'Start of something special': Riders use garbage bag day to reflect on 2024
Nov 11, 2024
The locker room was full of optimism for the future of the organization on Sunday.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders and Winnipeg Blue Bombers will close out the 2024 chapter of their historic rivalry on Saturday.
In the fourth meeting, excluding a preseason contest between the two clubs, the winner will punch their ticket to Vancouver, B.C. to compete for the 111th Grey Cup.
Kickoff for the CFL West final is set for 5:30 p.m. at Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg.
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“Just through the course of the week been gearing up for the game and it’s just excitement. The whole team preparing like I thought we should, and everyone is looking locked in and focused,” Riders running back AJ Ouellette said.
The Bombers (11-7) hold a 2-1 edge between the two clubs in 2024, winning both the Labour Day Classic and the subsequent rematch. Saskatchewan (9-8-1) did win the first meeting between the two clubs.
Winnipeg hasn’t been kind to the Riders in recent years. The last time Saskatchewan won in Winnipeg was back in 2018 in the Labour Day Classic rematch. Since then, the Riders are 0-8 in Manitoba.
Pair that with the Bombers seeking a fifth straight Grey Cup berth, having won the 2019 and 2021 championships.
Despite those facts, the Riders don’t feel like the underdogs.
“We’re a confident team and we believe that if we play our football, there’s not a team in the league that we can’t beat,” said head coach Corey Mace.
“This happens to be the team we face this week, and what an environment and what an exciting time. I think everyone is going to be up for this one, and it’s going to be great for the league.”
Riders quarterback Trevor Harris said both teams are motivated.
“We’re about as hungry as you can get as a team, and we’re about as locked in and focused as you can get,” Harris said.
“It’s going to be a heavyweight fight (on Saturday) and it’s one of those things where we are going to bring our own energy as a team and we know their fans are going to be behind them and it’s going to be loud and chaotic — but I’m ready.”
This will be the first meeting between the two clubs where the Riders have both Harris and Ouellette in the lineup together. Harris, who missed six games due to a knee injury, has 3,264 yards with 20 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
Ouellette, who missed 10 games due to a hip injury, has 550 yards and three touchdowns this season.
Points could come at a premium in the game, as the Bombers’ defence has given up a CFL-low of 20.3 points per game while the Riders have surrendered the third-fewest — 24.1 points per game.
The rusher believes the way the team handled adversity through the 0-6-1 streak in the middle of the season helps give them an edge heading into the West final.
“Just the way we never pointed fingers. We know no matter what happens in the game, ups and downs, this team is going to battle play by play,” Ouellette said.
Mace said there’s value in both being a perennial West final competitor and coming in as a different team trying to knock off the best.
“Our steps were ordered the way they have been, and to come in here to try and beat a really good team in a hostile environment, I believe that’s what you do it for,” Mace said. “It ain’t going to be too much cooler than this.”
Defensive back Rolan Milligan Jr., who is the West Division nominee for Most Outstanding Defensive Player, said the defence wants to try and get the ball away from Winnipeg. The Riders finished the regular season with a +26 turnover ratio but the last time out, the Riders only forced one interception from Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros.
“I think that played a big part in us losing that game,” Milligan said. “(We have to) get back to who we are — taking the ball away, running to the ball, hitting what’s moving is going to be what we have to do.”
Mace and Ouellette were on the 2022 Toronto Argonauts team that knocked off the Bombers in the Grey Cup. He believes in order to beat Winnipeg, you need to be detail-oriented in everything.
“Can’t have mistakes or you hurt yourself,” Mace said. “You have to be on top of it and take advantage of the opportunities that will present themselves in any game and every game.”
The Riders’ defence has done a good job of stopping running back Brady Oliveira, the West Division nominee for Most Outstanding Player, in the previous three meetings.
Oliveira has averaged 44.7 yards per game on the ground against the Riders but averages 87.1 yards rushing against every other defence. Saskatchewan has given up 80.3 yards per game on the ground — the fewest in the league.
Collaros hasn’t had the same MOP-esque campaign he is used to putting up since joining Winnipeg in 2019, throwing for 4,336 yards, 17 touchdowns and 15 interceptions.
Saskatchewan’s pass defence has given up 294.3 yards per game — the third-most in the CFL.
But Mace knows you can’t put much stock into those regular-season struggles.
“I don’t care what statistics Zach has had to this point, he’s still Zach in our minds,” Mace said.
Milligan admits he’s feeling amped up for the playoff game.
“It’s win or go home against the rival — the team who since I’ve been up here we have only beat once,” Milligan said.
“Got that chip on my shoulder and I know my guys have chips on their shoulders,” he said. “All the prep is done. Now it’s just playing the waiting game which I don’t really like.”
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