Riders ready to clash with Ti-Cats in CFL action

Saskatchewan Roughriders head coach Corey Mace will take on a familiar face this week as his team travels to Hamilton to take on the Tiger-Cats.

Hamilton’s offence is led by veteran quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell. Mitchell was with the Calgary Stampeders from 2012-2022, winning two Grey Cups there (2014, 2018).

Mace was a defensive lineman for Calgary from 2010-15 before he retired and joined the coaching staff as the defensive line coach in 2016. He remained there until 2022 when he then joined the Toronto Argonauts as defensive co-ordinator.

“(Mitchell is) a walking hall of famer,” Mace said. “He has been around some brilliant minds and he is one himself. Not a ton that you’re going to throw at him that he hasn’t seen. He can make all the throws.

“It’s going to be a challenge … He knows what it looks like to be a winner.”

The two also shared a unique experience when they were teammates.

“I caught his first touchdown pass. He would have been nothing without that,” Mace said with a laugh.

Mace, wearing #99, was the recipient of the one-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter of an Oct. 26, 2012, game between the Stamps and B.C. Lions. Calgary won the game 41-21.

“We had a slam-block and I bailed out on a corner and he put a loaf of bread up there for me to catch,” Mace said. “It’s one of those things I always subtly remind (of).

“I think I had already scored a touchdown in the league, I think we gave (that football) to Bo, which I think he deserved that one. Now that he’s thrown so many, maybe he can give it back now.”

Kickoff for the game between the Riders and Hamilton is set for 5 p.m. on Sunday. The Green Zone pregame show will begin at 3 p.m.

Riders quarterback Trevor Harris will be making his 103rd career start when he suits up for the game. Last week, he threw for 305 yards and three touchdowns as the Riders beat the Elks 29-21 in Week 1. The Ti-Cats lost their season opener 32-24 to the Stamps.

While he threw three touchdowns to Shawn Bane Jr. in that game, Harris said it’s unlikely that the same feat will happen in this game.

“It’s one of those things where it’s kind of a rare occasion so if you got a lot of points in fantasy from him, I wouldn’t trade him but I wouldn’t expect three touchdowns every game, though that would be nice,” Harris said.

Running back A.J. Ouellette will look to provide more on the stats sheet in his second game with the Riders. He only mustered 32 yards on 18 carries in Week 1 — a paltry 1.8 yards per carry.

“I just have to communicate better,” Ouellette said. “It was the first time with live bullets that we played as a unit upfront so a lot of things to fix and a lot of that falls on my shoulders.”

Ouellette knows what to expect from the Hamilton faithful after spending four seasons with the Toronto Argonauts.

“It gets the blood flowing only because I think the fans are still going to hate me,” Ouellette said. “It will be fun walking out there and getting the boos. It’s a passionate fanbase and it’s always a fun place to play so I’ll be fired up.

“You have the guys behind the bench who say the most terrible things to you but it’s football so we’re used to hearing that on the field. Then the signs — they have your name on it and have some wording and funny phrases. It’s what you want to see.”

Another player who is excited to play in the game is offensive tackle Jermarcus Hardrick.

“It’s a great place to play in. The atmosphere is going to be great,” Hardrick said. “They love their team. It doesn’t matter what the record is, it’s going to be a fistfight.”

One of the changes the Riders are making on offence is starting Mitch Picton at the wide receiver spot, taking the spot held down by KeeSean Johnson in Week 1. Rookie receiver Ajou Ajou also comes in as a backup as the Riders start three Canadian wide receivers — Picton, Sam Emilus and Kian Schaffer-Baker.

This change was made as the Riders changed up their ratio on defence, with the team moving Nelson Lokombo from cornerback to safety and moving Jayden Dalke into a backup role.

Lokombo, a former University of Saskatchewan Huskie who was taken second overall in the 2021 CFL draft, will try to stop the aerial attack of Mitchell’s — someone he grew up watching.

“There’s a lot of guys I grew up watching and saw throughout university and high school,” Lokombo said. “It’s cool playing against them and being a young guy in the league and playing against these guys.”

Veteran defensive back Marcus Sayles, who was signed last week after being released by the B.C. Lions, will make his season debut in the game.

Both Malik Carney and linebacker Jameer Thurman are playing Hamilton after spending 2023 with the Ti-Cats. Thurman only played one season there after four seasons in Calgary.

Carney, however, only played for the Ti-Cats in his career, spending three seasons there.

The two defenders will try to stop James Butler. The Hamilton running back led all CFL backs with 119 yards on the ground in Week 1.