WINNIPEG — A storied rivalry is ready to write its next chapter.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders head to Princess Auto Stadium on Saturday night for a date with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Western Final.
It was Winnipeg that won the season series 2-1, including back-to-back wins in Week 13 and 14.
The Roughriders hope to ride a balanced offensive attack coming off a 28-19 victory over the BC Lions in the Western Semi-Final. Quarterback Trevor Harris has faced the Blue Bombers twice this season, combining for 655 yards and five touchdowns. It’s an impressive stat line considering the Bombers secondary leads the league in limiting yards through the air at 234.8 per game.
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Head coach Mike O’Shea’s defensive backs corps of Tyrell Ford, Evan Holm and Deatrick Nichols are tasked with slowing Riders leading receiver Samuel Emilus and the supporting cast of KeeSean Johnson, Kian Schaffer-Baker and Jerreth Sterns. Emilus and Johnson led the way with 106 and 66 yards against the Lions.
In what could come down to a showdown of the running backs, Corey Mace’s side has two good ones in AJ Ouellette and Ryquell Armstead. Both saw handoffs a week ago, with Ouellette breaking free for 70 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries.
Watch live here. Saskatchewan Roughriders @ Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Nov. 10, 00:30 CET (12:30 am, 6:30 pm Nov. 9 ET)
They’ll look to expose a Bombers front seven that allowed 104.2 yards per contest during the regular season. Veteran Willie Jefferson and TyJuan Garbutt are responsible for keeping Ouellette from getting to the outside in hopes of giving linebackers Michael Ayers, Redha Kramdi and Tony Jones a chance to make plays in the middle of the field.
Sticking with the running backs, no one has been better than Brady Oliveira this season. Sporting 1,353 yards, he’ll line up against the league’s top run defence.
The Saskatchewan front was active in their win over BC, with defensive linemen Miles Brown, Malik Carney and Caleb Sanders all recording a sack. That’s without mentioning key contributors in Bryan Cox Jr. and Micah Johnson, along with Jameer Thurman and C.J. Reavis at linebacker. Applying that same kind of pressure and closing time and space is key to slowing the ground game.
Facing a familiar foe, Oliveira has nothing but respect for the opponent he’s about to go up against.
“I was expecting to play them in the Western Final,” Oliveira told reporters. “They’re a great team. Trevor Harris is playing great football right now; they’ve got a good run game. And on defence they just play very sound. They’ve got a great D-line, great linebackers.”
Then there’s quarterback Zach Collaros that the Riders secondary needs to find a way to stop. Collaros established career highs in completions with 342 and yards with 4,336, so he should be feeling good heading into the biggest game of the year.
At wideout, he has a blend of youth and veterans at his disposal. Nic Demski and Ontaria Wilson were one and two on the team in receiving yards with 1,030 and 1,026. Demski is a proven performer this time of year, while Wilson is out to show he can bring his best when the lights are shining the brightest.
Like their front seven, the Riders secondary was excellent last week, pulling down three interceptions. As has been the case all year, defensive back Rolan Milligan Jr. is the leader of the group with 111 total defensive plays and eight interceptions. Marcus Sayles and Nelson Lokombo also had a pick and are relied upon to keep tabs on Collaros’ receivers.
As a team, the Riders had a plus-26 turnover ratio in the regular season, best mark among all teams.
Mace has been preparing his team for what will be a sold out, hostile road game.
“It’s going to be crazy,” Mace told reporters of the atmosphere he’s expecting. “Their fan base, I think, is the only one that tries to rival ours. There’s a lot of teams that have had a tough time in that building. I assume there’s going to be a lot of people there and it’s tough for teams to go in there and operate on time but those are things you have to try to mimic and master before you get there.”
Winnipeg is eyeing a fifth consecutive Grey Cup appearance.
The last time Saskatchewan played in the Grey Cup was 2013 when they defeated Hamilton.