WINNIPEG — Saskatchewan Roughriders' defensive back Tevaughn Campbell isn’t putting a whole lot of stock into what happened between the Riders and Montreal Alouettes in the 2025 regular season.
The 112th Grey Cup opponents faced each other twice during the campaign, each picking up a victory. But it’s safe to say that neither contest was a true representation of what will be on the field on Sunday in Winnipeg. And with that in mind, Campbell is preparing to see as different a Montreal team as possible when the biggest game of the season hits the field.
“I think it’s a clean slate,” Campbell said in a Grey Cup week interview. “All the stuff that happened in the past, regardless of whether we beat them or they beat us, that stuff is washed. This is a new season, so to speak. We’re a new team, the Alouettes are a new team and we really don’t know what to expect, so we have to be ready for a dog fight for 60 minutes.”
For their part, the Riders were at the top of their game in the first meeting between the teams back in Week 9 in early August. In a contest between the two teams with the best records in the CFL at that point, the Riders defence put on a smothering performance, going on to a 34-6 win and holding the Als without a touchdown.
Just over a month later in Week 15, it was a far different story. Montreal took advantage of a banged up Riders defensive secondary to rack up nearly 50 points in a 48-31 win at Mosaic Stadium. Campbell missed that contest with a concussion that caused him to sit out four games late in the season.
This time around, the Roughriders will have a healthy contingent of defensive backs. And Montreal will have dangerous quarterback Davis Alexander behind centre, giving them a potentially lethal dual threat at pivot.
Alexander has been battling a hamstring injury for a good part of the season, even though he was able to get through the Eastern Final and a narrow win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, he still presents a danger that Campbell and crew are plenty aware of.
“The quarterback is the main guy on offence, and that is definitely something that changes the game and how you play the game,” said Campbell, who tied for the CFL lead with six interceptions this season. “It’s about receivers, too, but it definitely changes what you're looking for on the field. If you’re expecting a pocket passer, then you know what routes to expect out of that pocket passing situation. If you’re expecting him to be healthy for the game and scrambling and getting out of the pocket, then you gotta be ready for that, as well.”
While preparing for the game itself has been the main focus for both teams, there’s also been plenty to do away from the field during the Canadian Football League’s championship week. Campbell has naturally been taking it all in, and with more than a bit of awe at the magnitude of the occasion.
“I think I’d be lying if I said you can’t stop for a second and be like, ‘Man I’m finally here and have the opportunity to win this,'” he said. “But no one here is ignoring everything that’s going on and saying, ‘Oh, it’s all business.’ You see the media, you see the Grey Cup, you see all that stuff… it can be overwhelming if you let be, but you have to stay focused on the goal at hand. You can’t let all the distractions get to you and get in the way of what you’re trying to receive.”
It all leads into the big game on Sunday, and ideally for Campbell and crew, a trophy at the end of it all.
“We need to focus on being us and not changing for them,” he said. ‘Being who we are and who we’re meant to be.”
Be sure to catch the Rider Broadcast Network Grey Cup pre-game show featuring Teagan Witko, Justin Dunk, Wes Cates, Dave Thomas and Luc Mullinder at 2 p.m on Sunday, followed by the call of the 112th Grey Cup at 5 p.m.
