Roberson looks to carry on where he left off in college

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This article was published 01/06/2017 (3082 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

KENDALL Roberson’s best days as a football player may still be ahead of him but his resumé includes one of the best single-game performances in NCAA history.

The 5-10, 210-pound running back rumbled for 420 yards and five touchdowns to lead Division III East Texas Baptist University to a 46-13 victory over Belhaven on Oct. 24, 2015.

“It was a rainy day, it was our home field so we were playing in slop and mud,” recalled Roberson Thursday as the Winnipeg Blue Bombers wrapped up another day of training camp at Investors Group Field. “They told told us the game (time) was going to get moved up so we could get a game in… It was a monsoon, so the coach said I was going to have to run the ball and I was ready for it. It was fun and my O-line did a great job.”

Kendall, who scored on runs of 69, 80, three, six and 43 yards, could easily have broken the Division III record of 465 yards were it not for getting pulled midway through a third quarter in which he had nine carries, 165 yards and three TDs. His 420-yard total is the eighth best all-time in the NCAA and the sixth best in Division III.

“Yeah, I didn’t get to play half the third quarter and the fourth quarter,” said Roberson, who rushed for 1,600 yards and 24 touchdowns in his final season at ETBU. “It was a fun one, I promise you. Scoring touchdowns, flying around the (field).”

Roberson, who was released after a brief tryout with the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals in 2016, hopes he’s found a home in Winnipeg and the CFL.

“You have to be very calculated as a player and a coach,” he said. “It’s three downs, it’s fast… It’s something… you have to learn and you have to learn it quick… You have to learn how to use the field to your advantage. There are techniques and fundamentals you may not have to do but the faster you can pick it up, the faster you’re going to retain a job.

“My offence (in college) was pretty similar to this, without the extra person and a lot less motion. It was really similar. I caught a lot of balls in college.”

The 23-year-old from Lubbock, Texas, appears to have made a favourable impression.

“He’s competing for a spot,” head coach Mike O’Shea said. “What has he done? Everything we’ve asked him to do. He knows his plays inside and out. He runs hard in special-teams drills. He’s right up there, active, doing everything we’ve asked him to do. Seems to catch the ball well. Protects well. He’s certainly a real nice piece to have in there competing.”

Pumping up the noise

Training camp spectators were treated to two lengthy sessions of simulated crowd noise during Wednesday’s workout. It was believed to be the earliest use of these tactics in club history.

“Well, we’ve gotta start earlier,” explained O’Shea. “We’re going into Sask’s new stadium for pre-season and just felt in order for the young guys to show their best stuff, they had to have some preparation for it in those terms. You’d hate to get there and have the crowd noise affect the guys and not be able to perform and (then) make bad decisions for our club based on a pre-season game we didn’t have the right cadences… That would be tough on them.”

The deafening sound was made even more irritating when it was broadcast through the stadium’s sound system.

“Usually we put it in a truck right behind the huddle, right, but now, for whatever reason, we had it on the stadium system,” said O’Shea.

Walking wounded

Import wide receivers Kenny Stafford and Gerrard Sheppard watched from the sidelines Thursday.

“Nothing serious, I don’t think,” said O’Shea of the pair.

Meanwhile, receivers Matt Coates and T.J. Thorpe were also absent. “I’m hoping they’ll be back on the field soon,” said O’Shea. “I don’t know that T.J. Thorpe will be ready for the first exhibition game but we saw a lot of good things out of him in camp and mini-camp. So, there’s a lot to like.”

More positive vibes

O’Shea was asked if he is content with his club’s roster depth.

Absolutely,” said O’Shea. “I went around to all the coaches today and chatted individually about their guys. There’s a lot of excitement amongst the coaching staff and the group they have. When they’re excited, I’m excited, and I see it a certain way and I like the depth we have pretty well across the board. But when the position coaches are talking that way, too, that’s a good thing.”

The ageless Mr. Dressler

Receiver Weston Dressler is entering his 10th CFL season but the soon-to-be 32-year-old is showing no signs of slowing down.

“Did you see him get behind the coverage today?” said O’Shea. “He’s fast, he’s still fast, he’s so fast. He’s quick, he’s so smart. I wasn’t on staff when he first came into this league but he’s still a good football player, he’s a good professional and he’s a damn good athlete. I don’t know that we should be saying ‘still,’ he is, he is. When won’t he be? I don’t know. He seems to love it.”

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @sawa14

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