10 Thoughts: Roughriders find a way to beat Redblacks in season opener
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6. We knew the Roughriders were going to have a strong defensive line this year given the talent they have with starters Micah Johnson, Mike Rose, Malik Carney and Shane Ray. And they showed that in the first half with some quarterback pressures before Carney got home for the first sack of the night. Habakkuk Baldonado then sacked Brown in the second half before Carney and linebacker Jameer Thurman added massive sacks late in the game. Oh, and the Roughriders allowed just three rushing yards on six attempts in the first half and just 30 total rushing yards in the game. This group is going to be stout all season.
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7. Should we be concerned about Saskatchewan's defence giving up 413 passing yards? Roughriders head coach Corey Mace, who does double duty as the defensive coordinator, is fine with giving up yards in exchange for timely takeaways. However, the Roughriders didn't get any takeaways on Thursday except for a late turnover on downs, which didn't please the head coach. However, after seeing what this group did last year, the turnovers will come.
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8. Ottawa will be a good team this year and that's going to be due to the play of quarterback Dru Brown and the talented targets he has with the likes of Justin Hardy and Bralon Addison, who both had 100-yard games. Don't forget about 'superstar' Eugene Lewis, who caught a touchdown pass for the ninth straight game dating back to last season when he was with the Edmonton Elks. Lewis has tied Sean Millington for the second-longest streak in CFL history and he's now one away from tying the record of 10 games with a touchdown pass set by Terry Evanshen in 1967-68.
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9. A punter's job is more than just punting the football. In fact, Joe Couch didn't even punt the football in the first half but he was busy as Saskatchewan's field goal and convert holder. Couch had some tense moments tough on his first snap of the game as he bobbled the hold on a 53-yard attempt before pitching it back to kicker Brett Lauther, who made a great play to punt it as far as he did. Couch settled in just fine after that. However, Saskatchewan signed another punter earlier this week, so the situation is worth monitoring heading into Week 2.
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10. Not to bring up a bad memory but remember last year when Roughriders kicker Brett Lauther missed four field goals in a game against the Montreal Alouettes? Since then, Lauther has missed just one field goal — going 29 for 30 — including 23 straight. Lauther is also just six points shy of 1,000 for his career. Also deserving of a shout-out is long snapper Jorgen Hus, who has been along the way for all those points as he played his 150th career game on Thursday night.
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