Huskies, Rams open Canada West football playoffs on road
9h ago
"The thing with the playoffs is every play gets amplified," said Huskies head coach Scott Flory.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders could leave Saturday’s game against the Edmonton Eskimos in top spot in the CFL’s West Division, and they can also cross off another goal on their list.
With the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ win over the Calgary Stampeders on Friday, the Green and White now control their West Division destiny. If the Roughriders win their final two regular-season games, they will enter the 2019 playoffs as the top seed in the West.
But the Roughriders can also clinch a home playoff date for the second straight season with a win Saturday at Commonwealth Stadium. Kickoff for the game is at 5 p.m.
The Roughriders’ defence will have to try to defend one of the CFL’s top passers in Eskimos quarterback Trevor Harris. He’s to make his return after suffering an injury to his right arm in a game Sept. 7 against the Stampeders.
Despite missing four games, Harris entered the week as the CFL’s fourth-leading passer this season (3,706 yards) and is sixth in touchdowns (15).
“He’s a savvy guy understanding where he wants to go with the ball and being able to get the ball out of his hands quick,” said Saskatchewan defensive lineman Micah Johnson. “He presents a lot of different problems.”
Johnson will be returning to the lineup after suffering an ankle injury on Oct. 11 against the Stampeders.
“I’m feeling a lot better. I’m just happy to be back out here with the guys,” Johnson said. “It sucks anytime you have to be away from the team.”
It was the second time Johnson injured his right ankle this season; the first was a high-ankle sprain suffered on Aug. 1 against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
While there was talk of resting Johnson until the playoffs, the 31-year-old said he wanted to get back on the field as quickly as he could.
“For me it’s just about having momentum heading into the playoffs. I kind of feel like my play has been picking up,” Johnson said.
“I hate that I got my ankle rolled up the first time and this second time it sucks because I felt like I was playing good again and it happened. For me it’s just about getting the momentum back and feeling like myself going into the playoffs.”
It’s not just the defence that is excited about the opportunity to go toe to toe with Harris.
Roughriders quarterback Cody Fajardo signed a two-year contract extension on Monday and said Harris reached out to congratulate him on the deal.
Fajardo currently sits in third place in league history for passing yards by a quarterback in the season of their first start with 3,873. Sacramento Gold Miners quarterback David Archer holds the CFL record with 6,023 yards.
“I’m excited to see Trevor back healthy. It’s always good when a quarterback can get back healthy and I’m really looking forward to sharing the gridiron with him and it’s going to be a great game,” Fajardo said. “I’m just excited to be able to compete with one of the CFL’s best.”
It’s the first time Fajardo will see the Eskimos this season, with the only two meetings between the clubs being a back-to-back series to end the season. Fajardo said it does make things more difficult to face a team this late that they haven’t seen yet.
“They’re a playoff team, they’re a very good football team and their defence is leading a lot of categories,” Fajardo said. “For us, we have a huge challenge ahead of us and they’re going to want to play well at home … We know we’ve got our hands full.”
The Roughriders’ offence will also welcome back slotback Emmanuel Arceneaux to the lineup.
The 32-year-old was taken out of the lineup in favour of slotback Jordan Williams-Lambert after the Sept. 28 game against the Toronto Argonauts. Arceneaux’s last game as a starter was his best of the season, as he recorded two catches for 72 yards with a 55-yard touchdown.
“(Arceneaux) has played at the highest level (and) he has been an all-star. He has just been a guy you can rely on,” Fajardo said.
“(Arceneaux) just brings a positive attitude on the field and I think he’s not afraid to speak his mind and I think that’s big. He speaks his mind and guys listen. That just goes to show how much we respect him as a player and respect him as a person.”
The game in Edmonton will mark the third straight game on the road for the Roughriders. It’s because the NHL’s Heritage Classic is taking place at Mosaic Stadium on Saturday. The game will feature the Calgary Flames and Winnipeg Jets.
Head coach Craig Dickenson said the team is excited to return to its home field next week but there are some positives to being on the road.
“Sometimes when you’re on the road, you come together and bond a little more than when you’re home. We’re going to try to use this road trip to get a little closer as a team and bond a little more,” Dickenson said.
The Roughriders’ depth chart can be found here: