Riders heading east of Prairies for first time in 2021

For the first time this season, the Saskatchewan Roughriders are heading east of Manitoba.

With a home-heavy schedule to start the year due to COVID-19 concerns in the CFL, the Riders are playing an East Division opponent on the road for the first time 13 weeks into the season.

The showdown will see the Riders (6-4) take on the Montreal Alouettes (6-4) on Saturday. Kickoff for the game is set for 5 p.m.

“I think we’re kind of in the sweet spot in terms of game time where it’s not too crazy on our body clocks but I’m excited to go out there and be road warriors,” Saskatchewan quarterback Cody Fajardo said.

“Montreal’s another team that’s really hot in the CFL. They are playing really well on defence and they are creating pressures and doing a really good job of creating turnovers and getting teams into second-and-long.

“We’re going to have our work cut out for us.”

The Als have won four straight games to vault to the top of the East Division. Montreal has been led by quarterback Matthew Shiltz, who has taken over for an injured Vernon Adams Jr.

Montreal also has the CFL’s leading rusher this season in William Stanback.

The Riders, who recently ended the Calgary Stampeders’ three-game winning streak, find themselves in sole possession of second place in the West Division.

The Alouettes will be the only team not from Calgary the Riders will play in October; the Riders played three games against the Stamps with a bye week in between the second and third meeting.

“It feels good to know there are other teams in the CFL other than the Calgary Stampeders. It seems like it was just us two teams in the CFL the last few weeks because I was so honed in on that,” Fajardo joked.

The Montreal defence is coming into the game with some added confidence after intercepting Toronto Argonauts quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson four times in a 37-16 win.

“It’s an important game. I think you’re going to see an electric atmosphere. It’s going to be an exciting place — it’s a Saturday night game in downtown Montreal and against a very good team,” Riders head coach Craig Dickenson said.

“It will be a hard-fought, entertaining football game with a lot of ramifications and a lot of things on the line. I think this is going to be our toughest game in a long time, I really do. I think it’s going to be a tougher game than even playing Calgary.”

The Riders have to overcome one other curveball thrown to them by COVID. In other years, the team would travel two days before an away game to help players get acclimated to a new time zone and routine.

This season, the team is travelling late in the afternoon the day before a game.

“COVID has changed the rules. The least amount of time you spend in a city is better, so we’re just following the rules,” Dickenson said.

“It’s two time zones over and ideally you’d go two days before. I think most teams have been encouraged to go the day before. The benefits are you get a bit more preparation at your own place in your own building, which is nice, but the negative is maybe guys are a little bit tired.

“We will make sure to give them enough time to rest and the game is in the evening so they’ll be able to sleep in in the morning so hopefully they will be ready to go.”

Notes: Riders guard Logan Ferland (back) was at practice Thursday and is expected to suit up Saturday … Riders global punter Kaare Vedvik will play for the injured Jon Ryan (ankle) … The Riders signed national linebacker Nakas Onyeka to a contract. Onyeka was with the Riders during the 2021 training camp but was released.