'The most injuries I've ever seen up front': Riders' offensive line shaken up once again for Banjo Bowl
The Saskatchewan Roughriders’ offensive line took another major hit in the Labour Day Classic on Sunday when two members suffered injuries that took them out for the rest of the game.
Centre Peter Godber [ankle] and left guard Zack Fry [elbow] both left the game and did not practice on Wednesday when the Riders returned to the field. Fry was seen with his arm in a sling
“This week, it’s going to be pretty tough for Peter to get back in there. I think the bye-week coming up will be good [for him to rest]. It’s a physical sport so sometimes you know unfortunately some things happen,” said head coach Corey Mace following practice earlier this week.
During the game, right guard Logan Ferland had to move over to centre in place of Godber and was taking snaps at the position again on Wednesday with the starters.
“It’s been good so far. I played a bit of centre before back in ’21 I think it was. I mean, it is a transition … all the calls are on you, especially heading into Winnipeg with silent count and everything. Centre from a guard standpoint is a little bit less of a transition. Guard to tackle or centre to tackle is probably the hardest,” Ferland shared.
“Any quarterback will tell you, your relationship with your centre is a little bit different and Logan’s a stud, man. I mean he’s played tackle, he’s played guard, he’s play centre, and he’s truly an elite lineman. We’re really lucky to have a guy like Logan Ferland. There’s no question about that,” said quarterback, Trevor Harris.
Both Ferland and Harris agreed the number of injuries to the o-line this season still feels like a major blow to the team.
“I think we’re through 11 or 12 guys now. It’s crazy, just unheard of honestly. Every week it just feels like we can’t lose another one, then somebody goes down,” Ferland said.
“I think it’s the most injuries I’ve ever seen up front. And those guys are piecing it together and battling and I think someone told me they were the PFF o-line of the week and I take pride in that,” Harris added, referring to the offensive line making the CFL Honour Roll this week.
Part of that honour could be considered for defensive lineman Micah Johnson who had to move over to the o-line during the game because of the injuries.
“When Fry got hurt, I saw Peter walk on the field and in my headset they’re like, ‘Get Peter off the field. He’s not clear yet.’ So I’m like, ‘Pete get off the field’ and he’s like, ‘We don’t have anybody else.’ I was like, ‘We’re getting Micah,’” Harris reminisced with a smirk on his face.
After the game on Sunday, Johnson joked with reporters about the offensive line being much harder than the defensive line but that he knew if there was ever a situation where too many injuries happen, he would most likely be next in line.
The one offensive lineman who was listed as the backup was Saskatchewan’s own, Noah Zerr who is now expected to suit up for his first CFL start this week versus Winnipeg.
“It’s my first opportunity to start in this league, it’s with my hometown team. It’s the team I grew up cheering for and tried to go to every game. It’s really exciting to be in that starting role finally,” Zerr said enthusiastically.
However, with the number of injuries only climbing, the team announced they signed American offensive lineman Tairiq Stewart on Wednesday. Stewart began the season with the Edmonton Elks.
The Banjo Bowl will take place on Saturday afternoon.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Byelection results: Justin Trudeau handed his second byelection upset in recent months
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been handed his second byelection upset in recent months, as the Bloc Quebecois won LaSalle-Emard-Verdun, Que., a longtime Liberal seat in Montreal.
DEVELOPING Canada's inflation cools to 2% in August, the smallest gain since early 2021
Canada's annual inflation rate reached the central bank's target in August at it cooled to 2 per cent, its lowest level since February 2021, data showed on Tuesday.
Watch out for texts offering free gifts — it's likely a scam
An Ontario man thought he got some good news when he received a text message offering a $30 gift for being a loyal Giant Tiger customer. 'I do go to that store so I clicked on the link and it said it was a customer appreciation award they were going to give people,' Mark Martin, of Simcoe, Ont., told CTV News Toronto.
Employee who called the Titan unsafe before fatal voyage to testify before U.S. Coast Guard
A key employee who labelled an experimental submersible unsafe prior to its last, fatal voyage was set to testify Tuesday before U.S. Coast Guard investigators.
GoFundMe cancels fundraiser for Ontario woman charged with spraying neighbour with a water gun
A Simcoe, Ont., woman charged with assault with a weapon after accidentally spraying her neighbour with a water gun says GoFundMe has now pulled the plug on her online fundraiser.
'Not that simple': Trump drags Canadian river into California's water problems
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump promised "more water than you ever saw" to Californians, partly by tapping resources from a Canadian river.
Toxic chemicals used in food preparation leach into human bodies, study finds
More than 3,600 chemicals that leach into food during the manufacturing, processing, packaging and storage of the world's food supply end up in the human body — and some are connected to serious health harms, a new study found.
Sean 'Diddy' Combs is expected in court after New York indictment
Sean 'Diddy' Combs, the hip-hop mogul who has faced a stream of allegations by women accusing him of sexual assault, was arrested late Monday in New York after he was indicted by a federal grand jury.
A French man admits in court to drugging his wife so that he and dozens of men could rape her
A 71-year-old French man acknowledged in court Tuesday that he drugged his then-wife and invited dozens of men to rape her over nearly a decade, as well as raping her himself. He pleaded with her, and their three children, for forgiveness.