Armstead is back, joins Ouellette in Riders backfield for West semifinal
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Saskatchewan is set to have a dynamic duo at running back on Saturday in Regina.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders will need to find a way to keep one of the CFL’s top quarterbacks in check Saturday.
Quarterback Trevor Harris is expected to make his return to the Edmonton Eskimos’ lineup after suffering an injury to his right arm on Sept. 7 against the Calgary Stampeders.
Kickoff for Saturday’s game at Commonwealth Stadium is set for 5 p.m.
“He poses a big challenge for us. He’s a great quarterback in this league and he has been for several years,” said Roughriders tailback William Powell, who spent three seasons as one of Harris’s teammates with the Ottawa Redblacks.
“He’s very accurate with the ball but we have a good defence and I feel like we’re going to be ready and prepared for him.”
Harris was among the CFL’s best quarterbacks before he suffered his injury. Despite not playing since September, Harris still ranks fourth in the league this season in passing yards (3,706) and sixth in passing touchdowns (15).
Powell doesn’t expect Harris to have any rust when he takes his first snap Saturday.
“He went out last year with (a leg injury) and came back connecting on all cylinders like he did before he left so I think he will be the same form as when he went out,” Powell said.
Roughriders linebacker Solomon Elimimian said having Harris back provides a huge boost for the Eskimos as the CFL playoffs inch closer.
“He knows exactly where to go with the ball, he knows where all the receivers are and he gets the ball out fast,” Elimimian said. “You can see there’s a difference in the club when Trevor’s playing.
“Some players give their team a boost in confidence and Trevor seems to be one of those guys.”
The Roughriders are meeting the Eskimos for the first time in 2019 and will be playing them in back-to-back weeks to finish off the regular season. Edmonton visits Mosaic Stadium on Nov. 2.
“It’s going to be a good challenge for us,” Elimimian said. “For us, it’s still the same thing: Playoff mentality and every game trying to get better.
“We welcome challenges for our team. It should be fun to play against one of the premier quarterbacks in this league. It should be a good challenge and that’s something as a competitor you welcome.”
The Roughriders can continue their push to top spot in the West Division with a win over the Eskimos.
Saskatchewan needs to win its final two games and have the Stampeders lose at least one of their remaining games (Friday against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Nov. 2 versus the B.C. Lions) to reach top spot. The Stampeders hold the tiebreaker over the Roughriders after winning the teams’ season series.
The Roughriders can clinch a home playoff date with a win over the Eskimos or a loss by the Bombers on Friday.
The Green Zone Game Day pre-game show is to start Saturday at 3 p.m.