Riders remarkable reunion – former Auburn teammates back on the field again

It’s been a happy reunion for Ricardo Louis and Nick Marshall.

“It’s just smiles. Every time we see each other, it’s just smiles. We just have a bond where we know what we’ve accomplished, what we’ve done in the past and we just have a special bond every time,” Louis said.

“It was nice seeing him out here. I didn’t even know he was signed until I got back out here. It’s nice to see another brother that I played with at college out here,” Marshall said.

Louis, a receiver who is attending CFL training camp for the first time, is used to being on a team with Riders defensive back Marshall – though in a different capacity.

The two were members of the Auburn Tigers from 2013-15, with Marshall as the quarterback. The team won the SEC Championship during a magical 2013 season. Also on that team was wide receiver Sammie Coates, who is on the suspended list for the Riders.

“That season was one to remember – the best season I ever had in college football ever,” Marshall said.

“It was just some of the things that coach (Gus) Malzahn used to tell us – the game is not over until the clock says 00:00 so that year, we just went to end of the game to try and find a way to win each game and we just always found a way to win.”

That year brought a lot of memorable moments for college football fans.

Marshall and Louis connected on a 73-yard touchdown on a tipped Hail Mary pass with just 25 seconds left to beat the Georgia Bulldogs 43-38.

Then in the Iron Bowl – Auburn’s annual contest with rival Alabama Crimson Tide – the Tigers returned a missed field goal 109-yards to win 34-28 hand Alabama its only loss of the year.

Now the two players are back together again, but this time on opposite sides of the ball.

“I’ve been waiting on it (to have a battle against each other). We had one rep when we went up against each other but they didn’t throw him the ball, we were just running and talking,” Marshall said.

Louis is looking forward to when the ball is up in the air and the two teammates are fighting for it.

“I’ve been waiting. He’s supposed to be the guy and I want to test the waters and see what it’s like on Nick Marshall Island. Eventually it will happen and when it does it will be fun and competitive but it’s all about getting better,” the 27-year-old Louis said.

But the two former Tigers come into very different situations with the Riders.

Louis is trying to crack a professional roster after NFL opportunities came to an end. Louis was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in 2016 and suited up for 32 games over two seasons, collecting 45 catches for 562 yards. He missed the entire 2018 season due to a neck injury.

“I want to say it was a freak accident. One day I was training, I was lifting and it just happened – my neck just snapped and I found out it was a disk herniation,” Louis said.

An opportunity came with the Miami Dolphins in 2019, but he missed that season also due to an injury. Not wanting to see his football career come to an end, Louis became a Roughrider.

“I would really hate myself if I quit and gave up. I still have a lot of football left in me and I just want to keep going. I love the game and I want to be here,” Louis said.

Meanwhile, Marshall comes in with a lock on a starting job in the Riders secondary.

In 2019, Marshall had five interceptions, which tied him for third-most in the CFL.

The 29-year-old thinks 2021 could be even better.

“I feel like each year I try to get better and this year, everything has slowed down for me … everything is better than where it was in 2019,” Marshall said.

Notes

The Riders continue to monitor the situation around offensive tackle Terran Vaughn (shoulder). “We don’t know how serious it is. We’re going to brace him up and see if he can play but if he can’t, he’ll probably have to go out and get that fixed,” head coach Craig Dickenson said … Defensive tackle Charbel Dabire (quad) didn’t finish practice on Wednesday.