The Roughriders host the league's lone winless team looking to keep pace in a stacked West, and the numbers say this one shouldn't be close.
Game Details
- Matchup: Ottawa Redblacks at Saskatchewan Roughriders
- When: Friday, August 7 at 9:00 PM ET
- Where: Mosaic Stadium, Regina
- TV: TSN
- Stream: Watch live on CFL+
Odds
- Spread: Saskatchewan Roughriders -8
- Moneyline: Saskatchewan Roughriders -410, Ottawa Redblacks +320
- Over/Under: 61
Saskatchewan comes in a solid 4-2-1 against the spread with the over hitting in four of their seven games this year. Ottawa's been a coin flip vs. the number at 2-3-1 ATS, but their totals have trended low — three overs, four unders — which tracks with a team that can't finish drives.
Overview
The Saskatchewan Roughriders (5-2) are riding a one-game win streak into this one after grinding out a 28-26 road win at Edmonton, with Tommy Stevens punching in three short-yardage touchdowns and Trevor Harris doing what Trevor Harris does in winning time. That result came a week after Saskatchewan got outgunned 36-34 by the Elks in a shootout at Mosaic — so this team has shown it can win two very different ways, physical or aerial, and that versatility matters against a rebuilding Ottawa defense that just fired its coordinator.
The Ottawa Redblacks (0-7) are in freefall. They've dropped five straight, got outscored 34-13 by Montreal last week, and head coach Ryan Dinwiddie called his team's red-zone execution "embarrassing" after watching Ottawa stall out inside the 5-yard line over and over. The fallout was swift — defensive coordinator Will Fields is out, with Jeff Reinebold sliding over to take the reins. Ottawa's given up 247 points already, easily the worst mark in the league, while Saskatchewan's defense has allowed the fewest points in the CFL at 195.
Saskatchewan already beat this Ottawa team once this season, a 27-22 win back in Week 5, and they've now won six straight home games against the Redblacks dating back to 2018 — when, fittingly, Trevor Harris was still wearing Ottawa's colors. Harris is 11-4 in his career against his former team and sits just 49 yards away from becoming the 12th quarterback in CFL history to reach 40,000 career passing yards. Add in that Saskatchewan has scored at least 27 points in every game this year, and it's hard to find where Ottawa flips the script here. This is Saskatchewan's game to lose.
Key Players
- Trevor Harris (Saskatchewan Roughriders, QB) — 168-of-231 for 2,254 yards and 17 touchdowns this year, and he's 49 yards from 40,000 for his career against the franchise that used to employ him.
- Kian Schaffer-Baker (Saskatchewan Roughriders, WR) — Leads the Riders with 704 receiving yards, though he's on the injury list this week; KeeSean Johnson (46 catches, 581 yards, 5 TD) becomes the No. 1 target if Schaffer-Baker sits.
- Tommy Stevens (Saskatchewan Roughriders, QB) — Scored three rushing touchdowns last week, pushing his career total to 38 and moving him into the CFL's all-time top 50, one ahead of Ricky Ray's 39.
- Jake Maier (Ottawa Redblacks, QB) — Career 5-3 against Saskatchewan and has thrown for 948 yards over his last three games, the one real bright spot in a lost Ottawa season.
- Ayden Eberhardt (Ottawa Redblacks, WR) — On pace for a career-high 1,383 receiving yards, giving Ottawa a legitimate weapon even while everything around him falls apart.
Keys to the Game
- Feed the two-quarterback attack early — Stevens in short yardage, Harris through the air — and don't let Ottawa hang around against a defense that's been gassed by red-zone breakdowns of its own making.
- Get after Jake Maier up front; James Vaughters and this Riders pass rush need to make Ottawa one-dimensional and force the turnovers this defense has been generating.
- Control the clock and the short-yardage game — Ottawa is a perfect 22-for-22 on field goals, so let them settle for three and keep this one out of reach with touchdowns instead.
Injury Report
| Player | Team | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Albert Awachie (FB) | Saskatchewan Roughriders | Out |
| Darius Bell (OL) | Saskatchewan Roughriders | Available |
| Tevaughn Campbell (DB) | Saskatchewan Roughriders | Out |
| Samuel Emilus (WR) | Saskatchewan Roughriders | Questionable |
| Zack Fry (OL) | Saskatchewan Roughriders | Out |
| Nelson Lokombo (DB) | Saskatchewan Roughriders | Available |
| Ali Saad (DL) | Saskatchewan Roughriders | Out |
| Kian Schaffer-Baker (WR) | Saskatchewan Roughriders | Out |
| Daniel Johnson (OL) | Saskatchewan Roughriders | Questionable |
| James Letcher Jr. (WR) | Saskatchewan Roughriders | Out |
| Josh Woods (LB) | Saskatchewan Roughriders | Questionable |
Depth Chart
Saskatchewan Roughriders starters by position, built from this week's official depth chart. This table covers the Saskatchewan Roughriders only.
| Position | Saskatchewan Roughriders |
|---|---|
| QB | Trevor Harris (Jack Coan, Tommy Stevens) |
| RB | Quali Conley (Thomas Bertrand-Hudon) |
| WR (wide) | Dylan Djete, Dhel Duncan-Busby (Daniel Wiebe) |
| SB (slotback) | KeeSean Johnson, Johnny Johnson III, D'Sean Mimbs |
| LT | Payton Collins (Erik Andersen) |
| LG | Daniel Johnson |
| C | Logan Ferland (Darius Bell) |
| RG | Jacob Brammer |
| RT | Jermarcus Hardrick |
| DE | Desmond Evans, James Vaughters (Derick Roberson, Liam Hoskins) |
| DT | Caleb Sanders, Devin Adams (Mike Rose) |
| WLB | Ryder Varga (Nick Wiebe, Josh Woods) |
| MLB | Jameer Thurman (David Gbenda, Aubrey Miller Jr.) |
| SLB | Melique Straker (Seyi Oladipo Jr., Antoine Brooks Jr.) |
| CB | Marcus Sayles, Malcolm Bell (Nelson Lokombo) |
| HB | Jonathan Edouard, DaMarcus Fields |
| FS | Kerfalla Exumé (Jaxon Ford) |
| K | Alex Hale |
| P | Oscar Chapman |
| LS | Mike Benson |
Score Prediction
Saskatchewan Roughriders 35 - Ottawa Redblacks 27. Ottawa's defense has been leaking points all season and just changed coordinators on the fly, while Saskatchewan has scored at least 27 in every game and gets a home crowd it hasn't lost in front of against this opponent since 2018. Expect Harris and Stevens to keep moving the ball enough to cover -8, with Maier and Eberhardt making it respectable but not competitive.
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Who takes this one? Drop your prediction in the comments.