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Boateng back to earn three sacks in Edmonton Eskimos' win over Montreal

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Do you feel that?

The Earth is shaking mightily before Kwaku Boateng.

After missing the previous two games due to injury, the 23-year-old Edmonton Eskimos defensive end made up for lost time by putting on a one-man sack clinic on the way to Thursday’s 44-23 win over the Montreal Alouettes.

The six-foot, 250-pound Wildrid Laurier product posted a hat-trick’s worth of hurt on Vernon Adams Jr., accounting for half of Edmonton’s six sacks on a run-for-your-life type of night for the Alouettes quarterback charged with keeping the starting spot warm for Johnny Manziel.

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That gives Boateng five on the season to eclipse the four he earned during a stellar rookie campaign last year where he played rotational duty in all 18 games.

This year, he’s averaging better than a sack-a-game pace with five in the four games he’s played so far. In fact, after not registering a single stat in the first two games, all five sacks have come in his last two outings, after posting his first pair in a win over the B.C. Lions in Week 3 prior to getting hurt.

“We all know what we have in him,” said Eskimos head coach Jason Maas. “Obviously, we’d like to keep him healthy and keep him rolling like that.

“He needed the time off that he had to heal up, but I think what you see every time he plays, he’s just going to get better each time and he’s more than capable of doing the things he showed (Thursday).”

By the end of the game, Boateng had moved into second overall on the season sacks list behind Saskatchewan Roughriders veteran pass rusher Charleston Hughes.

“Obviously, the injury was hard to take at first. It was the first time I had never got a chance to play on the football field since the first time I touched it in Grade 9, so that hurt me,” said Boateng, a native of Milton, Ont. “And the fact that we were playing against Toronto at the same time, that also sucked, but it gave me a chance to reflect on how far I’ve come now and look at my tape at what I need to get better at.”

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While sitting out, Boateng said he was kept apprised of things by his defensive linemates and unit coach Demetrious Maxie.

“When I came back, it felt like I never left,” said Boateng, who wasted no time adding to his sack tally. “After I got my first one, I said sky’s the limit. Once I get one sack, I feel like I get all my energy back and I just feel like I’m unstoppable. If I can beat you once, I can beat you a couple more times.”

It’s the same tenacity he broke into the league with after getting drafted in the fifth round (41st overall) by the Eskimos in 2017 – a spot that can only be seen as a steal, given his productivity and the fact he’s played in all but those two games already. No one else in his draft class has even come close.

The Canadian rookie fit in almost seamlessly on what was otherwise an all-American defensive line, getting worked in on rotation with the likes of proven veteran pass rushers Odell Willis, Marcus Howard, Phillip Hunt and John Chick.

“When I came into training camp, I told myself I was going against the odds, this whole D-line is full of Americans,” Boateng said. “I was the only Canadian in the their locker-room the whole time. And I got to a point where I feel like I was an import player as well, because that’s how I had to play.

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“I had to play to their level. And they had great coaching (former unit coach Casey) Creehan last year, he helped me out a ton.”

None of the aforementioned defensive ends are with the team, as off-season moves have turned the focus to the future.

And, while only being in his second season, Boateng is playing every bit the part of a veteran role while leading the way into the pocket and onto the stats sheet.

“That’s just life in sports with all the trades and retirements that happened on the d-line,” he said, adding nothing’s simply being given to him. “I still have that chip on my shoulder: I went fifth round when I felt like I should have been a first-round pick.

“And, right now, every time I get on the field that’s what motivates me.”

On Twitter: @GerryModdejonge

Email: gmoddejonge@postmedia.com

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