Revamped Riders seek Week 1 win against Edmonton

The wins and losses start to count Sunday as the Saskatchewan Roughriders head into their 2023 campaign.

Saskatchewan will kick off its CFL regular-season schedule with a showdown in Edmonton against the Elks.

Kickoff for the game is set for 5 p.m. The Green Zone pre-game show begins at 3 p.m.

After a 6-12 record last season, the Riders made major changes in the off-season, specifically on the offensive side of the ball.

Saskatchewan will look for seven players who weren’t on the team last season – quarterback Trevor Harris, wide receiver Derel Walker, slotback Shawn Bane Jr., slotback Jake Wieneke, right tackle Eric Lofton, centre Peter Godber and left tackle Brandon Council – to contribute early this season.

With head coach Craig Dickenson and general manager Jeremy O’Day in the final years of their contracts, there is some pressure on the team to succeed this season.

But Dickenson said that comes with being a part of the Riders.

“I think there is always pressure on the Riders. I think there is pressure on everybody in pro football but I think specifically this team because the fan base is so passionate and football matters so much to these folks,” Dickenson said.

“It’s a privilege in a lot of ways. I say to the guys that it’s nice to have people expect big things from you because it means they think you’re capable of that. There’s pressure on this team but we welcome it.”

The game Sunday will also see Harris get a chance to take full control of the Riders’ offence for a full game.

After missing the first pre-season game to be home for the birth of his third child, Harris only threw four passes in his only action in the second exhibition contest. He went 4-for-4 for 72 yards and a touchdown to Walker.

It’s the 36-year-old Harris’ first season with the Riders in his 11-year CFL career after signing with them in free agency in the off-season. This is the fifth CFL team Harris has played for, making him the sixth QB to start for five or more CFL teams in their careers (joining Damon Allen, Matt Dunigan, Kevin Glenn, Jimmy Kemp and Rickey Foggie).

“I think we have a lot of guys in the locker room who believe in what we’re doing and believe in who is in that room,” Harris said. “I think we have total buy-in and a lot of belief.

“Does that mean we win every single game? No. Does that mean we win every single rep? No. It means I think we will have a team pulling in the same direction regardless of whatever adversity hits us this year.”

Adversity is already hitting the Riders at the position group that had the most question marks heading into the season.

The Riders signed offensive lineman Philip Blake on Day 1 of CFL free agency to stabilize the group. However, the 37-year-old was placed on the six-game injured list ahead of the first game with a pectoral muscle injury.

“We have a great room and we have a lot of talented players in our room and that is football and that is life,” said centre Peter Godber, who was also one of the Riders’ free-agent signings in the off-season. “You control what you can control and we feel really confident with the five we are putting out there this weekend.”

Godber played in 18 games as the B.C. Lions’ starting centre last season. Guard Evan Johnson started in all 18 games for Saskatchewan last season, while guard Logan Ferland made 16 starts for the Riders in 2022.

Left tackle Eric Lofton played in four games with the Ottawa Redblacks over the 2017 and ’18 seasons, appeared in two games with the Elks in the 2019 campaign, and started one game last season with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Council is to make his first start in the Canadian game Sunday.

Council was named the Auburn University Tigers’ offensive lineman of the year in 2022 and attended New York Jets mini-camp prior to joining the Green and White.

The Elks had a CFL-low 35 sacks last season, so they added former Riders defensive end A.C. Leonard after Saskatchewan released him. While Leonard had only three sacks for Saskatchewan in 2022, he did have a CFL-leading 11 in 2021.

Saskatchewan will also try to stop Elks quarterback Taylor Cornelius from repeating the success he had against the Riders last season, especially on the ground.

Cornelius ran for 179 yards and three touchdowns in two appearances against the Riders. He added 446 yards through the air and a passing touchdown.

This off-season, the Elks added some weapons for Cornelius, signing receivers Eugene Lewis and Steven Dunbar Jr. as free agents.

The Riders’ pass rush will try to throw a wrench in the Elks’ plans, with Pete Robertson and Anthony Lanier II at the defensive end spots and another big free-agent signing, Micah Johnson, in the middle with DeMarcus Christmas.

“(The key is to) just rush as a group,” said Johnson, who was an East Division all-star with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats last season. “We have to rush as a group and keep (Cornelius) in the pocket. He’s real good at seeing the void and hitting it.”

Both teams are looking to start the 2023 season with a win after enduring lengthy losing streaks to end 2022. Saskatchewan lost its final seven games of the season while Edmonton dropped its final four.

Edmonton’s home woes have also been well-documented; the Elks’ last win at Commonwealth Stadium was a 19-6 win over B.C. on Oct. 12, 2019.