. 'Playing with all those stars, there's only so many times you can touch the ball in a game, right? But I kept my patience, and I kept on working hard every day, understanding that someday my time would come. And if it doesn't, then so be it, I have no regrets. 'But at the end of the day, I thought, if I get the opportunity, or when I get the opportunity, I'm just going to take advantage of it and bring glory to God in all that I do.' Those chances, to this point, have been limited. 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