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Playoffs November 1, 2024

Costabile: 3 reasons Rolan Milligan Jr. will impact the Western Semi-Final

Matt Smith/CFL.ca

CFL.ca
@kcostabile1

One of the best stories of the 2024 season has been Rolan Milligan Jr.

He’s been sensational in his fourth year in Rider green, making plays on Saskatchewan’s defence and special teams unit.

For his efforts, he was named the West Division’s nominee for Most Outstanding Defensive Player and also earned the Roughriders’ nod for Most Outstanding Player, Most Outstanding Defensive Player, and Most Outstanding Special Teams Player.

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Milligan Jr. is not just playing in the winner-takes-all matchup this weekend, he is likely to be a game-changer on the field. Based on what we saw in the regular season, Milligan Jr.’s performance could be the one to tip the scales in favour of the Roughriders at Mosaic Stadium.

Here are three reasons why the Roughriders boundary halfback will make an impact in Saturday’s Western Semi-Final.

ALWAYS AROUND THE FOOTBALL

Rolan Milligan Jr. was around the football in plenty of ways throughout the season. If he wasn’t picking off quarterbacks a league-leading eight times, he was still active, tallying a career-high 10 knockdowns. The ballhawk also had 111 defensive plays, good for fifth in the CFL and first among non-linebackers. And don’t forget his 20 special teams tackles.

If you look back at all eight of Milligan Jr.’s interceptions this year, you’ll noticing one thing among all of them. None of his picks were bounces or deflections that landed in his hands. Instead, the 30-year-old consistently understood where the quarterback was going with the ball to jump the route for a pick.

“I think he just trusts his film study,” said cover linebacker/SAM C.J. Reavis when asked how Milligan Jr. is able to read offences so well. “(He) trusts his ability and he makes the play every time.”

Milligan Jr. is surely studying and watching film of the BC Lions this week, including the Riders Week 6 game between the two clubs where he was able to interception Vernon Adams Jr. in their first meeting of 2024.

The Lions threw 18 interceptions in the regular season, tied for third-most in the CFL, nine of those coming from the hand of Adams Jr.

The Roughriders defence finished the year with 24 interceptions and a +26 turnover ratio, the best in the CFL by a large margin. If Milligan Jr. has it his way, he’ll be adding to that total this weekend.

LEADERS GONNA LEAD

Rolan Milligan Jr. (left), C.J. Reavis (middle) and KeeSean Johnson (right) pose after a game against the Lions earlier this season (Matt Smith/CFL.ca)

We know what Milligan Jr. can do on the field in between the white lines. We’ve seen it week after week after week this year. But sometimes it’s all about the intangibles that makes a great football player even greater.

In games like Saturday’s Semi-Final, the pressure is high and having someone like Milligan Jr. leading the way can make all the difference.

“If you’re around him, he just naturally kind of quiet” head coach Corey Mace said after practice on Thursday. “But when he sees something and he speaks up, guys are going to listen. So pushing him in that leadership role (has been important) and being part of a captain, that’s team voted. The team voted for him to be the guy.”

“He’s a great teammate,” Reavis echoed. “He holds me accountable. We hold each other accountable. We kind of compete every single day. It’s our thing we have. We compete every single day for the ball, for tackles, even in games too. So it’s a good brotherly love, for sure.”

On Saturday, it’ll be his accountability, competitive nature and quiet confidence that helps Milligan Jr. keep his teammates on the right track against the BC Lions in their biggest game of the year so far.

IRON SHARPENS IRON

Look at any level of the Roughriders defence and there are plenty of high-impact athletes ready to make a play at any given moment.

Marcus Sayles, Saskatchewan’s field corner, has also been excellent in 2024. He finished the year tied for second in the CFL in knockdowns (12), two more than Milligan Jr. The former BC Lion also tallied four interceptions to go along with 57 defensive tackles.

Moving down to the second level of the defence, Jameer Thurman and Reavis are two that come to mind. Thurman patrolled the middle of the defence exceptionally well this year, tallying 76 defensive tackles, three tackles for a loss, a sack, two interceptions, a forced fumble, three fumble recoveries and a touchdown (a pick-six in Week 3 against Hamilton). Cover linebacker/SAM Reavis was consistently around the line of scrimmage, tallying five tackles for loss and four sacks, while also dropping back into coverage to collect 89 defensive tackles.

On the defensive line, Micah Johnson and Bryan Cox Jr. (who also had two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery in the regular season) both had six sacks on the season.

How does all of this tie back to Milligan Jr.? Well, that’s because, he says, having other playmakers make plays inspires and drives everyone else to want to play at their best too. And to win on Saturday, every level will need to feed off each other in order to earn the right to go to Winnipeg to take on the Blue Bombers.

“I always have to be who everybody expects me to be,” Milligan Jr. explained. “Whether they’re having a good game or not, I know I have to have my level up here, because I’ll bring them with me. And then on the flip side, if I’m down, I expect them to make up for me being down. But then, in the same sense, I have to get up there where they’re at. So just seeing them make plays, it makes me want to make a play.”

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