TORONTO — The CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders will try to solidify their hold on a playoff spot today.
Saskatchewan, which beat the Ottawa Redblacks 18-17 on Sept. 29, visits the Toronto Argonauts at BMO Field. The Roughriders have a 7-6-0 record and hold down third place in the West Division, but they also have a solid hold on the crossover berth into the East Division playoffs.
The Roughriders and Argos have met once before this season, with Saskatchewan prevailing 38-27 at Mosaic Stadium on July 29.
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. Trent Richardson: The former University of Alabama Crimson Tide star was the third pick overall in the 2012 NFL draft. But Richardson didn’t live up to the hype during NFL stops in Cleveland, Indianapolis, Oakland and Baltimore, so he’s now looking to find a home in the CFL with the Roughriders. The 5-foot-9, 225-pounder has looked powerful and quick during the few practices he has had with Saskatchewan since signing Sept. 26, but he’ll also have to prove that he can help protect quarterback Kevin Glenn. Roughriders head coach-GM Chris Jones has said that Richardson was a good blocker in college, so he’ll have to prove that today.
2. Running Wilder: Toronto tailback James Wilder Jr., sits sixth in the CFL’s rushing derby with 552 yards — 380 of which have come in his past three games. Wilder leads all of the CFL’s featured backs with a 7.6-yard average per carry and with six rushes of more than 20 yards. Today, he’ll face a Saskatchewan run defence that has given up 351 yards rushing over its past two games — 148 to the Calgary Stampeders on Sept. 24 (including 127 by Jerome Messam) and 203 to Ottawa (including 187 by William Powell). The Roughriders knew after the game in Ottawa that they had to address their run defence, so it’ll be interesting to see if they have taken steps to do so.
3. Sam Eguavoen: The Roughriders’ second-year linebacker was a force against the Redblacks, making nine defensive tackles. He enters today’s game with 49 tackles, one sack, one quarterback pressure and one pass knockdown this season — proving that his quick start in 2016 wasn’t a fluke. Eguavoen played only six games last season before suffering a season-ending injury, but he hasn’t showed any signs of slowing down this season while playing twice as many games. The 24-year-old no doubt will be active again today as he faces off with Wilder and Argos quarterback Ricky Ray.
4. Ch-ch-ch-changes: The Roughriders will have one new face and one semi-new face in their defence today. Defensive lineman Rakim Cox has been activated off the practice roster to take the spot of the injured A.C. Leonard. Cox is a 6-foot-4, 280-pounder who had NFL stints with Minnesota, Miami and Carolina, but he hasn’t played in a game since he was a member of the Panthers in the 2015 pre-season. Meanwhile, Derrick Moncrief — who played in Saskatchewan’s game Aug. 13 against the B.C. Lions — comes off the six-game injured list to replace the banged-up Otha Foster III at strong-side linebacker.
5. Returns to Sender: Both teams have return men who can turn around contests in an instant. Christion Jones sparked the Roughriders in Ottawa with a 97-yard punt return for a touchdown that got them on the board and swung the momentum to the visitors. In five games this season, Jones has returned 21 punts for 363 yards and one TD, and he leads the league’s primary returners with a 17.3-yard average. Toronto’s Martese Jackson, meanwhile, has returned 62 punts for 717 yards with two TDs and 39 kickoffs for 888 yards. The Roughriders held Ottawa’s returners in check, so another good effort is a must.
