Roughriders look to snap winless skid in Montreal on Saturday

National Post

2 days ago

The last time the Saskatchewan Roughriders won a game in Montreal, Trevor Harris was the starting quarterback for the home side.
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Now with the Roughriders, Harris and company will try to snap Saskatchewan's winless skid in Montreal dating back to 2021 when the Roughriders (6-1) visit the Alouettes (5-2) on Saturday (5 p.m., TSN) in Week 9 of the CFL season.
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The Roughriders are coming off a 21-18 win over the Edmonton Elks last week, which was Saskatchewan's second straight victory, while the Alouettes just knocked off the Calgary Stampeders 23-21 last week for their second straight win.
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Injury news
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Roughriders' receiver Samuel Emilus (knee) has been ruled out for Saturday's contest after suffering an injury against the Elks last week. Defensive end Lake Korte-Moore (knee) and linebacker Aubrey Miller Jr. (knee) have also been ruled out for Saskatchewan.
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Meanwhile, Payton Collins is expected to return to the lineup along the offensive line after being injured in Week 1. He is replacing Darius Washington at left tackle. Daniel Johnson remains sidelined with a shoulder injury.
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For Montreal, McLeod Bethel-Thompson gets his second straight start at quarterback for the injured Davis Alexander while the Alouettes will also be without top receivers Tyson Philpot (knee) and Austin Mack (ankle).
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Road trip
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Saskatchewan's last win in Montreal was on Oct. 30, 2021, when the Cody Fajardo-led Roughriders picked up a 19-14 victory that saw Harris replace Matthew Shiltz at quarterback in the game for the Alouettes with then starter Vernon Adams Jr. sidelined.
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Harris was at the helm for the Alouettes in 2022 when Montreal prevailed 37-13 while Caleb Evans quarterbacked the Als to a 41-12 victory in 2023.
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Last year, Davis Alexander came off the bench to replace an ineffective Evans in Week 8 as the Alouettes erased a 16-3 halftime deficit to win 20-16.
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As hard as it's been for the Roughriders to win in Montreal, the Green and White have picked up five straight road victories dating back to last season.
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Saturday's game features two of the top teams in the league as the Roughriders enter the week leading the West Division while the Alouettes are tied with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at 5-2 with the Ti-Cats currently holding the head-to-head tiebreaker.
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It's the first meeting of the season between the two clubs as Montreal will make the trip to Saskatchewan on Sept. 13 in Week 15.
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And while this matchup will be a good measuring-stick game, Roughriders veteran cornerback Marcus Sayles says each game is important no matter the opponent.