Riders look to take next step in showdown against Lions

The Saskatchewan Roughriders have an opportunity Friday to show they can hang with the CFL’s elite teams.

Saskatchewan will host a B.C. Lions (7-1) team that has only lost one game thus far in 2022 and scored 28 unanswered points to beat the Riders 32-17 on July 29.

Kickoff for the game is set for 8 p.m. The Green Zone pre-game show begins at 6 p.m.

“We can only take it one game at a time and a big win at home would send a message, but you don’t win the Grey Cup in this game here,” Roughriders quarterback Cody Fajardo said.

“We want to strive and get better each and every week and we know they are a very good football team over there and we have to play our best just to give ourselves a chance.”

The Riders, who were considered by many in the pre-season to be contending for a Grey Cup, finally ended a three-game losing streak with a 34-23 win over the Edmonton Elks on Aug. 13.

But currently sporting a 5-4 record, head coach Craig Dickenson has admitted that up to this point, the team has been middle of the pack.

“I think (a win) starts getting us moving the way we want. We’re right in the middle — maybe upper-middle — but we feel like we’ve got a good team and that group is confident in there,” Dickenson said.

“If we can put up a good performance and beat a very good B.C. team, I think our confidence grows and we can start talking about making a run.

“We’ve got to take care of business Friday. We play them three times (this season) and we’ve got to win two out of three to win a tiebreaker so we’ve got to put our foot in the ground and try to get a win.”

In order to get that win, the Riders will need to do something that has proven to be a challenge for many this season: Stop Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke.

Rourke, who is considered to be the current favourite to be voted this season’s most outstanding player, has taken the league by storm in his first season as a starting quarterback.

Rourke has thrown for 2,906 yards, 23 touchdowns and eight interceptions in eight games while only being sacked nine times.

“It’s not a solo effort. We’ve got a great team and guys who have had great games and make me look good out there,” Rourke said.

Saskatchewan also has extra meaning for Rourke, whose first CFL start came on Aug. 6, 2021, in Regina with then-starter Michael Reilly being a late scratch in a game against the Riders. Saskatchewan won 33-29.

“It’s one of my favourite places to play. It’s an incredible environment filled with passionate fans and it’s fun to play here,” Rourke said.

One of the weapons Rourke will have this week compared to the last time the Riders hosted the Lions is slotback Bryan Burnham.

Burnham returned from a stint on the six-game injured list two weeks ago after suffering fractured ribs. In the two games since coming back, Burnham has caught 14 passes for 247 yards and two touchdowns.

One of the ways the Riders will try to slow down the young quarterback is with a pass rush that is getting back three big pieces.

Defensive ends Pete Robertson and A.C. Leonard, as well as defensive tackle Garrett Marino, all return to the lineup after missing four games each. Robertson was dealing with a foot injury, Leonard had a shoulder/neck issue and Marino served a four-game suspension.

“(Rourke) is a good quarterback, he’s very poised and very smart and he makes great decisions with the ball,” Leonard said. “He’s a great competitor.

“We’ve got to make him uncomfortable the whole game – all four quarters. We can’t just come out the first half and be dominant. We’ve got to play all four quarters and do what we do.”

The Riders’ pass rush has struggled since losing the trio, averaging 2.25 sacks a game. Before that, the team averaged 4.6 sacks in its previous five contests. Despite the slide, the Riders still lead the league with 32 sacks. The Riders had two sacks in the first meeting between the two teams.

While getting the three defenders back brings the Riders’ defence back to nearly full health, the Riders’ offence will see some changes due to injury and a release.

Left tackle Terran Vaughn is out this week due to a hamstring injury, so Andrew Lauderdale will start in his place.

On the right side of the offensive line, the Riders will have a new right tackle. On Tuesday, the team announced it had released Na’Ty Rodgers, who was the team’s starter for the first nine weeks.

In his place, Canadian Jamal Campbell will make his first start.

Prior to signing with the Riders this past off-season, Campbell spent five seasons and appeared in 59 games for the Toronto Argonauts.

He was a teammate of Fajardo’s in Toronto in 2016 and 2017.

“Jamal is a guy I called in the off-season and tried to recruit him here because I know what he can do and how talented he is,” Fajardo said. “It’s another change up on the offensive line front.

“Hopefully we can get some continuity now and those guys can start playing together and meshing well together.”

The Riders’ offensive line has been under a microscope this season after giving up 32 sacks over the team’s first nine games.