Roughriders return to practice ahead of Saturday’s playoff game

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The Saskatchewan Roughriders are looking straight ahead.

Despite losing 27-12 to the Calgary Stampeders in the final game of the CFL regular season on Saturday — in what turned out to be a meaningless game when it came to the standings — the Roughriders are focused on hosting the B.C. Lions on Saturday (4:30 p.m., TSN, CTV) in the West Division semifinal at Mosaic Stadium.

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“It’s not the way you wanted to finish and not what we had in mind,” Riders’ head coach Corey Mace said after practice on Tuesday. “But certainly, we’ve flushed it and we’re moving forward to this week.”

Entering the final week of the season, the Roughriders — who finished 9-8-1 after back-to-back 6-12 seasons — had an outside chance of securing top spot in the division with a win over the Stampeders paired with a Montreal Alouettes victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

However, when the Bombers won on a last-second field goal, cementing Saskatchewan into second place, the Roughriders decided to rest several starters in their regular season finale.

“I thought I had a good week of practice; I don’t know why they demoted me to third team,” joked quarterback Trevor Harris, who watched backups Shea Patterson and Jack Coan take snaps in the game. “It was just more deflating that I wasn’t going to get to play.

“But shoot, we get to travel this path now.

“It’s bonus football. Sometimes you don’t get the opportunity to do this and just really fun that we get to get out here and tee it up this week.”

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Running back A.J. Ouellette shared the same sentiment after preparing like he was going to start before finding out an hour before the game that he would be sitting alongside defensive back Rolan Milligan Jr. and receivers Samuel Emilus and KeeSean Johnson.

“I approached it like I was playing the game,” said Ouellette, who was aware of the plan heading in. “Wake up; go through your morning routine.

“I don’t eat a whole lot when I’m playing just so I feel light and all of that, so halfway through the game I was starving.”

Despite not ending the season with a victory over the CFL’s last-place team, Mace said it was the right decision to sit some key starters and ensure everyone is healthy heading into postseason.

“We went the route that we did and luckily the guys that did end up playing the game, we made it out healthy,” said Mace. “You want to have as many people available to you as you head into the playoffs and make the decision tough on us as coaches to put together the final roster.

“From that standpoint, very happy.”

While the regular season ended on a sour note and snapped a four-game winning streak by the Riders, Harris and Mace said the loss hasn’t carried over into the week of practice preparing for the Lions, who split the season series with the Riders this year.

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“I don’t think that we feel like we lost momentum or all of a sudden we don’t believe in ourselves or anything of that nature,” said Harris.

“No, I don’t think so, which is a good thing,” added Mace. “We addressed (the loss) as soon as we got back into the locker room after the game and we just had to switch our brains and move forward.

“I think everybody’s mindset is where it should be.”

Injury report

Running back Frankie Hickson, who started for Ouellette against Calgary, didn’t practise on Tuesday as he deals with a head injury.

Receiver Joe Robustelli, who made his CFL debut on Saturday, missed Tuesday’s workout due to a shoulder injury while offensive lineman Ryan Sceviour (elbow) made his return to practice for the first time since being injured on Aug. 3.

Meanwhile after being limited at practice last week, running back Ryquell Armstead (shoulder) was a full participant on Tuesday alongside offensive lineman Peter Godber (ankle) and linebacker Adam Auclair (knee).

Jake Gaudaur Veterans’ Award

Roughriders longsnapper Jorgen Hus has been named the team’s nominee for the Jake Gaudaur Veteran’s Award, which recognizes a Canadian CFL player who “best demonstrates the attributes of Canada’s veterans — strength, perseverance, courage, comradeship and contribution to Canadian communities.”

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The 35-year-old Saskatoon native is the longest serving member of the Green and White having been with the club since 2015.

Off the field, he gives back to the community through the Saskatchewan Roughrider Foundation’s “Win with Wellness” and “Rider Reading” program as he has made 127 school presentations since the beginning of 2023. Hus has also made 27 additional community appearances in various other capacities.

Hus will be up against B.C. Lions linebacker Boseko Lokombo, Edmonton Elks defensive lineman Jacob Plamondon, Calgary Stampeders kicker Rene Paredes, Winnipeg Blue Bombers offensive lineman Chris Kolankowski, Hamilton Tiger-Cats offensive lineman David Beard, Toronto Argonauts receiver Dejon Brissett, Ottawa Redblacks kicker Lewis Ward and Montreal Alouettes receiver Regis Cibasu for the league award to be presented during Grey Cup week in Vancouver.

A player from the Roughriders has claimed the award in two straight years as Brayden Lenius won in 2023 after Dan Clark received the honour in 2022.

tshire@postmedia.com

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