“I feel like it’s our time.”
Saskatchewan Roughriders quarterback Trevor Harris made that emphatic statement — twice — while meeting the media in advance of Saturday’s Western Final clash with the visiting B.C. Lions.
“We’re the big dogs,” Harris added on Friday when asked to contrast this year’s game with the 2024 Western Final, won 38-22 by the host Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
Winnipeg, which was eliminated from Grey Cup contention last weekend in Round 1 of the CFL playoffs, will be dethroned as the West Division champion by one of today’s combatants.
“Everybody’s fired up,” Roughriders running back A.J. Ouellette said. “We know we’ve got the team that it takes to go all the way, so we’ve just got to go out there and show what we’re made of.”
Corey Mace welcomes the confidence that was exuded by Harris, in particular, during the pre-game interviews.
“I think you should carry that mentality into any game that you play,” the Roughriders’ Head Coach said. “If you go in thinking that you’re nervous and it isn’t going to work out for you, I don’t know if that bodes well for you going into a physical football game.
“As a team, I just think having that experience for us last year bodes well going into this the second time around.”
Saskatchewan is playing host to B.C. in the playoffs for the second season in succession.
On Nov. 2, 2024, the Roughriders won 28-19 to advance to the Western Final against a Winnipeg team that ultimately represented the division in a fifth consecutive Grey Cup.
Winnipeg won championships in 2019 and 2021 before suffering three consecutive Grey Cup losses. Over that span of time, the Roughriders and Blue Bombers are the only teams to finish first in the West’s regular-season standings.
Saskatchewan placed first in 2019 (with a 13-5 record) and 2025 (12-6-0). B.C. (11-7) finished second in the West this year.
Saturday’s doubleheader on TSN begins at 2 p.m. when the Hamilton Tiger-Cats play host to the Montreal Alouettes in the Eastern Final. The Roughriders-Lions game follows at 5:30 p.m.
“Game day, get here … please,” Harris said on Friday.
“You finish the workday on Day 3 and it’s just like, ‘Come on … let’s just get to game day.’
“We’re just fired up. We’re a focused bunch and we’re excited to get it going.”
Today’s victorious teams will advance to the 112th Grey Cup Game, to be played on Nov. 16 at Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg.
NOT QUITE READY
Saskatchewan will be without its leading receiver, KeeSean Johnson, who will miss a third consecutive game due to a knee injury.
“It was very, very close,” Mace said. “Ultimately, we had Joe Robustelli, who’s healthy. I understand the lure of (playing Johnson), but we want to put together the team we feel gives us the best opportunity to win this game.
“KeeSean, while he’s close, he’s not quite close enough. We’re pleased with the roster we put together and we’re excited to see those guys roll.”
Robustelli and Dohnte Meyers will be the wideouts. The inside-receiver spots will be manned by Samuel Emilus, Kian Schaffer-Baker and Tommy Nield.
Meyers, who had 65 catches for 1,056 yards and eight touchdowns during the regular season, returns after missing three games with an ankle injury.
Injuries limited two premier pass-catchers — Emilus and Schaffer-Baker — to a combined 12 regular-season games, but they are healthy for the playoffs.
Nield sat out the first five games with an ankle injury before returning to the lineup in a support capacity for the team’s sixth contest. In 12 subsequent starts, he has caught 42 passes for 535 yards and five touchdowns. The latter total places him second on the team.
Johnson earned All-CFL recognition after making 86 receptions for 1,159 yards and four touchdowns. He led the CFL in second-down receptions (39) by a comfortable margin despite missing two games.
STAR-SPANGLED STARTERS
The Roughriders are poised to start four American offensive linemen for the first time since 1976.
Saskatchewan has deployed three American starters — left tackle Payton Collins, right guard Jacob Brammer and right tackle Jermarcus Hardrick — for most of this season.
A fourth American, Trevon Tate, has been activated at left guard. He was the starter at that position for the first four regular-season games before injuring a shoulder.
The last time the Roughriders started four American offensive linemen in a Western Final, it was Nov. 20, 1976 against Edmonton.
Saskatchewan won, 23-13, with Mike Dirks and Ralph Galloway as the starting guards, flanked by the tackle tandem of Sam Holden and Joe Miller. Holden and Dirks played on the left side.
Moose Jaw-born centre Gary Brandt, a graduate of Regina’s Balfour Collegiate, was the lone Canadian starter at the tail end of the 1976 season.
This year’s sole Canadian starter — Logan Ferland — is also a home-grown centre. Born in Saskatoon, Ferland lived in Kindersley until his family moved to Melfort when he was 11.
TATE FEELS GREAT
Tate, who started in both playoff games last year, is excited to be part of the post-season picture once again.
“I wanted, obviously, to be back for some regular-season games, but sometimes my vision isn’t the best vision,” he said. “Sometimes some people can see things I can’t.
“Right now, it’s perfect timing. No timing is better than perfect timing.”
Tate’s readiness to return did create a challenge for the coaching staff, considering that the Roughriders employ far more starting-calibre offensive linemen than the active roster can accommodate.
A nice luxury, yes, but a complicated decision as a result.
“That was definitely one of those situations where we just had to sit together as a staff and see what made the most sense for us,” Mace said.
“Speaking with Tate, he earned his starting spot early in the season and obviously lost it due to injury. He worked his tail off all year to potentially have an opportunity.
“We’re extremely grateful for a lot of guys — specifically at that left guard spot — who have stepped in for us. I think it has added tremendous depth for us at the position.
“We went through other potential combinations and that was the one that hit home for us.”
The Roughriders have also reactivated Zack Fry, who will be the sixth offensive lineman. Fry missed the past five games with a knee injury.
Fry started eight games at left guard. Philippe Gagnon (three starts), Daniel Johnson (one), Darius Washington (one) and Noah Zerr (one) were the other starters at left guard, along with Tate.
