ROBSERVATIONS: Ouellette never let up … Meyers was on fire … second-and-short = long gains … hooray for Harris
A.J. Ouellette is being suitably celebrated for a remarkable run that concluded 88 yards behind the point from which the ball was scrimmaged.
We take you back to the fourth quarter of Friday’s CFL game between the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Ottawa REDBLACKS.
With the Roughriders scrimmaging the ball on second down from the REDBLACKS’ five-yard line, Ouellette was providing extra protection for quarterback Trevor Harris on a passing play.
Ouellette, to the left of Harris, picked up a blitzing James Peter, but another Ottawa linebacker (Davion Taylor) was virtually untouched on the right side.
Taylor hit Harris just as he was about to throw, forcing a fumble that was plucked out of the air by defensive lineman Bryce Carter on the 12-yard line.
The 6-foot-0, 250-pound Carter took off on what initially appeared to be an unobstructed sprint to the end zone.
Ouellette, who was on the REDBLACKS’ 10-yard line when the ball was jarred loose, disengaged from Peter and began to chase Carter. He was eventually hauled down from behind on the Roughriders’ 17-yard line, after an 81-yard return.
Defensive tackle Mike Rose promptly sacked Dustin Crum. Following a short completion, Ottawa was forced to settle for a 25-yard Lewis Ward field goal that pared the Roughriders’ lead to 20-13 and ultimately concluded the scoring.
In addition to producing six points to punctuate the Roughriders’ opening possession, Ouellette took four off the board for Ottawa.
“That play he made after the turnover, we champion the (bleep) out of that,” Head Coach Corey Mace said. “That was an incredible play by him to be able to do that for his teammates.
“A lot of people let that play happen and they score a touchdown. For him to be able to run that guy down, that is the epitome of this culture in that locker room.”
But he wasn’t done quite yet.
Ouellette played a key role in ensuring Ottawa would not possess the ball again after Ward’s field goal.
Following a 21-yard kickoff return by Shawn Bane Jr., Saskatchewan travelled 49 yards in six plays while extinguishing the final 2:01 from the clock.
Harris went to the air for back-to-back first-down completions, finding KeeSean Johnson and Dohnte Meyers for gains of 14 and 25 yards, respectively.
After the pass to Meyers, Ouellette rattled off a pair of five-yard runs — the second of which cemented the outcome.
All it took was one kneel-down by Harris for the Roughriders to officially improve to a league-leading 11-4 — their best record at the 15-game mark in 55 years.
Ouellette finished the game with unspectacular numbers but, considering the entire equation, nobody was more impactful.
He rushed 18 times for 53 yards — 2.9 yards per carry — but consider the fact that he lined up behind centre four times because of a knee injury that sidelined short-yardage quarterback Tommy Stevens.
In those four non-handoff situations, Ouellette accepted the snap from centre Logan Ferland and gained the necessary yardage each time.
As well as scoring a one-yard touchdown, Ouellette moved the chains three times on third down.
He also gained first-down yardage all three times he was handed the ball on second down with one or two yards to go.
Moreover, Ouellette stood up a blitzer (Taylor) when the REDBLACKS aimed six pass rushers toward Harris on the opening play of the fourth quarter.
Harris, who typically dines out on blitzing defences, delivered the ball to Meyers a mere 1.33 seconds after Ferland snapped the ball.
Meyers caught the precise pass 15 yards downfield, shook off would-be tackler King Ambers, and outran three REDBLACKS players to complete a 66-yard touchdown that put Saskatchewan ahead 20-3.
Meyers finished with six catches for a career-high 158 yards. Along the way, he helped the 2025 Roughriders celebrate a 1,000-yard trifecta. On Sept. 27 against the host Edmonton Elks, Ouellette hit the milestone in rushing yards and Johnson reached quadruple digits through the air.
A talented receiver out of the backfield, Ouellette caught three passes for 20 yards on Friday.
Again, statistics don’t tell the whole story.
Midway through the third quarter, Ouellette caught a short pass from Harris on second-and-seven and gained the required yardage (with 36 inches to spare) by hurdling defensive back Deandre Lamont.
Alas, the play was called back due to an unnecessary roughness penalty, but it was still quite an effort — one more reason to applaud A.J. Ouellette.
MORE 88
The introductory item focused on what happened 88 yards away from the line of scrimmage.
We now shift the spotlight to the Roughriders’ No. 88 after another stellar showing by Meyers.
