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The Saskatchewan Roughriders are preparing for a heavyweight fight-esque game against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
The two clubs will add another entry into their historic Labour Day Classic rivalry today in the 60th edition of the showdown. Kickoff for the game at Mosaic Stadium is set for 5 p.m.
This year also has the added element that the winner of the Riders (5-5-6) and Bombers (5-6) will be in first place in the CFL West Division.
“I just know it’s who’s going to be the bully in this game. Who is going to be the most physical team in this game,” said Riders defensive back Deontai Williams. “Both teams are just going to fight it out because it’s a rivalry game.”
The last time these two met, the Riders won 19-9 but these teams have gone through plenty of changes since then.
One of the big ones for this game will be quarterback Trevor Harris will play.
Harris will start in a third straight game after missing the previous six due to a knee injury. He has thrown for 1,417 yards and 10 touchdowns to five interceptions.
While it is his second season in Saskatchewan, this will be the first Labour Day Classic Harris will play as a member of the Riders, as he missed last year’s game with a different knee injury.
“I called my mom (last year) and I remember saying this one hurts. I was driving to the stadium and everywhere I turned, there was a green jersey. There was a random pack of those ugly blue and gold jerseys,” the 38-year-old quarterback said. “You could just feel that in the air that this game means more.”
While Harris wouldn’t call it a must-win, he did want to draw attention to the heightened significance of the game. The Riders are 0-4-1 in their last five games.
“The urgency of where we are heading and where we want to go, it has to start now,” Harris said.
Labour Day Classic Trailer | The Rivalry pic.twitter.com/bP1wF88kLC
— Saskatchewan Roughriders (@sskroughriders) September 1, 2024
‘I anticipate a playoff-kind vibe’
Head coach Corey Mace was willing to say this game is in that must-win territory.
“At this point, they all are kind of like that,” Mace said. “I anticipate a playoff-kind vibe and, quite frankly, the games we have been in have had that kind of feel. It will be heightened with Rider Nation showing out, which we are really excited about.”
The Bombers will have wide receiver Kenny Lawler in this game, who missed the first meeting between the two clubs. The former CFL all-star caught the game-winning touchdown last week for the Bombers in their 26-23 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
But with the struggles of the Bombers’ air attack, with quarterback Zach Collaros only throwing six touchdowns to 12 interceptions, the key for the Riders’ defense will be stopping the Winnipeg rushing attack led by Brady Oliveira.
Oliveira, the reigning CFL most outstanding Canadian, is also the CFL’s leading rusher with 809 yards but has yet to find the end zone. In the first game between the two teams, the 27-year-old had just 49 yards on nine carries.
“(He’s) a very patient runner. He’s a downhill guy and he’s not afraid of contact — he probably invites it,” Mace said. “You have to tackle by population. Very rarely do you see him tackled by one guy, and he’s a competitor.”
The Bombers will be without Stanley Bryant in the game, with the left tackle not dressing.
Saskatchewan’s run defence has been stout most of the season, only giving up 823 yards on the ground so far — an average of 74.8 per game.
A good chunk of those yards — 276 of them — came in the team’s 42-31 loss to the Edmonton Elks.
The Bombers’ defence has been the league’s best so far, giving up just 20 points per game.
The Riders hold a 38-21 record in Labour Day Classics. The Riders do not include the 1952 game that took place in Winnipeg in their counts.
While the Riders are winless in their last five, the Bombers are on a three-game winning streak. Harris believes Saskatchewan has the guys in the locker room to break out of the slump.
“We know we’re a group that doesn’t flinch. We’re never going to deter from the big moments,” Harris said. “I think that’s the mark of championship teams.”
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