After recovering on the six-game injured list, Saskatchewan Roughriders’ running back A.J. Ouellette is eager to return to action.
The 29-year-old took the majority of first-team reps at practice on Tuesday as the Riders prepare to meet the B.C. Lions on Saturday at Mosaic Stadium.
“I felt good, felt smooth, felt like I never left. I’m gonna do what they ask me to do,” Ouellette said. If it was his decision, the five-foot-nine, 210-pound ball carrier would start in Week 18: “Oh yeah.”
Ouellette’s last game was on August 17 against the Montreal Alouettes, he rushed for 77 yards on 18 carries. He left that game with a hip injury.
The Covington, OH native is in his first year with the Roughriders after he signed with team this offseason. He has played seven games for the Riders this year and rushed for 466 yards with three touchdowns on 114 carries.
While Ouellette was out with his injury, he was not surprised that his fellow running backs Frankie Hickson, Ryquell Armstead, and Thomas Bertrand-Hudon were doing well.
“We got dogs,” Ouellette said. “It sucks that there’s only one running back on the field at a time.”
Riders head coach Corey Mace has a dilemma regarding which running back will start against the Lions.
“I think it’s at that point in the season now, we’re getting some guys back,” Mace said. “It’s a good problem to have when you have options and good ones. We’ll see how the week of practice plays out and we’ll make a decision at the end of the week.”
According to 3DownNation, Ouellette is the highest-paid American running back in the CFL this season.
Ouellette knows what it takes to win big having won the Grey Cup with the Toronto Argonauts in 2022. He has a particular mindset when approaching this year’s playoffs.
“Got to know that you got to keep everybody accountable. Doesn’t matter who they are in the room. They could be the best player in the league,” Ouellette said. “You got to keep them accountable for every day they come into the facility because you never know when someone’s going to have that off-game.”
Saskatchewan hosts the B.C. Lions on Saturday afternoon at Mosaic Stadium. Countdown to Kick-off begins with a chance to watch Justin Dunk and Wes Cates live at 2 p.m. on YouTube. Dave Thomas and Luc Mullinder join at 4 p.m. with the kick-off to follow at 5 p.m. on the Co-operators Roughrider Radio Network.