‘We’re not satisfied:’ Harris believes offence’s best days still ahead

Trevor Harris believes the best days for the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ offence are still ahead of that unit.

The CFL team’s offence experienced a number of changes in the off-season and has now been dealing with a bevy of injuries to a number of starters.

But when the unit needed to go out and perform in its latest game, it answered the call. The Riders went on their only touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter to help the Riders get a 12-11 win over the Edmonton Elks on July 6.

Harris said the film after the game had some good and some bad to learn from.

“You always make mistakes you wish you could have back and you make plays that you’re not sure if you would make it again,” the 37-year-old pivot said. “You watch it, you flush it, you learn from it and we’ve got to get better from it.

“The fact of the matter is we’re not going to be the team we want to be until we get to a certain point where we know this offence like the back of our hands and get the details down.”

But while there have been struggles, Saskatchewan has found ways to win close games which has helped it to a 3-1-0 record so far.

That included a 29-26 overtime win over the Calgary Stampeders in Week 3. The two West Division rivals meet in a rematch on Saturday at Mosaic Stadium. Kickoff for the game is set for 5 p.m.

“The great thing is that we are winning the close games, which is something that is a learned thing and a belief factor,” Harris said. “We have a team that believes in one another and we will get it done late.”

Harris said the group needs to quit being its own worst enemy when it gets into the red zone and find ways to cash in when given the opportunities.

“We’re going to continue to learn and grow together,” Harris said. “That’s going to be a point of emphasis for us going forward.”

While the offence has had some struggles, it has still remained one of the top units in the league. Saskatchewan has averaged 21.3 points per game so far – good for fourth in the CFL. It is also averaging 382.3 yards per game, second-most in the CFL behind the B.C. Lions.

But despite that, Harris thinks the sky is the limit for the 2023 Riders.

“We’re not satisfied with where we are at offensively. We are going to keep grinding and keep getting better,” Harris said.

Notes: The Riders announced they had signed receiver Jake Herslow, who was a standout in training camp before suffering a knee injury. The Virginia product played his senior season at the University of Houston in 2021. He set career highs with 35 receptions for 480 yards and five touchdowns … Defensive back Rolan Milligan (back/foot) will be out for this week’s game … Head coach Craig Dickenson said he believes kicker Brett Lauther (leg) will be able to play but the decision hasn’t been made.