Examining Trevor Harris' injury's implications for both the Redblacks and Riders

The Saskatchewan Roughriders' first win of the 2016 season came at home Friday night with a 30-29 defeat of the Ottawa Redblacks, but an important note in that game came from the exit of Ottawa quarterback Trevor Harris. Harris had been the league's most dominant quarterback this season after coming in for the injured Henry Burris partway through the first game, posting a league-high 1,475 passing yards heading into Friday night's contest with an 82.8 per cent completion rate and nine touchdowns against one interception, and he set a CFL single-game record for completion percentage (90.3 per cent just last week). He got hurt on the Redblacks' first possession Friday, though, getting his right leg tangled under Rider defensive lineman Corey Irwin, and left soon afterwards, exiting with just two completions on three pass attempts. That injury matters to both clubs.

The larger impacts are on Ottawa, where it raises the question of what comes next. Redblacks' head coach Rick Campbell said after the game Harris' injury "doesn't look overly serious" but will require further evaluation, and TSN's Gary Lawless reported Saturday that Ottawa won't know anything more until at least Monday. If Harris is out for any length of time, that rather dramatically shifts the Redblacks' quarterback situation. Burris is still on the six-game list, and there had even been some suggestions he might have a hard time getting the starting job back when he comes off it thanks to Harris' stellar performance, but that could change dramatically with an injury to Harris. Gord Holder of The Ottawa Citizen reported Friday that Burris has been throwing and could be activated early, so going to him may be an option for the Redblacks. However, bringing him back early might be problematic if he isn't fully recovered, and pulling him off the six-game list early would make his salary for that period count against the cap, which would limit Ottawa's flexibility in other areas.

Another option might be going to rookie Brock Jensen, who was very impressive in relief of Harris Friday. Jensen completed 20 of 29 passes (69 per cent) for 271 yards and two touchdowns, and he (and the stout Redblacks' defence) gave Ottawa a chance to win right until the end, forcing Saskatchewan's Tyler Crapigna to hit a 53-yard field goal to give the Roughriders the win. Jensen certainly is no Burris or Harris at this point, but depending on how serious the injuries to the two other guys are, Friday's performance suggests he could possibly be an acceptable stopgap.

The other thing to consider here is what this injury says about the Roughriders. Yes, their first win of the season is important, especially considering that it came with their own backup quarterback. Mitchell Gale performed admirably in Darian Durant's absence, throwing for 354 yards and a touchdown, which is quite solid considering he'd only been with the team for a couple of weeks after coming over in the Shawn Lemon trade. He showed particular chemistry with Naaman Roosevelt, who continued his strong season with eight catches for 182 yards and a touchdown. There were other improvements from the Riders, too, including on defence, and that's all well and good.

Gale's 58.3 per cent completion mark leaves much to be desired, though, and the Riders easily could have lost this game. They had no running game to speak of (Curtis Steele only got two carries, and Gale led the team with 15 yards on five scrambles), their defence still had issues (especially with covering Brad Sinopoli, who had five catches for 156 yards and two touchdowns), and they needed a last-second field goal from 53 yards out to pick up a home win against a quarterback making his CFL debut. All wins count, and this was an improvement for the Riders, but Harris' injury also means it should be taken with a grain of salt. Ottawa almost won this game with a raw rookie under centre; they might have blown Saskatchewan out if Harris had been healthy. That's all alternate history at this point, of course, and the Riders can be happy with the win they did pick up, but this team can't get overconfident yet. They still have a long ways to go.