In the moment – in the right here and right now – it barely elicits a shoulder shrug from Andrew Harris.

Yes, when the subject is broached of the Canadian Football League’s top two leading rushers meeting Friday night at Investors Group Field – Harris is first, William Powell of the Ottawa REDBLACKS is second – the Winnipeg Blue Bombers tailback is hardly buying into the hype of a mammoth showdown with his eastern rival.

“I don’t really focus on what the other guy is doing,” said Harris after practice Wednesday. “I’m more focused on our offence and how we’re producing and how productive we are on first downs and throughout the series and throughout each quarter.

“He’s definitely a good player you notice makes plays. He’s a guy that can catch the ball really well, too, and is explosive in the receiving aspect as well. But when we’re playing head-to-head and against each other, I’m not really focused on what he’s doing.”

Harris, for the record, is atop the CFL’s rushing chart with 720 yards through eight games and a juicy 6.0-yards per carry average. Powell, Ottawa’s dynamic back, is second with 608 yards and a 4.9-yard average. These two were 1-2 in the race for last year’s rushing title, too, with Harris edging out Powell for his first-ever ground crown.

And that – winning a rushing title – is something that Harris will thump his chest about, not so much because it was an individual honour in a season in which he was also named a CFL All-Star and the league’s Most Outstanding Canadian, but because of all the men who helped him to the summit.

“Absolutely, especially getting the first one, it was definitely something I took a lot of pride in,” he said. “It’s one of those things when you get it, when you’re at that point, you appreciate it. But within the season you’re not thinking about it too much.

“It’s a unit, it’s a group, it’s a team thing. Ultimately, those five-six guys up front that contribute every day, that are grinding every day to open those little windows for you to sneak through… it’s how excited they get and how passionate they are about it that just makes my job a lot more fun in just doing it for them.”

“It’s not one guy, it’s not all me and it’s not even just (the O-line) – it’s the receivers as well. We have some great receivers, especially the inside guys… I mean, (Nic) Demski does a great job on the back side blocking sometimes, (Drew) Wolitarsky, and you see how deadly Darvin (Adams) can be when he blocks. Everyone contributes as a team… even how Matt (Nichols) reacts to a give and how he attacks the line makes a defensive end or a backside linebacker that scraping respect him, too. It’s definitely a full team effort being successful in the run game.”

The Bombers are averaging a whopping 152.6 yards per game along the ground, first in the CFL, after leading the league in the same category last year at 101.3 yards per game. Those numbers are significant, the Bombers insist, because it’s representative of how they consistently control the line of scrimmage.

“It’s one of those things when you can dictate a game through the run it means you’re chewing up the clock, your time of possession is there, you’re generating first downs, and ultimately, you’re just demoralizing the defence,” said Harris. “I mean, when you’re running and getting five, six, seven yards a carry and you’re creating first downs over and over again, it’s tiring the defence and it’s a power thing where you’re basically moving someone against their will and that’s big for us, for any team. Any time, especially in the fourth quarter when the game is on the line and you know the ball is going to the running back and you’re still able to accumulate yardage, that’s always a big feature and definitely something the whole team takes pride in.”

The big eaters along the O-line certainly do, as the rushing totals and sacks allowed are the two numbers most linked to their work up front. There’s also this as it relates to Harris: to a man, they genuinely love helping make him a star on a weekly basis.

“The rushing title is not something we talk about often, but it’s in the back of our heads – we want to have that,” said guard Pat Neufeld. “We take a lot of pride in making sure he’s the top rusher in the CFL and it’s a great thing for an entire offence as well if we have that.

“There’s a big-time connection with us. He’s in all our blitz meetings, he watches all of our run-game practice film with us. He’s just as close to our group as any other offensive lineman. We trust him completely and when it comes to rushing or pass protection we know he’s going to do the job.

“When you see how seriously he takes this, how involved he is and how he tries every day to be a great teammate… he does a lot of things in our offence right now and he does it better than anyone. I think he’s playing the best football in the CFL right now.”

Further to the ‘great teammate’ narrative… Harris has plans to have the entire O-line over to his house Thursday night, one day after Matt Nichols had plans to do the same.

“I just take care of them throughout the season, regardless of what happens,” said Harris. “On Thursday, they’re coming over for a barbecue… we’ll cook up some prime rib and a lot of red meat… pasta. I do it not just after a 100-yard game, it’s when it’s bad, it’s when it’s good. Everyone goes through the ebbs and flows and emotions of a season, sometimes you’re high, sometimes you’re low and just being there spending time and hanging out no matter what’s going on I think is important.”

“Matt’s taking them out tonight and I’m having them over for a barbecue tomorrow… I think our O-line is a little more spoiled than the average O-line, but they work so hard and they deserve it. We, as the positional guys, get a lot of glory. But it starts with them.”

Rewinding a few decades, Harris was reminded that back in the 1980s when Willard Reaves was rumbling through the CFL and winning back-to-back rushing titles in 1984 and 1985 he nicknamed his offensive line ‘The White Horses.’

“I don’t think I’d be able to get away with that in this day and age,” said Harris with a grin. “I don’t have a nickname for them… I’m trying to think of something because they’re all different characters.

“They’re all different types of dudes that just get along. You could almost call them the United Nations with Manase (Foketi) in there, too, and guys from down south. I don’t know what to call them, but they’re my guys, my brothers and I love going to war with them.”

BOMBERS REPORT | August 15, 2018 

The Bombers completed their final full practice today in advance of Friday’s home game against the REDBLACKS. Here are some notes and quotes from today…

OUCH UPDATE:

The Bombers held a closed practice on Wednesday, meaning any roster updates won’t become clearer until the release of the depth chart Thursday morning, and officially, about an hour before kickoff Friday night.

Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea never tips his hand beforehand in any case, and wasn’t ready to rule out veteran receiver Weston Dressler – even though he did not practice on Monday or Tuesday. He did seem more comfortable that defensive back Brandon Alexander would be back in when his name came up earlier in the week.

“Like all these veteran guys who don’t need to practice I’ll give them right to the last minute, 24 hours before, before I make a decision,” said O’Shea when asked about Dressler specifically. “I don’t rule players out. I’m not going to rule him out until we have to send the roster in and I talk to him again tomorrow.

“They (injured players) see the therapist every morning and every night, every morning and every night. We make progress and we’ll make the best decision for the team at that point.”

Ryan Lankford has been working in Dressler’s spot all week and O’Shea touched on the veteran receiver’s work ethic.

“I said earlier this week when on Day 1 (Monday) he took some reps, that he’s done everything we’ve asked him to do,” said O’Shea. “He had an amazing training camp, he’s a helluva returner, he’s a very good pro. We would feel comfortable if that’s the direction we have to go… we feel comfortable playing him, we feel comfortable with other players we have on our practice roster – the guys who have been working hard, not waiting but working hard for their opportunity.

“(Lankford) understands the crappy part of the business and manages to put in great effort all day, every day. That, to me, would be a good definition of what a ‘pro’ is.”

MORE MEDLOCK LOVE:

O’Shea was asked again on Wednesday about kicker Justin Medlock, his spectacular numbers in last week’s win over Hamilton and his dedication to his craft.

“He’s motivated to be the best at everything he does,” said O’Shea. “He’s very competitive… with himself in anything he does. Don’t get him on the golf course. He’s very competitive.”