Riders' running backs hit with injury bug
The Saskatchewan Roughriders were already without starting running back Jamal Morrow, due to a broken hand and have now lost Frankie Hickson to a fractured wrist.
“Unfortunately he does have a fracture so he’ll be out probably for the rest of the season,” said head coach Craig Dickenson.
Hickson had just begun stepping up as the Riders’ starting running back in the Morrow’s absence. In his four games as a starter, he rushed for 299 yards, with 533 total on the season. Now withMorrow and Hickson out, the team will rely on Kienan LaFrance.
“We feel confident in him. It will either be [LaFrance] or [Shaun] Wilson,” said Dickenson.
The Riders’ head coach shared after practice on Wednesday that Wilson is battling a groin injury and might not see reps in this week’s game against Winnipeg.
The hole left at running back will mean the team has to rely on their receivers even more to fill the void.
“We’ve handed the ball off to Schaffer-Baker a few times and we’ve got Kyran Moore back there too. So we’ll find a way to run the football one way or another. Running the football is important for winning games,” said Dickenson.
“When one position’s lacking you know another position group has to pick up the slack. We’re the position group that can do that,” said wide receiver Shaq Evans.
“We’re the group that put in the work this week to do that because we had a feeling this would happen. So there’s no pressure but it’s just a heightened sense of urgency I would say.”
“We got a solid group of guys in there, we’ve kind of been. A family. Everybody’s been kind of doing their part,” said LaFrance when asked about having to step up as the starter this week.
LaFrance, a Winnipeg product, is excited about the opportunity to show off as the new starter where his football roots began.
“It’s always fun playing in front of friends and family. Being out there in the stadium, it’s a great place to play, so I’m looking forward to this game,” said LaFrance.
Kickoff for Friday’s game against the Blue Bombers is scheduled for 6 p.m. on TSN.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.