Frustration, led by quarterback Trevor Harris, abounds in Rider Nation after the Saskatchewan Roughriders lost to the B.C. Lions 30-16 on Aug. 23.
Harris opened his comments by saying he was frustrated that missed opportunities and penalties were the story of the game.
Harris threw two interceptions. He spoke of miscommunication on both interceptions.
He looked visibly frustrated after the second interception. Usually stoic on the field it was unusual for him to display such emotion.
He said the cause was miscommunication. He said they would keep the details in house. He said he was p***ed off in the moment. He continued that he was so invested in the game he will be emotional.
What I saw on the first interception was wide receiver KeeSean Johnson making a move inside than breaking for the corner. Harris threw the ball towards the middle where Johnson would have been had he not made the second move to the outside. I could not say who erred.
On the second interception rookie Dylan Djete had gone downfield 10 yards and cut in on a straight line. Harris threw the ball where he was going. Lion cornerback Stanley Thomas-Oliver III went inside Djete to intercept the ball. It looked as if Djete slightly hesitated going inside. Had he kept going there would have been a collision with Thomas-Oliver but not likely an interception.
The Riders pass game is precise. Harris often throws into tight coverage. Receivers have to be on time and in the places he expects. In the last two games precision has been inconsistent.
I saw Harris being forced to move out of the pocket more than usual. He even ran twice. He said B.C. was rolling coverages, getting coverage of his primaries and following his eyes.
On defence I thought Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke escaped too many times. Riders Head Coach Corey Mace said the defence has to consider what they are willing to give up to contain. Sending six rushers limits the secondary. Containing by the ends can leave space up the middle. Some plays the Riders will send only three rushers.
Mace said that sometimes Rourke moved up in the pocket and that twice the Rider defence forced throws but Rourke found the open guy.
Rourke is an elusive quarterback but I felt the pass rushers are still getting used to each other. Last year the line worked so well together. I think the 2026 linemen have not yet reached that cohesion.
Penalties were the most frustrating aspect of the game to Mace. He said they were the team’s Achilles Heel the previous week in Hamilton and in this game. He said it is his job as coach to correct the problem.
Prior to Mace coming to Saskatchewan the Riders had been notorious for penalties. They have been far better under Mace.
He said they would be working to provide examples of consequences that take place after penalties for it is not just the play for which there was a penalty that impacts the game.
He continued he would be more aggressive with the guys about penalties. Considering his commanding presence I expect the message will get through to the team.
Harris said stupidity is repeating mistakes. He said the DNA of the locker room contains winners. They will look at what needs changing and will push themselves to exhaustion to be better.
Neither Harris nor Mace talked about the learning curve of rookies. On Aug. 23 rookie receivers Djete and Johnny Johnson III made important mistakes. In particular, Johnson had costly errors. Late in the second quarter he made a brilliant reception that would have set up the Riders for at least a field goal but did not protect the ball and it was stolen away from him by a Lion defender. He opened the third quarter by making an illegal block on a running play that set the Riders back.
Rookies make painful mistakes.
The Riders have had consecutive games where they found ways to lose. Harris said the only guarantee in professional football is adversity. The Riders are convinced their adversity has been self-inflicted. This weekend’s game against the Toronot Argonauts will say a lot about how the 2026 Riders handle adversity.
Bill Selnes, who’s based in Melfort, has written about the Saskatchewan Roughriders since the late 1970s. He was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, Football Reporters of Canada wing on Nov. 24, 2013.
