The CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders will be looking to make a statement today when they face the Calgary Stampeders at Mosaic Stadium.
The Roughriders (6-5-0) have lost nine straight regular-season games against Calgary since beating the Stampeders 36-21 on July 5, 2013, in Regina.
The teams will play Oct. 20 in Calgary to complete their season series.
The Stamps have won eight straight games this season — a streak that began when they beat the Roughriders 27-10 at McMahon Stadium on July 22. Calgary also enters today’s contest riding a 15-game winning streak against West Division teams.
To set up today’s game (2 p.m., CKRM, TSN), here’s one man’s list of five things (or people) that bear watching:
1. Confidence men: The Roughriders have won four of their past five games, with three of those victories coming against West Division teams (the B.C. Lions, Edmonton Eskimos and Winnipeg Blue Bombers). Saskatchewan was manhandled two months ago by the Stampeders, but the Roughriders are a different team — both physically and mentally — than they were that day in Calgary. The Roughriders’ confidence has grown due to their recent run of success, and a victory over the West Division-leading Stampeders would only add to that self-assurance.
2. Talk to the hand: Kevin Glenn didn’t play in Saskatchewan’s 27-19 victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Sept. 15 due to a bruised right hand — an injury he suffered in a 48-28 loss in Winnipeg on Sept. 9. But Glenn has been declared healthy for today’s game, so he’ll start ahead of Brandon Bridge. Glenn went into Week 14 as the CFL leader in quarterback efficiency rating (106.0), average yards per attempt (8.9) and touchdown percentage (6.1, with 21 TDs on 343 attempts). Glenn is looking for the 100th victory of his 17-year CFL career; he’s currently tied for ninth on the all-time list with Tom Clements.
3. Many happy returns?: Having lost Marcus Thigpen to injury in Hamilton, the Roughriders have decided to activate Christion Jones off the six-game injured list to handle their returns today. Former NFLer Jacoby Ford auditioned for the job early in the week, but Jones was deemed ready to go after missing just three games. He was productive in the three games he played before getting hurt and that, along with a clean bill of health, earned Jones another opportunity to play. The Stampeders, meanwhile, can rely on the dynamic Roy Finch, who already has returned punts for 1,009 yards and three TDs this season.
4. Centre of attention: Roughriders centre Brendon LaBatte left the game in Hamilton with an ankle injury in the second quarter, but returned in the third frame. He then reinjured the ankle in the fourth quarter and left the game for good. LaBatte has proclaimed himself healthy for today’s game and will start, with rookie Dariusz Bladek standing by in case his veteran teammate has issues. Saskatchewan’s second pick in the 2017 CFL draft, Bladek has fit in nicely with the veteran O-linemen around him. If he plays today, the transition should be seamless.
5. Back to work: Saskatchewan strong-side linebacker Otha Foster III hurt his back on the first play of the game in Hamilton and lasted just one more play before having to leave the field. A couple of days off, plus visits to a chiropractor and massage therapist, helped cure Foster enough that he was able to practise this week — and he’s set to go today. Regarded as one of the best man-to-man defenders in the CFL, Foster could be asked to cover Stamps slotback Marquay McDaniel today in hopes of taking away one of Bo Levi Mitchell’s favourite targets.
