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It was also the third time in the past four games that Powell had fewer than 10 rushing attempts. That included a four-carry, seven-yard performance on Aug. 9 in Saskatchewan’s storm-shortened 17-10 win over the Montreal Alouettes, who visit Mosaic Stadium for a rematch on Saturday.

“I don’t put no pressure on myself (to do more with less),” Powell said. “Anytime I get the ball I want to make the most out of it, whether it be the first carry or the 15th carry of the game.

“I feel like it’s always important (to run the ball well). Sometimes you don’t have to but whenever you can it’s always a plus. It opens up the pass game pretty well and you can open up the playbook when you have the run game going.”

Powell won’t get any argument from head coach Craig Dickenson, who believes it’s “important” for the Riders to rediscover their offensive identity as a team that wears down the opposition with a ground-and-pound mindset.

“We want to be known as a physical team and a team that’s good up front,” Dickenson said. “We want to try to feed the ball to our running backs. That has been a point of emphasis. During the game I don’t mess with the offence or the defence too much — I let them call the game — but I know (offensive co-ordinator Stephen McAdoo) is really excited about trying to get the running game going this week and I know he’s going to lean heavily on the offensive line. We expect the O-line to play better than they have the last two weeks.”

It’s no secret that the best way to inspire offensive linemen is by running the football. Simply put, they thrive on the opportunity to impose their will in the trenches.