Roughriders’ defence looking to bounce back after last outing

Jason Shivers didn’t mince words when discussing the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ last defensive outing.

“It was ugly,” the CFL team’s defensive co-ordinator said Monday. “We just weren’t physical enough on the outside edges; you have to call a spade a spade.

“I thought we did have some good plays in there where we did stop the run and got them in second-and-long. (Edmonton Elks quarterback Tre) Ford did a good job of scrambling around and he made a couple plays, which we all know he can do. Overall, I just thought on the edges and the perimeter, we just didn’t come to play.”

The Riders fell to 6-7 after a 36-27 loss to the Elks after giving up 265 yards on the ground, including 70 to Ford and 175 to running back Kevin Brown.

It was the second straight game in which the Riders were gashed on the ground; they gave up 263 rushing yards to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers the week before in a 51-6 loss in the Banjo Bowl.

“We invite people to run the ball. We have to do better with what fits,” Shivers said. “On the perimeter, (it’s about) stopping the ball and boxing it and setting a new boundary and sending the ball back so our interior guys can make plays.”

Shivers said he believes the players are doing their jobs, but it’s the effort at executing and on the edges.

“For the most part, I think the guys are executing still at a high level. You get in a firefight sometimes and things happen – offences are getting better and are starting to pick up now towards the end of the season,” Shivers said. “They are starting to execute at a high level and defensively, we just have to up our game.”

The Riders will match up Friday with the Ottawa Redblacks, who feature another scrambling quarterback in Dustin Crum. Kickoff for the game in Ottawa is set for 5 p.m.

So far this season, Crum has 567 yards on the ground to go along with eight rushing touchdowns. Through the air, Crum has thrown for 2,091 yards, with five touchdowns and seven interceptions.

Saskatchewan could see some changes on the defensive side due to injury. Defensive end Anthony Lanier II (hip), defensive end Nic Dheilly (foot), defensive back Deontai Williams (hamstring), defensive tackle Miles Brown (groin) and linebacker Justin Herdman-Reed (quad) all missed Monday’s practice.

“We have some young pups that are about to step up and that’s good. They have been waiting their turn and they should be hungry,” Shivers said. “That should add some extra juice to the defence overall because they haven’t had a lot of miles this year.

“I’m looking forward to them showing up and it shouldn’t be a dropoff. If anything, we should get better.”

As the team tries to bounce back, Shivers said there’s one big thing he’s taking away from the loss.

“We need to hit somebody in the mouth,” Shivers said.

Notes: The Riders added two defenders to their roster on Monday. The team announced global defensive lineman Habakkuk Baldonado and American defensive back William Poole III had signed contracts. Baldonado signed with the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent in 2023. The Italian lineman suited up for three pre-season games, tallying four tackles, a sack and a pass defended. The 6-foot-5, 260-pound product was the second-round selection of the Riders in the 2023 CFL global draft. Poole III played six seasons at the University of Georgia. The Atlanta product recorded 27 tackles, including 1.5 for a loss, and four pass knockdowns in 33 games with the Bulldogs.