The Saskatchewan Roughriders under head coach Corey Mace. have gone 0-9 since 2018 in Winnipeg and will look to right the ship this week. (Saskatchewan Roughriders/Submitted)

By Britton Gray - CKOM News

Riders Gameday

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The Saskatchewan Roughriders will look to end a streak of losses when travelling to Manitoba.

Saskatchewan will take on the Bombers in the Labour Day rematch in Winnipeg today. The Riders have gone 0-9 in their last meaningful games to Winnipeg, the last win coming back in 2018. Kickoff for the game is set for 2 p.m.

Saskatchewan’s last visit to Princess Auto Stadium in 2024 came in the CFL West Final, where the club saw its season come to a crashing end in a 38-22 loss.

Head coach Corey Mace believes the team can learn lessons from that defeat.

“You hope you can learn from it. That’s part of the experience and continuity that we do have on the roster still with a lot of those guys that are here played in the game — they should understand what it’s going to be and having the opportunity to do that before,” Mace said.

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“You hope you learn your lessons from those types of games. In saying so, completely different two teams going at it but that crowd won’t change.”

Saskatchewan was able to get a win over the Bombers in the Labour Day Classic — only the third time since the start of the 2021 season the Riders have been on the winning side in games between the two.

The 34-30 win allowed the Riders to remain atop the CFL West Division standings and now the team has an opportunity to win the season series against Winnipeg.

Andrew Harris knows exactly how deep this rivalry goes between the two foes.

The current Riders’ running backs coach was a member of the Bombers for five seasons. This will be the first time he returns to Princess Auto Stadium in Riders’ green during the regular season.

“I think the close proximity between the two markets. It’s similar demographics and the same kind of people,” Harris said.

“It’s funny how people poke at each other, but Winnipeg is very similar to Saskatchewan.

“We’re both Prairies and the understanding between the two areas. It’s great to have it, it’s great for the league and definitely makes the game a lot more exciting.”

Saskatchewan Roughriders defensive back Tevaughn Campbell secures the game-winning interception over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the 2025 Labour Day Classic. (Saskatchewan Roughriders/Submitted)

Saskatchewan won in the trenches in the first contest, with the Riders’ defence sacking Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros five times. The Riders lead the CFL with 33 sacks this season.

Defensive end Malik Carney and defensive tackle Micah Johnson lead the team with six sacks while defensive end Shane Ray has five and defensive tackle Mike Rose has four — all of them are top 10 in the CFL in sacks.

Ray said there’s no competition between them to see who can finish with more.

“It’s about competing with each other more than against each other,” Ray said.

“It’s how do we get to the next one and how we can continue to dominate. We feel that if everybody is doing their job, everyone can finish with close 10 sacks … It’s just consistency and trying to make plays every single week.”

Saskatchewan will also look to contain running back Brady Oliveira for a second straight game. Oliveira only had five carries in the first game for 24 yards.

“They didn’t give him the ball that much. I feel like on the plays he did get the ball, he did get good yardage. I think they will try to do that more this week,” linebacker C.J. Reavis said.

“We have to just hone in, be gap sound and come tackle. He’s a great back but it’s always great going against a back like that — you get to see how tough you are.”

The Riders will also have to deal with Ontaria Wilson. The pass-catcher is starting for the Bombers after rejoining the team after an NFL opportunity.

However, the Bombers will be without Dalton Schoen, who is out for the season after reinjuring his knee.

On offence, the Riders will look to keep the rushing game going for a second week in a row. The duo of AJ Ouellette and Mario Anderson combined for 123 yards and three touchdowns in the last game.

Anderson Jr. believes all facets of the game need to come together to get the win in Winnipeg.

“I feel like it all comes together as one. It’s not just one phase of the game that goes over anything else. We have to come together as a team to be able to pull off this dub,” Anderson said.

Riders quarterback Trevor Harris will also look to continue what has been one of his best CFL seasons. Harris has 2,914 yards, 19 touchdowns and seven interceptions this season.

Slotback Ajou Ajou is expected to have more of a role this week for the offence as he is now pencilled in as the starter this week. He was a backup last week after only having one day of practice.

On defence, Kosi Onyeka will start his first career CFL game at safety due to Jaxon Ford suffering a knee injury..