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| Mattland Riley (#55) was a U Sports all-Canadian all-star last year. |
The Huskies
are renowned for producing great offensive linemen, who have gone on to lengthy
careers in the CFL. Riley, who is in his fourth year of eligibility with the
team, seems tagged to be the next one to continue the legacy of great Huskies
O-linemen who have gone on to careers in Canada’s top professional level.
Last
season, Riley, who plays left guard on the Huskies offensive line, was a first
team Canada West all-star and a second team U Sports all-Canadian all-star.
The 22-year-old knows
the pedigree that is set from facts like his head coach in Scott Flory had a
Canadian Football Hall of Fame career with the Montreal Alouettes that included
three Grey Cup victories.
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| Mattland Riley, middle, clears the way for Adam Machart (#20). |
In the
current day, Patrick Neufeld of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Evan Johnson of
the Ottawa Redblacks carry the pride of being Huskies O-line grads in the ranks
of the CFL.
“I think
that there is the expectation to be great,” said Riley. “You have a head coach
who was a Hall of Famer CFL offensive lineman.
“Of course
there are expectations to be great there. I think that is team wide. I don’t
want to say that there is any extra pressure on us (as offensive linemen).
 |
| Mattland Riley is stellar at left guard. |
With that
said, Riley believes there are extra eyes on the Huskies offensive line, when
the professional scouts come to town.
“I’d say
that there is scope on us for performing and doing well,” said Riley, who
stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 300 pounds. “We want to be known for really good
offensive linemen.
“Obviously,
everybody wants to be the best at what they do.”
Riley and
the Huskies aim to be at their best on Friday, when they host the University of
Calgary Dinos at 7 p.m. at Griffiths stadium. That last time these two twos met
the Huskies downed the Dinos 43-18 in the Canada West Conference final in
Calgary on November 10, 2018 to capture the Hardy Cup.
The Huskies
(2-2) head into this clashed rated ninth in the U Sports Top 10 rankings, while
the Dinos (4-0) are rated fourth in those very same rankings.
Riley, who
is in his fourth year of U Sports eligibility, played high school football with
his hometown Melfort and Unit Comprehrensive Collegiate Comets. The engineering
major’s head coach with the Comets was David Rogers and one of the assistant
coaches was Jarod Koroll, and both were former Huskies offensive linemen.
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| Mattland Riley (#55) credits his O-line teammates for his success. |
“You have a
great mentor like Scott (Flory) to learn from,” said Riley. “It is just lots of
reasons.”
Flory has
enjoyed coaching Riley. The Huskies sideline boss having Riley back on a
veteran offensive line is a huge benefit for the team.
Riley is
part of a starting offensive line unit that includes left tackle Noah Zerr,
centre Connor Berglof, right guard Tanner Secord and right tackle Nick Summach, while Andrew Serke is a versatile sub.
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| Mattland Riley (#55) can withstand a blow for a D-lineman. |
“Expectations
are high for those guys coming together last year and having a really good
year. I expect our offensive line to take another step forward here this year
as well.”
Flory was
pleased Riley received all-star honours last year, and he said that was a reflection
on how well the whole offensive line as a unit did.
“That
individual stuff, those things will always come,” said Flory. “It is team
first, and those guys all know that.
“They
sacrifice. It is all about the team. When the team has success, the individual
accolades those will come.”
It may
sound like a cliché, but Riley really does buy into the team-first mentality.
“Honestly,
it is not about me,” said Riley. “It is about the whole line.
“You’re
only as good as an offensive line as the guy you play beside. I play beside
some good guys. The expectation for all of us is to win games.”
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| Mattland Riley knows how to neutralize a D-lineman’s hands. |
The Huskies
fell in a U Sports semifinal game – the Mitchell Bowl – to the University of
Western Ontario Mustangs 47-24 in London, Ont., on Nov. 17, 2018.
Before that
post-season run, U of S’s previous Hardy Cup win came in 2006 and last playoff
victory was in 2009. Riley said putting an end to those droughts was a big
breakthrough for the program.
“It was a
sense of relief in one aspect, because all that hard work that the guys put in
the off-season had paid off,” said Riley. “We’d accomplished our goal.
“Moving
forward in the off-season, once we got there, it is like ‘Hey, let’s keep
going. Let’s keep winning games.’”
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| Mattland Riley, right, locks up on a block. |
“Those
aspirations are there,” said Riley. “For me, that is going to be after the
season is over.
“I’m right
here and right now for the Huskies. I’m all in for my team. I focus on what is
ahead of me one day at a time.”
In order to
repeat or improve on the success of last season, Riley said everyone on the
team has to stay focused on the present and work to improve every day. While
that is another cliché, he said it is bound in truth.
On top of
that, Riley notes you could miss out on the day-to-day fun regarding the
lighter moments with your teammates, if you are looking too far ahead.
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| Mattland Riley (#55) plans to soak in every moment with his teammates. |
“Like these
guys are going to be some of the best friends for the rest of our lives that we
have here. Just soaking that all in and enjoying every minute of it, that is
the whole point of this.”
If you have any comments
you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.
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