Roughriders force five turnovers, overpower Redblacks 40-18

The Saskatchewan Roughriders ultimately are hoping to add Grey Cup rings to their wardrobes in 2019.

But in the team’s 40-18 win over the Ottawa Redblacks on Saturday at Mosaic Stadium, another type of bling motivated the team.

The brainchild of wide receiver Emmanuel Arceneaux and his brother-in-law during the team’s recent bye week, the Roughriders had a “Big Play Chain” make the rounds during the CFL affair.

“When I went home for the bye, (my brother-in-law) showed me their beast mode chain for defence,” Arceneaux said following the victory. “I was like, ‘Man, I need to bring this idea to the Riders,’ because in this locker room we’re always playing for something.

“I want a big play chain for turnovers and touchdowns. That way, everyone’s included.”

Are the @sskroughriders Fans & Those Across the @CFL Ready for the THE BIG PLAY CHAIN⁉️ #BoycottAverage… pic.twitter.com/C3OZFtJezu

— Emmanuel Arceneaux (@mannyshow84) August 24, 2019

Arceneaux also reached a couple of career milestones in the win. He finished with three catches for 41 yards, which improved his run of straight games with a reception to 106. He also moved into the top 40 in all-time CFL receiving yards.

Every time one of the players made a big play in the game, they got a chance to throw the chain on and parade around in it.

The team rallied around the chain and accepted the challenge, with each person wanting an opportunity to walk around with the large accessory.

“I loved it,” running back William Powell said. “We implemented the chain because we felt like it brought a lot of energy to the team and we kept the energy going throughout the whole game. That’s something we’ve been looking for.”

Powell got to wear the chain and helped the Green and White by rushing for two touchdowns to go along with 70 yards on the ground. Powell now has nine touchdowns on the season, which has him sitting atop the league standings in that category.

Head coach Craig Dickenson also noted the chain brought a wave of positivity into the locker room.

“Hats off to Manny Arceneaux. He brought this chain idea that really bonded our team this week and we were really excited to be able to put it on some guys so that fact that we were able to do that was really special,” Dickenson said.

“I thought that was one of the keys to the game honestly. It was the excitement level that we played with as a group and I think Manny’s Big Play Chain had a lot to do with it.”

Big plays were found early and often on the defensive side of the ball. The unit continued its recent run of dominance, holding an opponent to under 20 points in a fourth straight game Saturday.

The defence also forced five turnovers as it held the Redblacks’ offence in check for most of the game.

The team picked off Redblacks quarterback Dominique Davis three times in his first six pass attempts. Defensive back Nick Marshall said it was a far cry from the first time these teams met, when Davis threw for 354 yards and three touchdowns in a 44-41 Redblacks win on June 20.

Marshall’s play drew some criticism in that first meeting, with a few of Ottawa’s big plays coming against him.

Marshall said he didn’t view his big game against Ottawa on Saturday as one where he extracted some measure of revenge.

“The last game they had on me was a fluke,” Marshall said. “I was in position on every pass and throw that they had on me. I knew what the outcome was going to be this game and I proved that.”

After Davis threw his third interception of the game, he was replaced by Jonathon Jennings. The Roughriders’ defence didn’t relent, with defensive end Charleston Hughes forcing and then recovering a fumble in the third quarter.

Defensive back Loucheiz Purifoy did the same in the fourth quarter after getting to Jennings.

“We were just focusing on ourselves and it didn’t matter what (Ottawa) did to us,” Purifoy said. “We know we’re a way better team than Week 2 and we came out and just (proved that).”

The only blip on the radar for the defence was a 75-yard touchdown pass from Jennings to Dominique Rhymes. The Redblacks wideout burned past defensive back Elie Bouka, who was inserted in the game after L.J. McCray was ejected in the first quarter.

Redblacks kicker Lewis Ward was perfect on all four of his field-goal attempts. He missed his only extra-point attempt.

While the defence dominated throughout the game, the offence ran into a few obstacles.

It scored two touchdowns in the first 10 minutes of the game, but it wasn’t able to find the end zone again until just over two minutes remained in the third quarter. That’s when Naaman Roosevelt hauled in a 15-yard touchdown pass from Cody Fajardo.

“I felt like we definitely took our foot off the gas for a little bit,” Roosevelt said. “We kind of picked it up and got it back going.”

The touchdown was also the first of Roosevelt’s 2019 campaign.

“It felt good. I finally got one this year,” Roosevelt said. “Once you get one, they start rolling and it was exciting to get one. We were starting to lose momentum so that drive was definitely a big drive.”

Fajardo, who has led the way for the Roughriders on their five-game winning streak, finished the game with 24 completions on his 36 attempts for 241 yards and one touchdown. He also rushed for 38 yards and a rushing touchdown, pushing his total to seven on the year.

Slotback Cory Watson eclipsed 4,000 career receiving yards after snagging six catches for 49 yards.

Kicker Brett Lauther had four converts, three field goals and a single for Saskatchewan, which got two singles from Jon Ryan. Lauther had missed the previous five games with a groin injury.

The Roughriders dealt with penalty issues all game, committing 16 of them for 186 yards.

“I think it kept Ottawa in it,” Dickenson said. “(The penalties) were deserved. We’ve got to clean that up moving forward.”

The Riders (6-3) will now prepare for the annual Labour Day Classic against the visiting Winnipeg Blue Bombers (8-2). The Bombers sit atop the West Division while Saskatchewan now sits in second place.