Riders hope to right the ship in Touchdown Atlantic game against Argos

It’s all business for the Saskatchewan Roughriders in Halifax.

For the second straight season, the Green and White is taking on the Toronto Argonauts in the Touchdown Atlantic game taking place at Huskie Stadium in Halifax. Kickoff for the game is set for 5 p.m. on Saturday.

“The guys are excited this year to go out there,” Saskatchewan head coach Craig Dickenson said. “The ones that were here last year and went to Halifax really enjoyed the trip and for the rookies, I think word has gotten out that it is a fun trip.”

But while the trip is an experience for the players, the goal remains becoming the first team to knock off the Argos in the 2023 CFL season.

Saskatchewan finds itself with a 3-3 record and on the losing end of its previous two games.

Meanwhile, the Argos are undefeated at 5-0 for the first time since 1960.

The Riders will turn to 26-year-old quarterback Mason Fine for his second start of the 2023 season. He completed 31 passes for 278 yards and two interceptions in a 19-9 loss to the B.C. Lions on July 22.

“(I) just have to execute better There’s a couple of throws here and there and a couple decisions you want to have back, but that’s football,” Fine said. “You just go with the punches and try to overcome it.”

Much like the Lions last week, the Argos come in with a stout defence. Toronto has given up 22.2 points per game entering Week 8 (tied for third-fewest in the league) and 345.8 yards per game (fourth-fewest in the CFL).

“I think Toronto has a great defence and a lot of veteran guys on the back end,” Fine said. “They play well and they create turnovers and they keep everything in front of them and they tackle well.

“It’s going to be another tough challenge this week but we are excited for the opportunity.”

The Riders’ offence will get some reinforcements this week with the return of a few key players.

Slotback Jake Wieneke (knee) and centre Peter Godber (hand) will return to the lineup this week while slotback Brayden Lenius (back) will make his regular-season debut.

“It’s awesome having Mason,” Wieneke said. “He’s such a great player and a great leader for our team too.

“It has been fun to watch him steadily grow in my time here this year and now to him stepping up in the starting role with Trevor (Harris) going down, it has been cool to see him progress in these past couple of weeks.

“I’m excited to see him continue to get better and I’m glad to be out here with him.”

The Riders’ ground game will also look to bounce back in Halifax. Against the Lions, running back Jamal Morrow only managed 11 yards on 12 carries.

“We know how important the run game is and I know, for me, I’m still disappointed from that performance last week,” Morrow said. “I’m excited to go out there and run – the offensive line as well. We just have to go out there and establish ourselves.”

While the offence will look to flip the script from its last outing, the Riders’ defence will look for a repeat performance.

Against the Lions, Saskatchewan put pressure on the quarterbacks and managed four sacks in the game.

Saskatchewan will also get back a big piece of its defensive puzzle with Anthony Lanier II returning to the lineup after missing the past two games with a foot injury.

“You just dial in because you want to make sure they don’t have a second to breathe and when you’re putting the pressure on them, you don’t want to take the pressure off of them to give them any type of hope,” Lanier II said.

Argos quarterback Chad Kelly might be the frontrunner for the CFL’s most outstanding player award so far, throwing for 1,408 yards with seven touchdowns and three interceptions. He has also added 105 yards and five touchdowns on the ground.

Last year, Touchdown Atlantic proved to be the start of a downturn for the Riders. They went into that game with a 4-1 record, but would only win two more games the rest of the season as the team dealt with a COVID outbreak and multiple player suspensions.

Defensive end Pete Robertson said he had a message for the team ahead of Saturday’s game as the 2023 edition also deals with adversity early this season.

“You can define a great person from a loss. You can’t call yourself a boss or a man who can move forward if you can’t handle a loss,” Robertson said. “You’re going to take a loss within a game, life, whatever the case may be – it’s how you react to that loss.”

“We have to react like grown men. We have to react like we love the game. We have to react like we want to win.”