ROBSERVATIONS: Robust showing by Robustelli … happy times for Nick Wiebe … Hoskins ties Riders record … Picton’s prolific pass-catching
We kick off today with a ground-breaking Rob(ustelli)servation.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders’ Joe Robustelli treated a Mosaic Stadium crowd to a dazzling performance on Friday, catching six passes for a game-high 119 yards in a pre-season clash with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
Most memorably, he caught a 48-yard bomb from Jake Maier in the second quarter and made a leaping grab of a Jack Coan aerial in the third frame.
“He’s awesome,” Coan said of Robustelli. “I knew when he was out there, I was always going to look for him, because he’s such a dynamic athlete and playmaker.
“He makes crazy plays in practice every single day, so it’s good to see him do it in a game like we all expect.”
Robustelli spent most of last year on the practice roster before making his CFL regular-season debut in the Roughriders’ 2024 finale.
At the recent Coors Light Training Camp in Saskatoon, he continued to turn heads and turn around defensive backs.
Then came Friday’s eruption.
“To the people in the locker room, it’s not a shock,” Head Coach Corey Mace said. “We’ve seen Joe do that to our defence for over a year now.
“We were just kind of waiting for him to display that in a game. I’m happy as ever for the kid.”
After the 30-yarder, Robustelli required attention from the training staff before heading to the sideline. He soon returned to the game and continued to make plays — prompting Mace to applaud the “grit and toughness” that was demonstrated.
“It hurts a little bit,” Robustelli said. “You kind of zone it out and you go back out there and keep going.
“You’ve just got to keep on grinding.”
That approach has helped Robustelli compensate for a 12-year football void.
The grandson of legendary Los Angeles Rams and New York Giants defensive lineman Andy Robustelli returned to the gridiron in 2023 with an NCAA Division II school — Tusculum University in Greenville, Tenn.
He caught 20 passes for 475 yards — an average of 23.8 yards per catch — and six touchdowns in eight games with the Tusculum Pioneers.
The 6-foot-2, 220-pounder signed with the Roughriders on May 21, 2024, during the midst of training camp, and just four days later made a 34-yard reception in his CFL pre-season debut.
That was a sneak preview of what Roughriders fans saw and enjoyed on Friday night.
“Quitting the game so early and chasing a dream so late, it means the world to come out here and perform the way I did,” Robustelli said.
His receiving-yardage total on Friday was the 17th-best by a Roughrider in a pre-season game.
Here is the top 17 — led by No. 17!
167 — Joey Walters (7 catches) at B.C., June 22, 1982.
158 — Steve Mazurak (6) vs. Toronto, July 19, 1974.
155 — Leif Pettersen (5) at Winnipeg, July 1, 1975.
154 — Jeff Fairholm (6) vs. Winnipeg (at Saskatoon), June 24, 1990.
153 — Bobby Thompson (3) at Montreal, July 24, 1969.
148 — Ron Robinson (7) at B.C., June 30, 1983.
148 — Larry Thompson (8) at Toronto, June 24, 1995.
142 — Joey Walters (6) at Calgary, June 13, 1982.
141 — Kerry Smith (5) vs. Calgary, June 8, 1980.
128 — Hugh Campbell (5) vs. Ottawa, July 18, 1969.
128 — Dwight Edwards (5) vs. Winnipeg, June 26, 1983.
128 — Curtis Mayfield (3) at Edmonton, June 14, 1996.
126 — Rhett Dawson (7) vs. Montreal, July 4, 1975.
122 — Eric Guliford (7) vs. Calgary, June 29, 1999.
121 — Hugh Campbell (4) at Montreal, July 12, 1966.
121 — Gord Barwell (4) at Winnipeg, July 13, 1970.
119 — Joe Robustelli (6) vs. Winnipeg, May 30, 2025.
NICK AT NIGHT
Friday night was a highlight for Nick Wiebe, even though the Roughriders fell 27-20 to Winnipeg.
At long last, the 25-year-old linebacker played at Mosaic Stadium for the team that drafted him in the second round (12th overall) in 2024.
The former University of Saskatchewan Huskies standout, who suffered a knee injury in the 2023 Canada West playoffs, was not able to make his CFL debut until the Roughriders played in Winnipeg last Sept. 10th.
However, new knee troubles surfaced, and he was forced to miss the remainder of his rookie season.
“I had meniscus surgery in November, so the off-season was pretty much about trying to get the knee right again,” Wiebe said.
“It feels awesome now.”
Wiebe spent much of the off-season working out and rehabilitating at Saskatoon-based Ignite Athletics. One of the facility’s owners is former Roughriders defensive back Joel Lipinski.
“As far as I’m concerned, he’s the best in the business,” said Wiebe, who was named the best defensive player in Canada West in 2023.
Beginning in November of that year, Wiebe has experienced an inordinate amount of injury-related frustration. But that makes nights such as Friday all the better.
