Ground to a halt: Riders seeking more consistent run game

The Saskatchewan Roughriders are looking to make some headway when it comes to their rushing attack.

While running back Jamal Morrow is fourth in the CFL in rushing with 502 yards on the ground, Saskatchewan this season has only managed 787 rushing yards — third-fewest in the league entering the week.

A reason for that has been recent games where the Riders have only managed 16, 54, and 66 yards on the ground. Prior to last week’s 117-yard effort against the Montreal Alouettes, the last time the Riders had more than 100 yards rushing was July 15 against the Calgary Stampeders (115).

“It definitely is frustrating and I know we want to be able to run the ball as a team,” Morrow said. “We just keep champing at the bit. We know it’s never pretty; the run game isn’t going to be pretty. There will be negative and minimal gains.

“For us, it’s to continue chop at the wood and I think we have done that each and every week. We are definitely improving.”

So far this season, the Roughriders are averaging 87.4 yards rushing per game. Last season, they finished fifth in the league with an average of 96.5 yards rushing per game.

On Sunday, Saskatchewan will try to get the run game going against one of the top run defences in the CFL in the B.C. Lions. The Lions have given up 691 yards to runners, the second-lowest such total in the CFL entering the week.

Kickoff for the game at Mosaic Stadium is set for 5 p.m.

The last time the Riders faced off against B.C., they mustered only 16 yards on the ground.

“I’m fired up. The last time we played them, my production was terrible,” said Morrow, who had 11 of those yards. “I’m excited to go back out there and redeem myself. So is the O-line. I think we are ready to go.

“We’ve made an emphasis on running the ball and the last two weeks, we have been making a lot of good strides and I think we can capitalize on that. I’m fired up to play against them.”

The 28-year-old Morrow would also like to find the end zone more in the second half of the Riders’ regular-season schedule; he has only one receiving and one rushing touchdown so far.

But he said he can’t force it to happen.

“I feel like if you press, that’s where bad things happen like it did before,” Morrow said.

An example of that was during the Riders’ 31-13 loss to the Toronto Argonauts in the Touchdown Atlantic game. In Halifax, Morrow tried to reach out and get the ball over the goal line but it ended in a fumble.

“It’s a learning lesson. It’s funny because I told myself I would never reach with the ball and then I get to a situation (like that) and then I fumble,” Morrow said. “It’s something you don’t want to press; you just let it happen. When it comes, it comes. Don’t pressure it or bad things could happen.”

Notes: Kian Schaffer-Baker (hip) isn’t carrying an injury designation into the game, and that bodes well for his chances to make his season debut. The 25-year-old slotback underwent hip surgery in the off-season. Head coach Craig Dickenson wouldn’t confirm if Schaffer-Baker would play Sunday, but said if he didn’t, either Juwan Brescacin or Mitch Picton would play in place of Jake Wieneke.