Nelson Lokombo pirated pigskin during Roughriders’ comeback

Nelson Lokombo did his utmost to upstage “The Last Saskatchewan Pirate.”

The third quarter of Saturday’s CFL game at Mosaic Stadium concluded when Lokombo intercepted Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly on and took off on a 20-yard return.

Then came the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ long-standing preamble to the fourth quarter — the playing of the aforementioned song, written and recorded by Captain Tractor.

As opposed to “stealing wheat and barley and all the other grains,” Lokombo had opted for a theft — in the form of an interception — that set up the Roughriders on Toronto’s 19-yard line.

Trevor Harris wasted little time finding KeeSean Johnson for an 11-yard touchdown pass that pared the Argonauts’ lead to 22-21 and triggered a 13-2 fourth-quarter Saskatchewan surge that produced a 28-24 CFL victory.

“I’m happy with the way we played,” Lokombo said after Thursday’s practice at Mosaic Stadium. “I was glad I was able to be a catalyst toward our turnaround.”

At one point in the second quarter, Saskatchewan trailed by 15 points (22-7). That is the largest deficit the Roughriders have overcome in a victorious effort since Sept. 29, 2017, when Saskatchewan trailed the Harris-quarterbacked Ottawa REDBLACKS 17-0 at TD Place before scoring the game’s final 18 points. (Credit to CFL statisticians Steve Daniel and Jeff Krever for the information.)

Against Toronto, Lokombo made his second start of the season at safety. He has also started at cornerback (three games) and defensive halfback (once) this season.

“It’s nice to have that flexibility to play different spots,” Lokombo said, “but it was nice to be back there (at safety) and be able to direct.”

The safety, after all, doubles as the quarterback of the secondary.

“He’s a familiar voice for those guys to help orchestrate on the back end,” Head Coach Corey Mace said. “You know how we feel about Nelly. He’s a Swiss army knife for us. We’re able to move him to different positions. With that comes a great understanding of what everybody else is supposed to do when you’re standing back there as a free safety.”

That expertise will come in handy when the Roughriders face Winnipeg Blue Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros in Sunday’s Labour Day Classic at Mosaic Stadium.

“He’s a veteran quarterback, so he’ll be ready for us,” Lokombo said. “We’ve got certain keys that we’ve got in our pockets, so we’ll be ready to go. It’ll be a good matchup.”

Preparation-wise, it helps to face another future Canadian Football Hall of Fame quarterback — Harris — during practices.

"Those guys go through all the reads and they go through them quickly,” Lokombo said. “It’s nice to go against Trevor every day. He makes us better and we try to make him better as well.

“It’s nice to have that and it definitely prepares you for these guys who we see every week.”

Lokombo, selected second overall in the 2021 CFL Draft, is poised to play against Winnipeg for the eighth time. He has started in four of those games — all at safety in 2024.

“I’m excited,” the former University of Saskatchewan Huskies standout said with a smile. “There will be a lot of fans — a lot of juice — and it’s a good rivalry.

“I’ve experienced it for six years and, kind of getting a feel for it, it’s going to be nice.”

As a sneak preview, the Roughriders’ defence has been practising with crowd noise piped over the Mosaic Stadium public-address system. The intent is to simulate situations in which the Roughriders’ fans strive to make it impossible for the Blue Bombers’ offensive players to hear the signals.

“It’s good to gauge what it’s going to be like during the game,” Lokombo said. “When we’re out there on the field, it won’t be a surprise when we’re playing in the game.

“I’m sure it’s going to be louder on game day.”