Taylor Shire
Regina Leader-Post
The Saskatchewan Roughriders will be without their top running back on Friday night.
After suffering an ankle injury last week against the Calgary Stampeders, A.J. Ouellette has been placed on Saskatchewan’s reserve list for Friday’s game at Mosaic Stadium (7 p.m.) when the Roughriders (2-0) host the Toronto Argonauts (1-1).
Ouellette was previously listed as “doubtful” on the injury report following Wednesday’s practice and was officially placed on the reserve list when the Roughriders released their depth chart on Thursday morning. That means the CFL club will have until 30 minutes before kickoff to activate him, if they deem he is healthy enough to play. However, he’s not expected to play.
“You always just kind of diagnose it off of how serious the injury is,” head coach Corey Mace said on Wednesday. “Having him out of the boot and all that other stuff, it’s trending the right way.
“Ultimately, it’s what can he do, what do the doctors feel is necessary, and if he’s good to go, he’s good to go. Every game is important, but in certain situations, yeah, you look at the totality of it’s still really early in the season obviously, but ultimately the player’s body will decide that.”
Canadian veteran Thomas Bertrand-Hudon is expected to get some carries on Friday while American rookie Quali Conley is listed as the starter on the depth chart.
The Roughriders also added American running back Star Thomas, a University of Tennessee product, on Wednesday and he’s replacing Conley on the practice roster.
“The way coach (Andrew) Harris teaches us is you’ll know when your numbers call, so just stay ready,” said Conley. “Just act like you’re the guy and make sure that’s your mentality.”
Despite being a late addition to camp, as the 23-year-old was signed by the Roughriders on May 16, Conley went on to beat out returnee Mario Anderson for Saskatchewan’s backup running back job after recording 11 yards on four carries against Calgary two days after he signed and 32 yards on nine carries the week after against Winnipeg.
“I went into the game with no practice,” said the 5-foot-10, 211-pound Conley, who attended camp with the Alouettes before signing in Saskatchewan. “Just looked at the playbook and coach coached me all of the stuff I had to remember.
“In the end, the coaches teach you about the blocking schemes, but once you get out, it’s up to you to (make a play). That’s what they pay you for, so you have to show them why you’re a good player.”
Prior to coming to the CFL, Conley rushed for 745 yards on 15 carries, with eight touchdowns, in 12 games with the University of Arizona in 2024 before a stint with the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals, where he played in two pre-season games.
“He came in late to camp, he digested (the playbook) and worked his tail off to understand and know who to block and to pick up,” said Mace. “Obviously, a lot of running backs at this level, you hand them the ball, they’re going to know what to do as soon as that gets going up.
“If it goes down to that and he gets a shot to go, he’s been around long enough now to understand.”
Meanwhile, the Roughriders — who will be wearing white “Prairie Blizzard” uniforms on Friday — have ruled out Canadian receiver Dhel Duncan-Busby (shoulder; one-game injured list) for the game against Toronto. D’Sean Mimbs is starting in his absence while Daniel Wiebe comes onto the roster as a backup.
Defensively, halfback JuJu Hughes (ankle; six-game injured list) will be joining others on the injured list including halfback Rolan Milligan Jr. (shoulder; six-game) and safety Nelson Lokombo (ankle; one-game). National Jonathan Edouard, who was signed last week, will start at halfback.
Seyi Oladipo comes onto the roster as a backup linebacker while Jaylen Pate also comes on as a backup defensive lineman for Devin Adams, who heads to the practice roster.
Familiar foe
The Roughriders will have a new halfback for the third straight game with Milligan and Hughes landing on the injured list.
While Saskatchewan brought back James Burgess Jr., who could be an option, the club is opting to start Edouard, who spent the last four seasons with the Argonauts before being released on the eve of camp.
“You’ve got to take your emotions out of the game,” said Edouard, who dressed as the backup safety last week in Calgary. “They cut me a week before camp, so you could be sad and mad about it and want revenge, but you learn in a professional state that that’s just not the way to go about it.
“I’m go out there, do my job and do my job to the best abilities and I know I got my guys with me … It’s not like a personal vendetta, especially not against the players, so just go out there and play to my best abilities.”
After making his debut in Green and White last week in Calgary, Edouard is looking forward to his debut on the home side at Mosaic Stadium, which is a stadium where he celebrated a Grey Cup championship victory in 2022.
“So excited,” said Edouard, who is also a 2024 Grey Cup winner. “Every time I’ve come past, (whether it was) Grey Cup 2022 or an away game, we’ve always been loving this stadium. This stadium and Winnipeg Stadium is one of those games where you come and you know the fans are going to be hyped, so I just can’t wait for them to be cheering with me rather than against me.”
Having played 41 games and practised daily with the Argonauts over four seasons, the 30-year-old veteran is aware of what quarterback Chad Kelly, the CFL’s most outstanding player in 2023 who is coming off a 424-yard, four-touchdowns, four-interceptions performance last week against Ottawa.
“We just need to stay disciplined,” said Edouard. “I’ve been with Chad four or five years, and Chad is a great quarterback, great dude.
“We’ve just got to stay sound, stay disciplined, and do our jobs to our best abilities, and we’ll prevail.”
Canadian targets
Heading into Week 4 of the CFL season, seven of the top 10 receivers are Canadian.
Montreal’s Tyson Philpot leads the way with 389 receiving yards in three games while Saskatchewan’s Kian Schaffer-Baker had 295 yards in his first two outings after performances of 165 yards and 130 yards.
What’s in store for the third game?
“Let’s hope another outstanding performance,” said Schaffer-Baker, 28, who was limited to five games last year due to injury. “That’s the goal each and every single week.
“With this group, anything is possible. We’ve just got to show up with our hard hats on, go to work, love on each other. The goal remains the same each and every single week — 1-0.”
Turnover time
Through two games this season, Saskatchewan’s defence has allowed just one passing touchdown, which is tops in the CFL, while giving up only 397.5 yards of net offence per game, which ranks second in the CFL.
However, the group has yet to record a turnover despite having several opportunities for interceptions in the first two games.
“Let’s start with one,” said Mace. “It’s a passing league. Quarterbacks have been lighting it up. Balls are going to be airborne. If we got opportunities to come down with those, we’ve got to capitalize on those. Those are game-changing plays.
“It hasn’t gone our way quite yet but the fact that we’re in the vicinity is encouraging. Let’s just capitalize on the opportunities.”
The Argonauts lead the CFL with eight turnovers this season.