“I was telling my parents that you kind of forget how much fun you have playing football until you get back on the field and you play football again,” Rob and Diane Wiebe’s proud son said. “I think part of me kind of forgot how much fun football really is until I got to play again.
“I was out there just flying around, smiling. Even on the reps I lost, I still felt like I was having a great time. It was pretty awesome, honestly.
“It just makes it that much sweeter that I had to kind of fight back up the mountain a little bit to get back on the field and kind of figure it out.
“Now that I’m here, I’m all smiles. This is just an amazing experience.”
RIDERS ROOKIE TIES RECORD
Liam Hoskins, the Roughriders’ fifth-round selection (43rd overall) in the 2025 CFL Draft, entered the team’s record book on Friday night.
(OK, the “record book” is actually an aging scribe’s MacBook hard drive, but please play along with me here.)
The University of Windsor Lancers product registered two sacks — tying the Roughriders’ pre-season single-game record.
Asked about the resulting adrenalin rush, Hoskins’ smile broadened.
“Honestly, it’s pretty insane,” the 6-foot-2, 220-pounder said after his second CFL pre-season game.
“Last week and this week is probably the most people I’ve ever played in front of. It has just been a lot of fun.
“It’s just a crazy feeling. I feel incredibly blessed, for sure.”
He is also in incredibly esteemed company. Three of the eight Roughriders with two sacks in a pre-season game went on to become Hall of Famers:
• Vince Goldsmith (two sacks at Edmonton, June 16, 1981).
• Tyrone Jones (vs. Winnipeg, June 26, 1992).
• Bobby Jurasin (at Edmonton, July 2, 1992).
Hoskins also joins the following players in the two-sack club:
• Tracy Gentry (vs. Winnipeg, June 26, 1992).
• Dion Foxx (vs. Edmonton, June 19, 1998).
• Dwan Epps (at Edmonton, June 9, 2006).
• Davis Tull (at B.C., June 16, 2017).
Also of note: Hoskins is also the first Canadian-born Roughrider to be credited with two sacks in a pre-season game.
“He’s got great transitional speed and closing speed on the quarterback,” Mace said of Hoskins, who can play defensive end and linebacker. “You saw all that stuff (on Friday).
“I’ll have to take a closer peek at some of his special teams stuff, but certainly from a physical standpoint and with the attributes that he has, it translates into being a really good special teamer as well.
“That’s another kid who had an opportunity. You hoped he’d run with it and he did. We’ll see where that leads.”
PITCHING TO MITCH
One day after turning 30, Mitch Picton registered seven receptions for 77 yards against Winnipeg.
In so doing, he became the 17th Roughrider to catch at least seven passes in a pre-season game.
Here is the complete list:
9 — Skip Walker (80 yards) vs. Hamilton, June 22, 1980.
8 — Hugh Campbell (102) at Ottawa, July 14, 1966.
8 — Leif Pettersen (98) vs. Calgary, July 13, 1976.
8 — Molly McGee (90) vs. Edmonton, July 5, 1977.
8 — Chris DeFrance (105) vs. Winnipeg, June 27, 1982.
8 — Don Narcisse (102) at Edmonton, July 3, 1990.
8 — Larry Thompson (148) at Toronto, June 24, 1995.
7 — Hugh Campbell (99) vs. Winnipeg, July 23, 1965.
7 — Steve Mazurak (70) vs. Calgary, July 9, 1974.
7 — Rhett Dawson (126) vs. Montreal, July 4, 1975.
7 — Steve Mazurak (82) vs. Calgary, July 13, 1976.
7 — Joey Walters (167) at B.C., June 22, 1982.
7 — Ron Robinson (148) at B.C., June 30, 1983.
7 — Don Narcisse (78) vs. Winnipeg at Saskatoon, June 24, 1990.
7 — Siran Stacy (44) at B.C., June 25, 1998.
7 — Eric Guliford (122) vs. Calgary, June 29, 1999.
7 — Mitch Picton (77) vs. Winnipeg, May 30, 2025.
ROLL CREDITS …
• Nice people who deserve a plug: Pete Paczko, Jake Paczko, Joanne Hillis, Jenn Senger, Arielle Zerr, Dr. Tom Robinson, Susan Dauk, Bill Ansell, Jaxon Ford, Doreen Kosmachuk, Brian Grover, Joel Lipinski, Brenden Purdy, Donovan Maess, Ed Tait, Chris Hodges, Sarah Hodges, David Stennett, Tyrique McGhee, Mario Alford, Drae McCray, Thomas Bertrand-Hudon, A.J. Ouellette, Carter Haroldson, Len Antonini, Jeff Krever, Steve Daniel, Johnathon Stevens, Dalton Urban, Kent Maugeri, Doug Russell, Nick Wiebe, Rob Wiebe, Diane Wiebe, Joe Robustelli, Jake Maier, Jack Coan, Liam Hoskins and, celebrating his 39th birthday today, Trevor Harris.
