Being outfoxed by a defensive back is just about the biggest humiliation any quarterback can suffer.
However, Stampeders’ quarterback Jake Maier should be able to live with himself knowing it wasn’t just any defensive back who intercepted him in the end zone to clinch the Roughriders’ 29-26 double-overtime win on Saturday night.
After all, Nick Marshall once quarterbacked the Auburn Tigers to an epic win over the Alabama Crimson Tide in one of U.S. college football’s most memorable endings of the 21st century, briefly bringing the ‘Bama dynasty to its knees.
The six-foot-one, 210-pound dual-threat pivot spent two years as a starter in the SEC, throwing for 4,508 yards, 34 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. He also rushed for 1,866 yards and 23 majors on the ground.
Marshall has since built a brilliant career on the prairies as Saskatchewan’s prime-time defensive back. Having joined the Roughriders in 2018, the final year under Chris Jones, he is the longest-serving member of the team’s secondary.
On a night where Marshall seemed to know exactly what Calgary’s quarterback was thinking, his own quarterback, Trevor Harris agreed that trying to complete a pass against a former QB like Marshall is a scary proposition.
“When I played against him, he got me last year when we played in Montreal,” Harris said referring to a time when he was victimized by Marshall while playing for the Alouettes.
“(Marshall) was able to kind of help me out and I was able to help him out a lot during training camp and to talk him through some things. That was a big one for him today because I know he really wanted that one.”
Riders’ head coach Craig Dickenson, who is now 3-6 against his little brother and Stamps’ head coach Dave Dickenson, says the quarterbacking experience helps but it’s his time as a CFL DB that really makes Nick Marshall the ball hawk that he is.
“He’s got a lot of experience in the league”, Dickenson said.
“He’s played for five years now. He’s got nice hands and that’s what we’ve known about Nick. If you take a shot on him, you might get it but he’s got a pretty good shot at coming down with it too.”
Teammate Larry Dean thinks Nick is one of the more underrated defensive backs in the CFL because of his ability to read the minds of opposing quarterbacks like Jake Maier, which was on full display on Saturday night.
“I’m glad you brought that up,” Dean said. “He’s special.”
Through 62 career CFL games, Marshall now has 16 interceptions — trailing just Montreal’s Ciante Evans, Winnipeg’s Winston Rose, B.C.’s T.J. Lee, and Edmonton’s Ed Gainey among active players. Few have been bigger than his walk-off winner against the Stamps and at just 30 years old, the best may still be yet to come.
