The Riders head into the Banjo Bowl fresh off an overtime classic, chasing a season sweep that would bury Winnipeg's West Division hopes.
Game Details
- Matchup: Saskatchewan Roughriders at Winnipeg Blue Bombers
- When: Saturday, September 12 at 4:00 PM ET
- Where: Princess Auto Stadium, Winnipeg
- TV: TSN
- Stream: Watch live on CFL+
Odds
- Spread: Saskatchewan Roughriders -2
- Moneyline: Saskatchewan Roughriders -120, Winnipeg Blue Bombers +100
- Over/Under: 56
Saskatchewan sits at 5-4-3 against the spread with five overs and six unders this season, while Winnipeg is 5-5-2 ATS with an even 5-5-2 split on totals. Neither side has been a lock either way, which tracks with a series that keeps going to the wire.
Overview
Six days after the Labour Day Classic went to overtime in Regina, these two are right back at it for the Banjo Bowl, and the storylines haven't cooled off one bit. The Roughriders escaped with a 32-26 OT win last week, improving to 8-4 and holding steady in third in the West behind Edmonton and a red-hot Montreal squad. The Blue Bombers dropped to 6-6, and that loss stung — Corey Mace is now 1-1 in Labour Day Classic rematches, while Mike O'Shea sits at 8-3, though this particular series has flipped in Saskatchewan's favor lately. Winnipeg still owns the all-time rematch series 13-8, but the Riders have won two straight and are gunning for back-to-back sweeps of the season set.
There's a wrinkle worth flagging: Winnipeg needs to win by seven or more Saturday just to salvage a split on the season series, given how last week's game went. That's a tall order against a Saskatchewan defense that forced the extra period and a Riders offense that's found its rhythm at exactly the right time. Trevor Harris has a passing touchdown in every game this season and sits at 7-10 for his career against Winnipeg — he's on pace for career highs in yards and TDs, and this rivalry has usually brought out his best.
Give the edge to Saskatchewan here. They've won the head-to-head meeting this year, they're playing with more urgency in the standings race, and Dhel Duncan-Busby is suddenly the hottest hand on the field with three straight big weeks. Winnipeg will lean on Zach Collaros, who's been terrific in this rivalry historically, and Brady Oliveira chasing a rushing milestone, but the Riders have the higher gear right now.
Key Players
- Trevor Harris (Saskatchewan Roughriders, QB) — Has thrown a TD in every game this season and is on pace for career highs in passing yards (5,840) and touchdowns (39); he's 7-10 all-time versus Winnipeg.
- Dhel Duncan-Busby (Saskatchewan Roughriders, WR) — Set career highs with 148 yards and 10 catches last week and has 18 grabs for 315 yards and two scores over his last three games.
- KeeSean Johnson (Saskatchewan Roughriders, WR) — Sits 73 receiving yards away from 3,000 for his career, and he leads the Riders with 81 catches for 1,022 yards this season.
- Brady Oliveira (Winnipeg Blue Bombers, RB) — Just 16 yards from his fifth straight 1,000-yard season, which would break Norman Kwong's long-standing team record, but he was held to a season-low 28 yards last week.
- Willie Jefferson (Winnipeg Blue Bombers, DL) — One sack away from tying Willie Pless for 20th all-time, and he'll be a problem for whichever Riders tackle draws his side.
Keys to the Game
- Keep feeding Duncan-Busby and KeeSean Johnson early — both are peaking and Winnipeg's secondary has to respect the run with Quali Conley too.
- Make Oliveira one-dimensional; he was bottled up for a season-low output last week and Saskatchewan's front needs to repeat that.
- Special teams and red-zone execution decide these games — last week came down to a blocked convert and OT field goals, and this one likely will too.
Injury Report
| Player | Team | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Albert Awachie (FB) | Saskatchewan Roughriders | Out |
| Antoine Brooks Jr. (LB) | Saskatchewan Roughriders | Available |
| Jermarcus Hardrick (OL) | Saskatchewan Roughriders | Available |
| Kian Schaffer-Baker (WR) | Saskatchewan Roughriders | Out |
| A.J. Ouellette (RB) | Saskatchewan Roughriders | Questionable |
| Daniel Wiebe (WR) | Saskatchewan Roughriders | Out |
| Nick Wiebe (LB) | Saskatchewan Roughriders | Out |
| Josh Woods (LB) | Saskatchewan Roughriders | Out |
Depth Chart
Saskatchewan Roughriders starters by position, built from the team's official Week 15 depth chart (projected — may not reflect late-week changes).
| Position | Saskatchewan Roughriders |
|---|---|
| QB | Trevor Harris (Jack Coan, Tommy Stevens) |
| RB | Quali Conley (Thomas Bertrand-Hudon) |
| WR | Dhel Duncan-Busby, Shemar Bridges (James Letcher Jr, Dylan Djete) |
| SB (Slot) | KeeSean Johnson, Johnny Johnson III (D'Sean Mimbs) |
| LT | Payton Collins (Erik Andersen) |
| LG | Zack Fry (Daniel Johnson) |
| C | Logan Ferland |
| RG | Jacob Brammer |
| RT | Jermarcus Hardrick |
| DE | Derick Roberson, James Vaughters (Habakkuk Baldonado) |
| DT | Mike Rose, Caleb Sanders (Ryder Varga, Ali Saad) |
| LB | Jameer Thurman (MLB), Ryder Varga (WLB), Melique Straker (SLB) |
| CB | Kerfalla Exumé, Malcolm Bell (Marcus Sayles, James Burgess Jr) |
| S/HB | Nelson Lokombo (FS), Jonathan Edouard, DaMarcus Fields (HB) |
| K | Dawson Hodge |
| P | Oscar Chapman |
| LS | Mike Benson |
Score Prediction
Saskatchewan Roughriders 29 - Winnipeg Blue Bombers 27. Both offenses have shown they can score in bunches, and last week's OT thriller suggests another tight finish, but the Riders' momentum, Harris's history against this opponent and a Duncan-Busby breakout make the difference in a game that comes down to the final possession.
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Who takes this one? Drop your prediction in the comments.