1:06 p.m.
It's going to be a bit of a cool one in Winnipeg, but not too bad — 15 C under mostly cloudy skies, with a 30 per cent chance of showers, Winds shouldn't be too bad, 19 km/h out of the north north east gusting to 31 km/h. Not a bad September day for football!
12:57 p.m.
It's safe to say the Roughriders haven't had a lot of luck in the Labour Day Classic rematch over the last decade, with Winnipeg having won the last nine match-ups. Curse gets snapped this afternoon?
12:13 p.m.
It’s the Saskatchewan Roughriders, it’s the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, it’s the second most popular game of the regular season, it’s the Labour Day Classic rematch from Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg!
The Roughriders come into the game with a 9-2 record and remain atop the West Division and entire Canadian Football League. Winnipeg is 6-5 and sits in third place in the West.
As every fan in the province remembers, the two teams put on a barnburner last week in the Labour Day Classic, with Saskatchewan holding off Winnipeg’s big play offence for a 34-30 victory in front of the largest crowd to witness a game at Mosaic Stadium.
The shoe will be on the other foot for the two teams this time around, as Princess Auto Stadium has been sold out for weeks for this game, and the Blue Bombers fans promise to bring the noise much like Rider fans did last weekend!
The Riders Broadcast Network pre-game show with Teagan Witko, Justin Dunk and Wes Cates is currently underway, with Dave Thomas and Luc Mullinder having the game call at 2 p.m.
The Roughriders depth chart: Saskatchewan’s line-up remains largely intact after their win last week, but the one position that did see a change has taken a bit of a hit in recent weeks.
Kosi Onyeka will get the start at safety after Jaxon Ford was ruled out with a knee injury late in the week. Mitch Picton comes off the one-game injured list to fill Ford’s Canadian spot and will back up Tommy Nield at slotback.
Trevor Harris starts at quarterback and has completed 214 of 291 passes for 2,914 yards, 19 touchdowns and seven interceptions. His 116.8 quarterback efficiency rating remains the best in the CFL.
Running back A.J. Ouellette is third-best in the CFL with 158 carries for 802 yards and four touchdowns, while KeeSean Johnson is fourth in receiving with 60 catches for 839 yards and three touchdowns. Dohnte Meyers isn’t too far behind with 44 catches for 725 yards and six majors.
Linebacker Jameer Thurman tops the team with 61 tackles, while Malik Carney and Micah Johnson have six sacks apiece. Rolan Milligan Jr. and Tevaughn Campbell each have four interceptions, with the latter sealing the Labour Day Classic with a pick last week.
The Blue Bombers’ depth chart: Winnipeg took a bit of a pounding physically last week and see five changes in their line-up, none bigger than receiver Dalton Schoen.
Considered one of the league’s top receivers when he’s healthy, Schoen tore an ACL late in the Labour Day Classic and is now out for the season.
Zach Collaros gets the start at quarterback and has completed 188 of 252 passes for 2,132 yards, 13 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
The Bombers offence usually revolves through running back Brady Oliveira, but the dual rush-receiving threat had only five carries for 24 yards and five catches for 30 yards last week. He’s ran 103 times for 574 yards and three touchdowns this season, while also catching 41 passes for 380 yards. Nic Demski leads the receiving corps with 52 catches for 754 yards and seven touchdowns.
Linebacker Tony Jones tops the team with 73 tackles and is tied with defensive lineman James Vaughters for the team lead with three sacks. Defensive back Evan Holm leads with four interceptions.
