‘A dogfight’: Riders ready for physical battle in Winnipeg rematch

This year’s Banjo Bowl will have a little more importance than previous seasons, with first place in the CFL’s West Division on the line.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers (8-3) and Saskatchewan Roughriders (7-3) currently are sitting in first and second, respectively. Kickoff for Saturday’s game is set for 2 p.m.

“I expect it to be loud (at IG Field), I expect it to be rowdy (and) I expect a dogfight,” Saskatchewan tailback William Powell said after practice earlier in the week. “(Winnipeg) will be going full throttle and we will be going full throttle so it’ll be a head-to-head collision.”

Powell had his first taste of the historic Saskatchewan-Winnipeg rivalry during the Roughriders’ 19-17 Labour Day Classic win on Sunday.

“I could definitely feel the energy. It felt like it was a lot more energy than the other games,” Powell said. “I expect it to be the same this week.”

Powell was rarely used throughout the first meeting between the two teams. Powell recorded 20 yards on four carries while catching four passes for 41 yards throughout most of the game. He did most of his damage on the team’s game-winning drive with 39 rushing yards on four carries.

Roughriders head coach Craig Dickenson said his team wants to try and get Powell the ball more in the rematch.

“(Winnipeg) did a good job up front of cramming up the gaps and making it tough on us,” Dickenson said. “We’re going to try our darnedest to get (Powell) the ball but we’re also going to do what the defence dictates and try to take what they give us.”

The offence will also try to keep quarterback Cody Fajardo upright in the rematch.

In the Labour Day game, the Roughriders gave up five sacks for the first time since July 6, when they lost 37-10 to the Calgary Stampeders. Dickenson said the Bombers do a good job of moving their personnel around to give them opportunities to attack the quarterback.

Fajardo has the Roughriders rolling, winning six straight games. Saskatchewan is searching for its first seven-game winning streak since the 2014 season.

The 27-year-old pivot said the team needs to remain composed while dealing with the noise from the Winnipeg faithful.

“When everything gets loud and gets hectic and guys are stressing, we’ve got to be able to understand our job at hand,” Fajardo said.

Fajardo threw for 300 yards in their first meeting but only completed one touchdown pass while throwing two interceptions.

One of the receivers who will be looking to cause more damage on the field is Kyran Moore. He had only two catches for 30 yards in the teams’ first meeting.

Moore said the matchup against Winnipeg is one he has been looking forward to.

“I’ve had this game circled on my calendar since we lost to them in the playoffs last year,” Moore said. “There’s just something about Winnipeg that just boils me. It’s always a fun game playing them.”

For the second week in a row, the unique challenge of stopping Blue Bombers quarterback Chris Streveler will fall on the Roughriders’ defence.

Streveler threw for 161 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions in the Labour Day Classic. Streveler did a lot of damage on the ground and was the game’s leading rusher with 98 yards along with a rushing score.

“Most quarterbacks don’t welcome contact; he does,” Saskatchewan linebacker Solomon Elimimian said of Streveler. “He’s kind of like a really big running back playing quarterback.”

Safety Mike Edem said the last time he played a quarterback similar to what Streveler brings to the table was B.C. Lions quarterback Travis Lulay.

“(That’s) when Lulay was running linebackers over. Streveler’s stronger than Lulay was, but both guys are still strong runners,” Edem said.

There might be some moments from the Labour Day Classic that still have some Bombers players seeing red. Winnipeg long-snapper Chad Rempel was injured on a play after defensive lineman Lavar Edwards rushed him while trying to block a punt.

Edwards wasn’t penalized on the play and Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea approached Dickenson after the game to discuss it.

The Bombers could still be seeing images of Roughriders kicker Brett Lauther running down the field to jump into Pil Country following his game-winning kick as time expired.

The Bombers have had a run of success recently in the Banjo Bowl, winning four of the last six meetings between the teams. Winnipeg has an 8-7 advantage in the annual rematch.

Here’s the Roughriders’ depth chart for Saturday’s game: