The numbers from Edmonton Eskimos quarterback Trevor Harris in last Sunday’s CFL East Semi-Final game against the Montreal Alouettes spoke for themselves.
The veteran completed 36 of 39 passes for 421 yards passing, put together a 92.3 per cent completion rate and completed his first 22 pass attempts. Harris enjoyed one of the finest playoff performances in CFL history.
“I guess that’s ‘Playoff Trevor,’ huh?” said Eskimos receiver Greg Ellingson, who caught eight passes for 125 yards.
“You know he comes to battle — he comes prepared — and I know he’s been itching to lead the team down the stretch, and he’s getting his opportunity to show what he can do.”
Listen below: Eskimos receiver Greg Ellingson speaks about how the offence executed so well in Montreal.
Harris chuckled when he was asked, “Who is Playoff Trevor?”
“I’m just going to do the best I can every week and a lot of times throughout the season, you get better and better,” he added.
“With me having an injury and coming back, having to be able to have a game to get underneath my belt and get some rest was great, so I was able to go out there and put one together, but that happened because of my teammates and the offensive gameplan.”
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Listen below: Eskimos quarterback Trevor Harris on his developing relationship with his coach, Jason Maas.
We first saw Playoff Trevor in the 2018 East Final in Ottawa when Harris was a member of the Redblacks. He threw for six touchdown passes in a 46-27 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
Ironically, last year’s East Final was the last time the Tiger-Cats faced Harris in a game. Harris missed both of this year’s meetings with Hamilton in the regular season with an injury to his throwing arm, which kept him out for the better part of five games.
He returned on Oct. 26 at home against the Saskatchewan Roughriders and was held out of the final regular season game against the Riders in Regina.
Eskimos head coach Jason Maas says the extra rest has been a difference-maker for Harris.
“But the difference between Trevor right now and that Trevor three weeks ago is night and day. I think the ability for us to rest him that last week and shut him down again is the reason we’re seeing him at his best right now.”
Now the task in front of the Eskimos is the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Sunday in the CFL East Final.
The Tiger-Cats were the best team in the CFL in the regular season with a 15-3 record and were a perfect 9-0 at Tim Hortons Field.
Harris, who is battling through a hoarse throat, says anything he’s done in the past needs to stay in the past. The focus is on Sunday and a chance to reach the Grey Cup game in Calgary with a win in a hostile environment against the CFL’s best team.
“Buckle up, here we go.”
Eskimos offensive lineman Colin Kelly didn’t practise on Wednesday so he could take a maintenance day. Defensive back Anthony Orange was back on the field, however. He has one game left to serve on the six-game injured list.
Kickoff from Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton on Sunday is at 11 a.m. 630 CHED will have Countdown to Kickoff starting at 9:30 a.m.
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