The physical preparation is nearly complete, the time to travel to Vancouver is almost here, and the Saskatchewan Roughriders have done just about all they can to prepare for the West Division Semifinal on Saturday afternoon.
And with all that, the Green and White are most certainly in a positive frame of mind.
Members of the team spoke to the media following the final full practice on Thursday, with head coach Corey Mace more than happy with what he’s seen from his crew in the leadup to the battle with the B.C. Lions.
“I think we're no different than any other team at this point of the week, you're just ready to go after it,” he said. “So I thought it was a great week of practice for us. There's still tons of mental preparation for us until we get the kickoff, but we're pleased with where we're at.”
The biggest thing, said Mace, was how dialed in his squad was when it came to all facets of the game.
“The details, man, it's been really nice to watch in all three phases,” Mace said. “So ultimately, it's gonna come down to ‘you gotta do it during the game.’”
Offensive coordinator Marc Mueller pointed to getting the right personnel in the right spots at the right time as one of the keys to Saskatchewan’s success on Saturday.
“You put a lot of time in to make sure that you do that, making sure that the players know why we're doing something,” he said. “Hopefully Saturday afternoon we're in that situation, where we are in the right situation more often than not.”
Mueller is also completely confident that even with their late season struggles, Saskatchewan has the personnel to get the job done — it’s just a matter of hitting that performance level that saw so much past success.
“We have guys that have been there and done it in this league,” Mueller said. “Sam Emilus had his best game last year in the last game, and Trevor (Harris) has been in and started multiple playoff games at home, on the road, Grey Cups. Guys that have been in big games before, and you can lean on those guys to understand what we're getting ourselves into when we get on that plane to go to B.C.”
The Riders have been loath all season to reference their success and Grey Cup run last year, including their victory over the Lions in the West Final. Different team, different circumstances, different situations, all that.
But that’s not to say having that winning experience won’t help when it comes to crunch time, says Mace.
“I think it's a big factor,” he began. “Just going back to our (2024) season and playing in the West Final versus Winnipeg there. We didn't have a lot of a playoff experience on the roster and I felt like after we left that game, it was a good teaching moment for us. What it feels like to be in, at that point, the biggest game we've been in. That served us well going into the next year. So the experience is something that carries over for us andI think it can bode well for you.”
West Division All CFL offensive lineman Jermarcus Hardrick will be looking for that experience to translate into the best outing of the season for his squad, which will ideally mean a trip to Edmonton next week.
“We've got Trevor, we've got Mace, we've got great leaders, and I'm just excited,” Hardrick said. “I know I've got the guys who have my back. I won't be perfect, but I'm ready to do it for somebody else other than me. We've got some guys back and healthy, and that always helps, but it doesn't matter who is in, we're just there loving on each other.”
The Rider Broadcast Network will have all the action from the West Semifinal on Saturday beginning at 11:30 a.m., as Dave Thomas and Wes Cates will host the pregame show prior to kickoff. Dave and Luc Mullinder will then have all the game action when things get underway at 2:30 p.m. at B.C. Place in Vancouver.
