Every Monday afternoon on the SportsCage, join Barney Shynkaruk and members from the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ coaching staff with a breakdown of game match-ups and the very latest from inside the Riders’ locker room.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders won their Week 18 match-up against the Ottawa Redblacks 20-13; however, running backs coach Andrew Harris felt his players could have performed better.
"We left a lot of meat on the bone," Harris said. "I always have high expectations for them, they have high expectations for themselves."
Saskatchewan totalled 56 rushing yards with A.J. Ouellette leading the way with 53 on 18 carries and one touchdown.
One memorable moment from the game was when Ouellette chased down Redblacks' Bryce Carter, who recovered a fumble and tried to take it for a touchdown.
Ottawa flips the field and Bryce Carter is MOVING!#CFLGameDay
🗓️: Roughriders vs. @REDBLACKS LIVE NOW
🇨🇦: TSN, RDS
🌎: CFL+ pic.twitter.com/1kO7JZhlvY— CFL (@CFL) October 4, 2025
"I think what makes him our MVP is his play on the interception. It's easy for guys when things happen like that to give up and maybe run slow. As soon as you saw him, I think he realized if that was a DB, he might have given up a little sooner. He realized it was a guy he could probably catch and he hawks him," Harris explained.
"The determination and the no-quit attitude that Ouellette brings, he's been nicked up in games and finished. We'd have to run the clock out, and I'm looking at him like, 'Are you good? Do you need to sit?' He's giving me the finger and waving me off. He wants to be in the game as much as he can. He's definitely a dog in that aspect. Aside from blocking the way he did in the past, when he's asked to catch the ball, he's pretty darn good at that as well. His run game this year has been amazing, and he's still getting better, which is great to see."
Statistically, Ouellette has already eclipsed his best rushing season from 2023 when he produced 1,009 yards on the ground with the Toronto Argonauts. He has 1,110 through 15 games in 2025 while also tying his single-season best with eight rushing touchdowns.
"My goal this year was to get A.J. to play a full season and keep him healthy. I thought we'd done a pretty good job of spelling him in load management throughout the week," Harris said.
"We set a standard before the season of how we're going to work and how we're going to push him and the group. The whole premise was that this would pay off in November and that's the goal. It's going to be tough on him. Hopefully, we can get into a point where we can clinch and give him a little bit of rest. But again, he still wants to get the most out of the season and continue to get better. The only way you get better is by playing games."
The Riders host the Toronto Argonauts on Friday. Teagan Witko, Justin Dunk, and Wes Cates bring you the pre-game show at 4 p.m. Dave Thomas and Luc Mullinder have the game call at 7 p.m. Listen or watch our detailed coverage on the 620 CKRM Co-operators Rider Broadcast Network.
