The Saskatchewan Roughriders host the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at home for the 60th Labour Day classic in CFL action Regina SK 2025-08-31..Photo Electric Umbrella/Derek Elvin The Saskatchewan Roughriders host the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at home for the 60th Labour Day classic in CFL action Regina SK 2025-08-31..Photo Electric Umbrella/Derek Elvin
A.J. Ouellette scored an untouched-down in the 60th Labour Day Classic.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers didn’t lay a finger on the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ featured tailback during his seven-yard touchdown run on Sunday.
“It was just a great play call,” Ouellette said, “and great execution.”
For the most part, though, Ouellette administered and absorbed plenty of punishment while rushing 18 times for a game-high 89 yards in the Roughriders’ 34-30 CFL victory.
Many of those yards were gained after contact as he kept fighting for additional real estate against an arch-rival that is to play host to Saturday’s rematch.
“When you can make a defence sore the next day, that’s the running style that we want,” Ouellette said after Thursday’s practice at Mosaic Stadium.
“Especially with this quick turnaround, we hope that they’re still feeling it from the last game and know that we’re going to come out with the same M.O.”
That often involves turning four yards into six, six yards into eight, etc.
“It’s always enjoyable for me,” said Ouellette, who hails from Covington, Ohio.
“I don’t know how much some football fans enjoy it but, to me, that’s true football. ‘Three yards and a bucket of blood’ is what I grew up with, with the Wing-T, triple-option-style stuff.
“In the CFL, you’re going to need five yards and a bucket of blood, just because you have one fewer down.”
Three more games are already on Ouellette’s resume, compared to 2024.
He was limited by a hip injury to eight regular-season contests last year, when he rushed for 558 yards and averaged 4.3 yards per carry.
While suiting up without exception for the 9-2 Roughriders, he has rushed for 802 yards — the third-highest total in the league this season — while averaging 5.1 yards per rush. He is on pace for a career-high 1,312 yards.
“You can basically see me skipping back there behind the O-line, because they’re pushing the D-line five yards back,” Ouellette said while being teased by centre Logan Ferland during an interview.
“When I get a little head of steam, it’s bad for the DBs. And (the offensive linemen) don’t like me, as you can see here from Logan picking on me, so any chance he can get to hit me in the back for those extra yards, he will.”
Ouellette and rookie Mario Anderson Jr. combined for three TD runs on Sunday. Anderson gained 34 yards on three carries, scoring his first two CFL majors (from 26 and five yards).
The effectiveness of the ground game was further underlined when Pro Football Focus gave Ouellette the highest grade of any CFL running back in Week 13.
Winnipeg will counter on Saturday with Brady Oliveira — a three-time 1,000-yard rusher who was named the league’s Most Outstanding Player and Most Outstanding Canadian in 2024.
“We feel we’ve each got pretty good backs and can establish the run,” Head Coach Corey Mace said, “so it’s trench warfare.”
THREE-TOUCHDOWN TOMMY
Tommy Nield, a former teammate of Ouellette’s with the Toronto Argonauts, has three touchdown catches in four starts as a Roughrider.
Most recently, Nield scored a 69-yard major after catching a bomb from Trevor Harris in Sunday’s second quarter before a standing-room-only crowd of 34,243 — the largest gathering for a football game since new Mosaic Stadium officially opened in 2017.
“That was an awesome experience,” Nield said, “and to have it happen on Labour Day, going into Pil Country, it was just an electric moment.”
There have been plenty of memorable moments as a CFLer for Nield, who celebrated Grey Cup championships with the Argonauts in 2022 and 2024. But, from a single-play perspective, where does Sunday’s 69-yarder rank on his personal highlight reel?
“That’s Number 1, for sure,” Nield said with a smile. “I’m grateful to be getting the opportunities I’ve gotten these last couple of games. To make a play like that is all you can ask for as a receiver.”
Since being elevated to a starting role a month ago, Nield has caught 18 passes for 199 yards and the aforementioned three scores.
He had two TD catches in 63 receptions over his previous 43 games (41 with Toronto and two with Saskatchewan).
Nield is only the fourth player to catch at least one touchdown pass in three of his first four starts with the Roughriders. He shares that distinction with Mac Speedie (1953), Daric Zeno (1985), Jeff Fairholm (1988), Elbert Turner (1994) and Weston Dressler (2008).
Fairholm and Dressler are the only Roughriders with at least one TD reception in four of their first five starts. Nield has an opportunity to match that feat on Saturday.
