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REGINA — The dynamic running back duo of Jamal Morrow and rookie Frankie Hickson led the Saskatchewan Roughriders past the Ottawa REDBLACKS on Friday night as the team remained perfect at home to start the season.
Morrow and Hickson combined for 239 yards on the ground and through the air to help Saskatchewan improve to 4-1 with a 3-0 home record.
Morrow ran for 78 yards to go with a season-high 67 receiving yards, while Hickson had the play of the game with a 63-yard touchdown run before finishing with a season-high 92 rushing yards.
“We have a two-headed monster with both those guys, and it makes my job easy when you can hand the ball off,” Saskatchewan quarterback Cody Fajardo told TSN after the win.
“When you have that dynamic of the pass and the run game, it makes it very difficult on defences.”
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The pair has rushed for a combined 551 yards through the first five games, with Morrow accounting for a league-leading 335. But Hickson’s role has continued to grow with 149 rushing yards on 12 carries across the last two games, and his touchdown against Ottawa was the first of his CFL career.
He told TSN at halftime that he is keeping the ball as a souvenir, but will probably let his mom have it for a while first.
“I might give it to my mom for like a week, but I’m keeping it. That’s mine. Maybe two (weeks) if I get some fresh-cooked cookies or something like that,” Hickson said with a smile.
Hickson credited his blockers for his long touchdown run, which added to his impressive 8.3 yards-per-carry average on the season. He is currently fourth in the league with 216 rushing yards.
Morrow leads the league with 14 runs over 10 yards and has proven to be a reliable starter with 62 carries and a 5.4 yards-per-carry average. Saskatchewan’s success on the ground has opened up the passing game as well, with Fajardo currently leading the league with 1,204 passing yards.
The Riders will look for their fifth win in six games when they travel to take on the Toronto Argonauts at BMO Field on Saturday, July 16 at 2 p.m. ET.