Mitchell Blair
Make no doubt about it, it may be Thanksgiving weekend and while many are travelling to visit family and eat turkey, the Saskatchewan Roughriders have embarked on a business trip where nothing less than two points will do.
The Riders try to put the skids on a two game losing streak and a stretch of games that have seen them lose four of their last five as they visit the Montreal Alouettes in a Monday matinee affair which will begin at 11 AM Regina time.
An early start time is not the most beneficial thing for the green-and-white as they look to solve their Eastern Division foe, but the squad feels they are more than ready to put the struggles of the last month behind them and finish strong.
“It is different and it is tough,” defensive end Ricky Foley admits. “You have to get your body ready, but everyone has to do it. The toughest thing is falling asleep because your body isn’t used to it and your hours get screwed up so if you have to take some Nyquil you do it right. Getting rest is a key and it may mean an early advantage for them, but this is the reason we play and it’s that time of year where teams start to fall into various spots. We would like a home playoff game and we know we can go a long ways to getting that with two points.”
Head Coach Corey Chamblin knows the time difference is an issue. He says it’s an issue the team has to overcome.
“We can’t move out there for a week to adjust our bodies so we just have to do what we can back here.” Chamblin said. “We moved our practices back a little and we are leaving a little earlier, but the bottom line is it doesn’t matter where you play, you have to win and that is our goal.”
Linebacker Sam Hurl isn’t bothered by the time change saying it’s not as big a deal as one might think.
“It’s not a disadvantage as far as I’m concerned,” Hurl stated. “We practice at 11 AM every day so for me it doesn’t work as a disadvantage. We are going out a little early to get used to the time difference so I don’t think it’s as big a deal as some think it is.
Hurl will concede though previous road efforts against teams in the East haven’t seen the Riders play their best football.
“I can’t tell you if that had an effect on us or if it was just a poor week of preparation or what it was.” Hurl said. “We have to put those games out of our mind though and remember we did win in Ottawa. We are just focused on the Alouettes and trying to get two points out of there. It’s going to be a battle, but I’m excited for the challenge in front of us.”
Game time Monday morning is 11 AM with the Rider Nation getting up bright and early for pre-game coverage as 620 CKRM will hit the airwaves at 8:30 with “Roughrider Gameday”. As is the case with every road game, the show will be brought to you from the Four Seasons Sports Palace at 909 Arcola Avenue East and it will be streamed live on Riderville.com. TSN’s coverage will begin at 11 AM.
GAME NOTES:
- If recently acquired quarterback Kerry Joseph should take a snap for the Riders today or in any other game this season. It is believed he would be the oldest player in the history of the organization to do so at the age of 41.
- The Riders continue to utilize the run-first philosophy. They lead the league in rushing attempts with 329 while throwing the least passes in the league going into the weekend at 360.
- Riders running back Anthony Allen is 5th in the league in total yards from scrimmage. He has 967 yards
