Roughriders defence looking to pounce on struggling Lions offence

The Saskatchewan Roughriders’ defence will try to make things uncomfortable for B.C. Lions quarterback Mike Reilly on Saturday.

The Roughriders are third in the CFL with 12 sacks through four games. The Lions’ offensive line has struggled early in the season, giving up a league-leading 17 sacks. Kickoff for Saturday’s game at Mosaic Stadium is set for 5 p.m.

Despite what the numbers might say, Saskatchewan defensive tackle Zack Evans isn’t taking the challenge lightly.

“(The defence) has been watching film on them and they’ve had some good games,” Evans said after Thursday’s practice. “They’ve struggled with a few things but in the end it’s professional football and they get paid too.”

Evans noted the Lions’ offensive line had a good game against the Calgary Stampeders on June 29, giving up only two sacks.

“I think they’re trying to replicate what they did against Calgary because we run a similar system (in Saskatchewan) so we’re just watching tape on them and see where the similarities are,” Evans said.

One of the key cogs that could disrupt things for Reilly is defensive lineman Micah Johnson. He joined Saskatchewan in the off-season after spending six seasons with Calgary.

Johnson had 14 sacks last season with the Stampeders but is still searching for his first as a member of the Green and White.

“It’s probably not as frustrating as people may think,” Johnson said. “Teams are doing a lot to negate me right now so I think it’s giving other guys a lot more opportunities. I’m just going to keep doing what I can do, keep going as hard as I can and the sacks will come when they come.”

Johnson also finds himself in unfamiliar waters with the Roughriders. During his time in Calgary, the team never had a losing record heading into Week 6.

“It’s different but honestly it’s cool because it’s a chance for growth,” Johnson said. “Just to be with a new group of guys and we understand what we’re trying to get to and where we are at right now and we see the (path) ahead of us but honestly it’s fun to accept that challenge and be in a different position.

“No one likes being 1-and-3 but just that aspect of having a little bit more to get over and having to come together a little bit more to solve this thing, I want to be a part of that. It’s exciting.”

Johnson anticipates B.C. will make changes along the O-line after it surrendered five sacks to the Edmonton Eskimos in a 33-6 loss July 11.

“For us to think they’re going to come out and do the same thing they’ve been doing the past four weeks, that would be naive of us,” Johnson said. “So we’re expecting they’re going to do some things different to try and keep Mike upright so we’re just going to have to try and combat it.”

Evans said the addition of Johnson has been great for the defensive line group.

“He’s insane, he’s incredible,” Evans said. “He has a lot of tools in his tool belt and he uses them quite well and it’s amazing to watch. I watch a lot of film and watching what he does, I’m just like, ‘I wish I could do that.’ ”

Despite the group being third in the league in sacks, Evans said the D-linemen haven’t performed up to the expectations they have for themselves.

“We are not perfect. We haven’t been playing to the capability that we’ve been able to play,” Evans said. “We’re working every week in and week out to try and get better and get after it a little bit more.”

Evans said part of the reason the defensive line isn’t playing up to its expectations is due to the new faces along the line.

The team brought in Johnson and defensive end A.C. Leonard to help fill the holes left by the departures of Willie Jefferson and Tobi Antigha. Jefferson signed with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers while the Toronto Argonauts signed Antigha.

Defensive end Charleston Hughes has five sacks in 2019, which is tops in the CFL. He led the league last season with 15 sacks.

“This is the first four games that we’ve played together, so it’s tough,” Evans said. ‘These guys are amazing. You have Charleston Hughes, who is a Hall of Famer. You have Micah Johnson, who is getting defensive end (type) sacks out there, he’s incredible. You have A.C. Leonard, who’s insane. It’s tough to put all of those things together because everyone has their own playing style.

“You just have to learn and understand each other and play with each other long enough and then you start vibing and then it’s all good.”

Saskatchewan head coach Craig Dickenson said he expects the defensive line to get after Reilly this week.

“We expect our defensive line to be disruptive, physical and play with great effort,” Dickenson said.

But Dickenson noted he hasn’t seen a consistent effort from the group so far.

“They’ve shown flashes but to do it down in, down out, that takes a lot of work and that doesn’t usually happen until later in the season,” Dickenson said. “We want all four of them to be rolling on game day and I think they are ready to go.

“Whether we play great or not on Saturday, I don’t know but I think we’ve had a good week of practice and they know what they need to do.”

Dickenson said the best way for a team to defend against a quarterback like Reilly — who was voted the league’s most outstanding player in 2017 — is to keep him off the field.

“Our offence knows we want to keep the ball, we want to move the ball and make sure that the B.C. offence gets a good view of the game,” Dickenson said. “When he does see the ball, you want to make him uncomfortable.”

The Green Zone pre-game show gets underway at 3 p.m. Saturday.

Notes

Leonard didn’t practise Thursday due to back stiffness. Dickenson expects him to be OK … Kicker Brett Lauther (groin) was on the field for practice but didn’t attempt any kicks. Dickenson says he will be a game-time decision. If Lauther is unable to play, Gabriel Ferraro will start his second straight game. He went 1-for-2 on field-goal tries in Saskatchewan’s 37-10 loss to the Stampeders on July 6 … Receiver Emmanuel Arceneaux (knee) continues to work towards returning to the football field. Dickenson said the coaching staff would watch the film and see who the best receivers were at practice. If the coaches felt Arceneaux was in that group, he would play.