‘May the best man win’: Riders’ Leonard, Woodard top contenders for CFL sack crown

The race for the CFL sack title is heating up, with two Saskatchewan Roughriders defenders leading the charge.

Defensive end Jonathan Woodard leads the league with 10 sacks this year with his teammate down the line — defensive end A.C. Leonard — tied for second place with nine sacks despite playing three fewer games. Winnipeg defensive end Jackson Jeffcoat also has nine sacks.

“I definitely want to be at the top of that list, but if there was someone I would like to be ahead of me, it would be A.C.,” Woodard said.

“There’s a little bit (of trash talk between myself and Leonard) but at the end of the day, we’re both just trying to stay focused. I feel like the way we both prepare for the game, the competition is going to sort itself out and may the best man win. I think we’re both focused on making sure we finish out the season strong.”

The Riders’ next game is set for Saturday, when they’re to take on the Edmonton Elks at Mosaic Stadium. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m.

Woodard had five sacks in his first three games this year and has added three more over his last two games.

Meanwhile, Leonard hasn’t just been one of the Riders’ top pass rushers but one of the league’s best. He has received CFL top performer honours in two straight weeks.

In the Roughriders’ 19-14 win over the Montreal Alouettes on Oct. 30, Leonard had eight tackles, one sack and two tackles for loss. In a 19-17 win over Edmonton last Friday, Leonard had three tackles, two sacks, a tackle for loss and a forced fumble.

“I think A.C. is a special talent. You can’t teach some of the things he does and he has continued to get better. These last couple of weeks, he has put up a lot of good stats and made big plays but A.C. has continued to get better,” defensive line coach Ben Olson said.

“I think he’s starting to learn the little nuances of playing D-line (after starting his CFL career as a receiver). He’s new to the position and you’re starting to see that really work out in his favour.”

The Riders’ defensive line has been one of the best units in the CFL this year despite a number of new faces in 2021. Woodard, Pete Robertson, Anthony Lanier II, Keion Adams, Christopher N-Ezeala, and Garrett Marino all played in their first CFL games this year with the group.

Despite that, the Riders are second in the league with 40 sacks. Only Montreal has more, with 45.

The Riders also lead the league in rushing defence, giving up only 79.1 yards a game.

“Our goal is to lead the league in both,” Olson said.

Head coach Craig Dickenson says the credit for the way the defensive line has played this season goes to general manager Jeremy O’Day, assistant general manager Paul Jones and director of player personnel Kyle Carson.

“(The players) have been here since Day 1 and we’ve just rotated them. We knew we had a good group in camp; you could see it,” Dickenson said.

“I think they’ve bought into the fact that if they rotate and share reps, we’re better than if a guy takes them all. I think they are held together with a real strong coach in Ben Olson and I think they just have a real good rapport among themselves.

“I think they enjoy playing together and I think they have a tendency to bring out the best in each other. It’s a good group and I think the D-line might be the strength of our team.”