The most popular player in Saskatchewan whenever the Roughriders are losing has always been the backup quarterback.
Going into the Riders’ Week 10 visit to Montreal, that was the case with Jake Dolegala, who was pencilled in behind starter Mason Fine.
A six-foot-seven frame and some pretty passing in the preseason had some of us talking heads suggesting it was time for the Riders’ staff to promote the one-time Cincinnati Bengal prospect into the number-two spot on the depth chart behind new franchise QB Trevor Harris just a few short months ago.
That never happened and instead, it was Fine who took over when Harris got hurt in a gruesome Week 6 collision against the Stampeders.
Mason didn’t look Fine in subsequent losses to B.C. and Toronto. In fact, Jake stoked the fire with an impressive late-game drive in Touchdown Atlantic. The calls to start Dolegala came from so far and wide that even Hall of Fame columnist Darrell Davis got in on the act by writing an op-ed in favour of the switch.
That dissent was quieted a bit after the Riders beat Ottawa in a thrilling Week 9 nailbiter in Regina, but even that didn’t really convince Rider Nation things wouldn’t be better with a much taller quarterback at the controls.
That giant of a signal-caller finally got his chance in a real-life, non-garbage time, game situation with something on the line in Montreal on Friday night. The results did not live up to the fantasy.
Entering the game to replace an injured Fine with more than five minutes left in the first half and his team trailing 14-3, Dolegala completed his first pass but was intercepted on his next throw to set the Alouettes up on the Riders’ 26-yard-line.
Even a gift from the Riders’ defence in the form of an Amari Henderson interception in the end zone, effectively bailing Dolegala out, couldn’t spark this new quarterback everyone seems to have been waiting for.
A quick two-and-out put the Alouettes right back into scoring position. The Saskatchewan defence held it to a field goal but it seemed like a foreshadowing of things to come: This offence had no giddyup with its new quarterback and wasn’t going to punch back in any meaningful way on a short week in Montreal.
By the time the dust settled, the Riders were whooped 41-12.
Two miserable failures in short yardage one week earlier in the Ottawa game, one that resulted in a fumble returned for a Redblacks touchdown and another that very nearly cost the Roughriders that game, had already dampened the stock of the backup quarterback in Saskatchewan.
But there was no spark when it mattered this time around. Unlike the spots we’ve seen Dolegala do it before, in the preseason and in garbage time against the Argos, this meant something. A winnable game, despite the short week, against an opponent probably inferior to the Roughriders talent-wise.
To be fair, he didn’t get the first-team reps and was working with an offence that had just one day of practice. And he didn’t make excuses after the game, either.
“We’ve got to do better as a unit,” Dolegala said. “Myself included. There are decisions that could be made quicker. Trusting guys. Credit to Montreal’s D. They did a really good job scheme-wise.”
Head coach Craig Dickenson admitted that Dolegala’s ball security wasn’t what it needed to be with the interception and the fumble he coughed up, but isn’t prepared to throw his quarterback under the bus just yet.
“He got thrown into a tough situation in a hostile environment against a team playing really well,” Dickenson said.
“I thought Jake played hard and made some plays when he needed to and gave us a chance. Hopefully, he can grow from that performance.”
We don’t know yet that Jake Dolegala can’t be the solution for Saskatchewan but Friday’s game suggests he’s still got a whole lot to prove before any of us can be convinced he’s any better than Mason Fine, Shea Patterson or any other option the Riders have at quarterback.
Unfortunately, a hamstring pull by Fine means we may find that out for certain in the coming weeks.
