Taylor Shire
Regina Leader-Post
The last time the Saskatchewan Roughriders won a game in Montreal, Trevor Harris was the starting quarterback for the home side.
Now with the Roughriders, Harris and company will try to snap Saskatchewan’s winless skid in Montreal dating back to 2021 when the Roughriders (6-1) visit the Alouettes (5-2) on Saturday (5 p.m., TSN) in Week 9 of the CFL season.
The Roughriders are coming off a 21-18 win over the Edmonton Elks last week, which was Saskatchewan’s second straight victory, while the Alouettes just knocked off the Calgary Stampeders 23-21 last week for their second straight win.
Roughriders’ receiver Samuel Emilus (knee) has been ruled out and placed on the six-game injured list ahead of Saturday’s contest after suffering an injury against the Elks last week. Defensive end Lake Korte-Moore (knee) and linebacker Aubrey Miller Jr. (knee) have also been placed on the six-game injured list for Saskatchewan.
Tommy Nield starts at slotback in place of Emilus this week while defensive back Kosi Onyeka and defensive lineman Aaron Patrick return to the lineup.
Meanwhile, Payton Collins is returning to the lineup along the offensive line after being injured in Week 1. He is replacing Darius Washington at left tackle. Daniel Johnson remains sidelined with a shoulder injury. Zack Fry is also returning to start at left guard in place of Noah Zerr, who started last week against Edmonton after Fry was involved in a motor vehicle accident.
For Montreal, McLeod Bethel-Thompson gets his second straight start at quarterback for the injured Davis Alexander while the Alouettes will also be without top receivers Tyson Philpot (knee) and Austin Mack (ankle).
Road trip
Saskatchewan’s last win in Montreal was on Oct. 30, 2021, when the Cody Fajardo-led Roughriders picked up a 19-14 victory that saw Harris replace Matthew Shiltz at quarterback in the game for the Alouettes with then starter Vernon Adams Jr. sidelined.
Harris was at the helm for the Alouettes in 2022 when Montreal prevailed 37-13 while Caleb Evans quarterbacked the Als to a 41-12 victory in 2023.
Last year, Davis Alexander came off the bench to replace an ineffective Evans in Week 8 as the Alouettes erased a 16-3 halftime deficit to win 20-16.
As hard as it’s been for the Roughriders to win in Montreal, the Green and White have picked up five straight road victories dating back to last season.
This year, Saskatchewan has won in Hamilton, Toronto and B.C., with their only loss coming at home against Calgary.
Measuring stick
Saturday’s game features two of the top teams in the league as the Roughriders enter the week leading the West Division while the Alouettes are tied with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at 5-2 with the Ti-Cats currently holding the head-to-head tiebreaker.
It’s the first meeting of the season between the two clubs as Montreal will make the trip to Saskatchewan on Sept. 13 in Week 15.
And while this matchup will be a good measuring-stick game, Roughriders veteran cornerback Marcus Sayles says each game is important no matter the opponent.
“I’m not really thinking about it in those types of terms,” said Sayles. “We just want to go 1-0 every single week, but it is going to be a good test for us.”
Close contests
While the Roughriders sport a 6-1 record heading into Week 9, five of those six victories have been by seven points or less.
In a few of those victories, the Roughriders have led by double-digits before letting their opponents back into the game late in the fourth quarter.
Last week, the Edmonton Elks scored 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to make it a one-score game before Saskatchewan’s defence closed out the game with a pair of sacks with the Elks pressing to tie the game.
Harris said finishing games has been a focus of the team this week.
“It’s just more of a mindset thing to make sure we’re staying aggressive,” said Harris. “Staying foot on the pedal because if you’re up 21-4 in the fourth quarter, you shouldn’t let a team get to 21-18.
“It’s your job as an offence to stay on the field and put more points in the board and extend the lead, so that the game doesn’t come down to needing a game-winning sack or needing a great punt.
“We want to end the game on the field with a two-possession, three-possession lead.”
On the flip side, the last three games for the Alouettes — who have gone 2-1 over that stretch — have been decided by a total of just four points.
The Alouettes have put together comeback victories in their last two games, as they’ve led for a total of just 6:38 in both of those contests combined.
After scoring 12 unanswered fourth quarter points against Toronto two weeks ago, the Alouettes scored nine unanswered points in the fourth quarter to beat Calgary last week.
Campbell fined
Roughriders cornerback Tevaughn Campbell has been fined an undisclosed amount for “delivering a high hit on a sliding quarterback” during Saskatchewan’s game last week against Edmonton.
Campbell was penalized for roughing the passer on the play late in the fourth quarter, where he dove overtop of Fajardo before making contact with the quarterback’s helmet. The Roughriders challenged the penalty but the call stood after review.
