Legendary Saskatchewan Roughriders quarterback Darian Durant was impressed by Ryquell Armstead’s debut performance with the Green and White during a 37-29 win in Calgary over the Stampeders.
“There's nothing deadlier than an angry running back, a guy who's determined to prove himself, a guy who has just been cast off by another team and not given an opportunity," Durant told the all new SportsCage.
“I feel like whenever you plug a guy into a situation like that he's desperate. He's fighting for his job and he wants to prove to an organization that he belongs -- there's nothing deadlier than that."
The 27-year-old Armstead signed with the Riders after being released by the Ottawa RedBlacks on September 3. Durant wasn’t surprised by the former NFL running back's success given he only had three practice days to prepare for his first game with Saskatchewan.
“If there's one position that can come in without much practice and not much knowledge of the playbook, it's running back. Most of the time even numbers go to the right, odd numbers go to the left. It's not that hard," Durant said.
“It's the pass protection that you worry about with the verbiage. I'm sure coach [Marc] Mueller, who's a former athlete himself, knows how to break things down, simplify things and put guys in situations where it's easy for them to pick up."
Armstead turned in the fourth-best rushing performance in Roughriders franchise history and the best rushing debut for a player on a new team in CFL history, gaining 207 yards on 25 carries.
“You have to make sure that you're on the same page with your running back, especially in the pass game. Whenever you can hand the ball to him and he's getting five, six, and seven yards on first down, it makes things so much easier for the offence," Durant explained.
Trevor Harris finished the game with 18 pass attempts, his third-fewest since 2021, for 248 yards and one touchdown. Durant believes Harris’ 152.1 QB rating could be attributed to the run game success by Armstead.
“It allows that flow. You can get out of the huddle quicker. Trevor now has time to see what the defence is doing. He has time to talk to Armstead and let him know what to do on each play because you've broken the huddle faster," Durant said.
Armstead and the Riders look to win back-to-back games for the first time since winning four in a row to start the season on Saturday. Saskatchewan’s opponent: Armstead’s former team, the Ottawa Reblacks. The star of the win in Calgary has said the game won’t have any special meaning to him, but Durant knows that's not the case for everyone.
“I'm sure that's something as a GM, you don't want to see. You don't want to see the guy that you let go have success with another organization, that's tough. These things happen all the time in sports, and you just never know. Some guys do better in different situations.”
The Riders host the Ottawa Redblacks on Saturday afternoon at Mosaic Stadium. Countdown to Kick-off begins with a chance to watch Justin Dunk and Wes Cates at 10 a.m. on YouTube. Luc Mullinder and I will join at 12 p.m. with the kick-off to follow at 1 p.m. on the Co-operators Roughrider Radio Network.
