The Saskatchewan Roughriders are to face the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Sunday in the 2017 instalment of the Labour Day Classic.
The annual grudge match is the teams’ second meeting of the regular season. Winnipeg beat the Roughriders 43-40 in double overtime on July 1 in the first CFL regular-season game ever played at Mosaic Stadium.
The Bombers (7-2-0) are coming off a 34-31 overtime decision over the host Montreal Alouettes on Aug. 24. Saskatchewan (4-4-0) downed the hometown Edmonton Eskimos 54-31 in its previous game on Aug. 25.
To set up the contest (2 p.m., CKRM, TSN), here’s one man’s list of five things (or people) that bear watching:
1. The Wild Bunch: The Roughriders have sold out all five of the games they’ve played at Mosaic Stadium this season, with capacity crowds of 33,350 taking in the team’s one pre-season game and four regular-season games to date. That streak will continue Sunday, since the Labour Day Classic traditionally is played before a packed house. Saskatchewan’s players have said the fans do a great job of disrupting the opposing offence with the noise they generate inside the new stadium — and that decibel level probably will reach new heights during the crazed atmosphere that is Labour Day.
2. The End of the Line: Someone’s winning streak will go by the boards. The Bombers enter the game riding a five-game run, including games that were decided by one, three, seven and three points (and one decided by 27 points). Two of those wins ended with Justin Medlock field goals and a third involved an Andrew Harris touchdown run with four seconds left in the fourth quarter. Both of Saskatchewan’s wins during its streak have been blowouts: 41-8 over the B.C. Lions on Aug. 13 and the rout of Edmonton on Aug. 25.
3. Getting their Kicks: Medlock is proving to be one of the best free-agent acquisitions of the past few years. Since signing with Winnipeg prior to the 2016 season, the kicker has connected on 92 of 107 field-goal tries — including a number of game-winners — and 67 of 67 convert attempts. Saskatchewan’s Tyler Crapigna is 51-for-61 on three-point attempts and 47-for-50 on converts over the same period. Crapigna hit the left upright with a 33-yard field-goal try in overtime during the teams’ first meeting this season, and the miss allowed Medlock to end matters with a 28-yard field goal on the Bombers’ subsequent possession.
4. Nick James: The big defensive tackle has spent his first three weeks with the Roughriders trying to get into game shape — and he may finally be getting close. In Edmonton, James had two tackles and a blocked convert, took on double-teams and provided a push up the middle. James, who has four tackles over his two games played, could be a key component as the Roughriders try to limit Harris, who entered the week as the CFL’s second-leading rusher with 570 yards. Winnipeg went into Week 11 with the league’s top rushing attack (139.8 yards per game) while Saskatchewan’s run defence was eighth (93.2 yards per game).
5. Jovon Johnson: The veteran cornerback has been a stabilizing influence in the Roughriders’ secondary, offering advice and leadership to his teammates. Johnson also has produced for Saskatchewan, recording a team-high eight pass knockdowns. He has made one interception, which he returned 40 yards for a touchdown against the Eskimos. The Roughriders’ secondary was stung by Winnipeg in the teams’ first meeting — faulty communication left Bombers receivers wide open throughout the contest — so the Roughriders hope they have made the necessary adjustments.
