Harris big part of playoff push

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This article was published 01/10/2017 (2955 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

EDMONTON — Andrew Harris is accustomed to the pounding a CFL tailback must endure.

Winnipeg’s dual-threat star was at it again Saturday, shrugging off an injury and rambling for a combined 135 yards rushing and receiving in a 28-19 victory over the Edmonton Eskimos at Commonwealth Stadium.

“I’m sore, but I mean I made it through the game, so it’s a good sign,” said Harris, who was helped off the field late in the second quarter with an apparent lower-body injury only to return to action shortly after the intermission. “There was no way I was coming out of this game unless I was unable to (play), so for me, you just have to tough it out and go with licks.”

Harris’s steady production has been a big part of Winnipeg’s playoff push in 2017, which took another important step forward. The Bombers are now 10-3 and firmly entrenched in second place, getting more breathing room on a key West Division foe.

Here are five takeaways from Saturday’s action:

THE WORKHORSE

Harris gained 54 yards on eight carries and caught nine passes for 81 more against a stout Eskimos defence.

He now has 793 rushing yards and 718 yards receiving in 13 games and, with five regular-season games remaining, is on pace for 1,098 yards on the ground and 994 through the air. The 30-year-old appears to have a legitimate shot at becoming the first running back in league history to gain 1,000 yards in both categories. Harris, who has 84 receptions on the season, is on pace for 116, which would break Craig Ellis’s 32-year-old record of 102 catches by a running back.

“I’m good, I made it through the game. It’s not an injury. We’ve got nicks and bruises. It’s Week 16 or 15, whatever it is, you’re going to going to be banged up a little,” said Harris.

“That’s a great front four. I mean, (Eskimos defensive tackle) Almondo Sewell in the middle there is a monster. Any time you can get yardage, create yardage in that way against that team, it’s a good accomplishment. The five guys up front — talked about them all year — they did such a great job tonight. They did a good job in protection and some guys made plays today to get us points. Across the board, we said we’re going to come out here 44 strong and we did that tonight.”

Harris’s versatility and grit doesn’t go unappreciated.

“He’s a dynamic weapon,” said Winnipeg quarterback Matt Nichols. “He’s a relentless guy that does not go down easily and it’s tough for defences to scheme for him because I feel we do a good job, LaPo does a good job, of finding creative ways to get him the ball in space. You kinda never know where it’s coming from… an incredible player. One of my favourite players I’ve ever played with.”

THEY CAN TASTE IT NOW

With the win, the Blue Bombers put themselves in very good position to lock down the franchise’s first home playoff date since 2011. Winnipeg needs two victories in its last five regular-season games to reach that goal.

“You want to win every game and a home playoff game in Winnipeg is something we need to accomplish, whether it be first place or second place, we’re gunning for either one of those,” said Harris.

The Blue Bombers are now six points clear of the third-place Eskimos and the Saskatchewan Roughriders and trail front-running Calgary by five points. Winnipeg has a game in hand on the Stampeders but top spot seems like a long shot.

“Any time you can beat a good divisional opponent, it’s always a plus,” said defensive tackle Jake Thomas. “The wins in the last half of the year are always hard to get, so yeah, I think it’s a pretty big win.”

Head coach Mike O’Shea stuck to his one-game-at-a-time mantra.

“I don’t ever look at the standings,” said O’Shea. “We stay pretty laser-focused on the task at hand. We’ll clean up this game (Sunday) morning and we’ll be right on to the next opponent, which I’m not sure who that is yet.”

That Week 16 opponent would be the much improved Hamilton Tiger-Cats, who visit Investors Group Field on Friday at 7:30 p.m. (TSN, CJOB 680). Winnipeg hosts the B.C. Lions in Week 17.

A CASE FOR THE DEFENCE

The Eskimos outgained the Blue Bombers 436-333 in net offence and won the time of possession battle 32:48 to 27:12, but Winnipeg’s defence has shown tremendous grit in the past two weeks, holding opponents to a combined 28 points. The Bombers were scary good in the first half, limiting the Eskies’ vaunted attack to 57 hards through the air and 48 yards on the ground.

“We’re always trying to be perfect,” said Thomas. “We had a great first half I thought. But in the second half, they made some plays on us but they have a very good team over there and a really good offence, so they’re going to make their plays. The biggest thing for us is just eliminating the big plays.”

Cornerback Chris Randle was the man of the hour, snuffing out a potential game-winning drive with a 37-yard pick-six in the fourth quarter.

“I think we did a good job,” said Randle. “I think Edmonton is really good attacking with the ball in the air. For the most part, I think we held our own. I think they had maybe two or three situations where they won those battles but for the most part, we won most of our battles…

“We want to start peaking at the right time. As long as we’re getting better and fixing our mistakes and keeping level-headed and not being content with where we are, I think we’ll get there.”

Said O’Shea: “I thought the first half went pretty well, obviously. I thought our communication was good, I thought we contested a lot of footballs. They made some plays in the second half and came up with some 50-50 balls, but we made some plays, too. I thought it was a very good job. I thought the defence did a fantastic job tonight, it was excellent. And they need that, you know what.”

ROBO KICKER IS HUMAN AFTER ALL

Justin Medlock has bailed out his team many times since signing as a free agent before the 2016 season, but Saturday’s performance was one he’d rather forget.

The CFL’s most outstanding special teams player a year ago missed field goal attempts from 54, 40 and 32 yards and added to his misery by missing his first convert as a member of the Blue Bombers, clanking a conversion attempt off an upright.

“Yeah, it was tough,” said Medlock. “It was definitely tough.”

O’Shea said he had no concerns about Medlock.

“No, that doesn’t matter. He’s as professional as they come,” said O’Shea. “He’ll work some things out… But this is the idea of football. It’s the greatest team sport for a reason — we’ve got a bunch of guys who’ve got his back and they’re making plays for him out there. Just like we’ve got guys go down with injury and guys are stepping in and, you know, they just have their teammates’ backs. They love the opportunity so it’s never a problem if something’s a little off. I’m not worried about Justin Medlock. He’s the best in the league — ever — for a reason.”

A STAR IS BORN?

A month ago, rookie Jovan Santos-Knox was finding fulfillment as a special-teams regular while getting occasional snaps as a reserve on defence.

On Saturday, however, the 23-year-old University of Massachusetts product showed he is an emerging force. Making his third start of the season at weak-side linebacker, the high-energy Santos-Knox finished the game with a team-high nine tackles. He has 16 tackles in his last three games.

“I did my assignment, played my role,” said Santos-Knox. “The D-line played amazing, you know, freed me up a lot and I was able to run free and I had a lot of fun.”

O’Shea enjoyed the show and said he appreciated the rapid way Santos-Knox has advanced.

“Yeah, he was flying around all over the place and he’s growing,” said O’Shea. “I tell you what, he takes instruction really well. He made a lot of plays, it seemed, all over the field, sideline to sideline. And there’s just little things in his game that when you go to speak to him, he already knows. He’s already fixing it. He’s not a guy that’s going to make the same mistake twice. He’s fun to watch, too.”

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @sawa14