“We got some great chunk plays from 88,” Mace told CKRM’s Luc Mullinder at TD Place. “Whenever he’s levelling up, it’s a good day.”
It was another big day for Meyers, who exceeded 100 yards for the fourth time this season. He previously recorded totals of 136, 132 and 125.
All four of his 100-yard games have been on the road, where Saskatchewan is 6-2.
Comparably, seven of Meyers’ team-leading eight touchdown receptions have been part of an away game.
No. 88 also boasts five of the 2025 Roughriders’ eight completions of 50-plus yards. Those plays have covered 70, 66, 58, 58 and 50 yards.
Very quickly, Meyers has recorded as many career completions of 50-plus yards (five) as former Roughriders receivers Joey Walters, Chris DeFrance, Andy Fantuz and Naaman Roosevelt.
Impressive company, indeed.
Consider, too, that Meyers has also scored on a 47-yard reception during a breakout season in which he has caught 65 passes for 1,056 yards.
Factor in a four-game sneak preview in 2024 and the former Delta State Statesmen standout has 89 catches for 1,405 yards in just 19 CFL regular-season appearances.
SECOND-AND-TOO-BAD-FOR-OTTAWA
Harris and Offensive Co-ordinator Marc Mueller collaborated for some key completions in what would often be running situations.
Harris was 3-for-3 for 116 yards on second-and-two.
Most notably, there was the 66-yard scoring strike to Meyers.
Two plays earlier, Harris had found Kian Schaffer-Baker for 13 yards — also on second-and-two.
In the very same down-and-distance situation, Harris and Tommy Nield teamed up for a 25-yarder. That advance, which included Nield running over Lamont, was part of a 12-play, 84-yard drive that culminated in Ouellette’s TD.
Fast forward to the fourth quarter.
To begin the final drive, Harris completed a 14-yard pass to Johnson — at a time when it was reasonable to expect a running play.
Harris followed up shortly thereafter with the 25-yard completion to Meyers on second-and-nine. Yes, that was a passing situation, but there was also a case to be made for running the ball to guard against a clock-stopping incompletion when time was of the essence for Ottawa.
“Whenever my number is called upon, I just feel like I’ll come through when I need to,” Harris said of his clutch completions.
“I take pride in situations like that, when I feel like a team can kind of lean into me a little bit. As a quarterback, you kind of take pride in a quarterback trusting you in a situation like that.
“I just couldn’t be more thrilled with (Mueller) having confidence in me in that spot.”
TREVOR TRIVIA
Harris finished Friday’s game with 27 completions in 33 attempts for 341 yards. He reached 300 for the 12th time in 30 starts as a Roughrider.
Harris and former REDBLACKS teammate Henry Burris both had 12 300-yard games as a Roughrider. They are tied for fourth in team history in that category, behind Kent Austin (46), Darian Durant (37) and Ron Lancaster (28).
Those totals include playoff games (four for Lancaster, three for Austin, two for Durant and one for Smilin’ Hank).
All five of those quarterbacks have had ties to Ottawa.
Lancaster (Mueller’s grandfather) played for the Ottawa Rough Riders from 1960 to 1962.
Austin was the Ottawa Renegades’ Quarterbacks Coach in 2003.
Durant was on the Renegades’ negotiation list when the team folded following the 2005 season, after four years of operation.
Harris and Burris helped the REDBLACKS, then a third-year franchise, win a Grey Cup in 2016.
That season, Harris led Ottawa in regular-season touchdown passes (16) and passing yards (3,301) while completing 73.3 per cent of his passes and throwing only four interceptions.
Burris, who passed for 2,419 yards and 12 touchdowns during the regular season, capped his Hall of Fame playing career by going 35-for-46 for 461 yards and two TDs (including the game winner) in the 2016 Grey Cup Game.
ROLL CREDITS
• Nice people who deserve a plug: Lorne Cherney, Sabeen Ahmad, Thomas Bertrand-Hudon, Campbell Fair, Marquay McDaniel, Kia Schollar, Claire Dore, Aimee Kowalski, Georgette Reed, Angie Reed, Adrienne Zuk, Ken Stromberg, Bruce Chimirri-Olson, Kian Schaffer-Baker, Nathaniel Cruz, Helena Crocker, Barry Clarke, Logan Ferland, Godfrey Onyeka, Peter Godber, Cyndi Cherney, Trent Goree, Roger Goree, John Lipp, Laura Steadman, Antoine Brooks Jr., Henry Burris, Dave Pettigrew and, for obvious reasons, A.J. Ouellette.
