Taylor Shire, Regina Leader-Post
“He just did the Saquon!”
Even players on the field were reacting to the moment when Saskatchewan Roughriders running back Quali Conley reverse hurdled an opponent on Saturday against the Edmonton Elks.
“It was awesome,” said Roughriders quarterback Trevor Harris. “(Receiver Dhel Duncan-Busby) told me that (Elks defensive back) Tyrell Ford had said, ‘Dude, he just did the Saquon!’
“It was kind of immediate news on the field.”
“It was pretty exciting in the moment,” added Roughriders head coach Corey Mace. “It was cool for him to have that moment. But ultimately, we needed a good run and he gave us that. He just put a little flavour on it.”
A video clip of the reverse hurdle immediately captured attention on social media before generating thousands of views in the following hours, as many were comparing Conley’s move to what Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley did last year in an NFL game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Conley’s feat has been viewed more than one million times on Instagram between the CFL and TSN accounts, while a repost by the NFL on ESPN, an account with 4.3 million followers on Instagram, generated more than 700,000 views.
On X, the CFL’s clip garnered more than 800,000 views while it’s been reposted by many on the platform including former NFL coach and current media personality Jon Gruden, whose post got another 901,000 views.
Conley’s teammate, Tommy Stevens, also reposted the video on X, which was subsequently liked by Barkley — the best reaction of all according to Conley.
“I didn’t think it would blow up that much,” said the 23-year-old Conley. “The night of (the game), and the next day, it was just a lot of, ‘Oh this, that. And Saquon this and that.’
“Saquon’s is better, but I feel like mine was pretty good too,” he added. “His was like a 10 out of 10 because he made somebody miss.
“Mine, it was all in one movement. So, I say mine was like 7.5 out of 10.”
Impressive, nonetheless. But how did he manage to pull off the feat?
“I saw the safety, so I knew I was one-on-one,” he said. “I pressed my hole. I got through it. Then there was a leakage and one of the d-lineman grabbed me so that’s why I turned.
“Then when I was turning, I saw (the safety), then he disappeared. But I knew he was coming low. I’m like, ‘Yeah, I’m just going to jump however.’ So, I jumped backwards and I hurdled him.”
After dusting himself off following the 12-yard gain, Conley got right back into the huddle. He didn’t expect the play to generate as much attention as it has received.
“Nah, I didn’t sense it,” he said. “It was a scary situation because my back was turned and anything could have happened. But I got up and got the first down. That’s all that matters.”
But yes, he has watched the replay a few times since. How could he not?
“It was a crazy play,” said Conley. “It was freakish, but yeah, I’m glad made the play because (it adds) more confidence to my game.”
After playing college football at Utah Tech (2020-22), San Jose State (2023) and Arizona (2024) before a stint with the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals in 2025, Conley signed with the Montreal Alouettes in January.
He attended the early part of camp with the Alouettes before being released on May 14. Two days later, he signed with the Roughriders before getting reps in the pre-season game just two days after that.
Following a second pre-season game, where he had nine carries for 32 yards, the 5-foot-10, 211-pound California native beat out returnee Mario Anderson for a practice roster spot.
And with starting running back A.J. Ouellette on the injured list, Saturday’s game was Conley’s third start of the season — and best performance overall — as he generated 97 all-purpose yards, in the 28-26 win.
“I feel like I left a lot of yards on the field,” said Conley, who had 14 carries for 61 yards along the ground plus three catches for 36 yards on five targets. “Also, I gave up a sack so that’s a minus.
“I feel like every day, I’m taking a step forward. Just more time, more reps, just getting used to the CFL.
“Last week was a lot better than before because I was actually waiting for my blocks to develop, and I felt like I was being a little bit more patient. But now I need to be a little bit more patient, looking back at the game.”
With Ouellette remaining on the six-game injured list, Conley is expected to get a second straight start on Friday (7 p.m., Mosaic Stadium) when the Roughriders (5-2) host the winless Ottawa Redblacks (0-7) in Week 10 of the CFL season.
And after seeing his workload increase with each game he’s played this season, from eight to 12 to 14 carries, Conley is ready for whatever is needed of him on Friday.
“I feel like when I came here, I had to work my trust up and build trust with the coaching staff,” said Conley, who has 168 yards and one touchdown on 34 carries this year. “But knowing they trust me now and they can trust me carrying the ball (and) catching the ball, it means a lot.”
