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National Post
2 hours ago
- Sport
- National Post
Rider Rumblings Ep 164: Roughriders held off Redblacks, injuries in Week 1
Despite a few turnovers and a few injuries in their season-opening game against the Ottawa Redblacks last week, the Saskatchewan Roughriders escaped with a Week 1 victory. Article content The Roughriders lost running back A.J. Ouellette, receiver Kian Schaffer-Baker and defensive back Rolan Milligan Jr. to injuries early in the game but they were still able to defeat the Redblacks 31-26 thanks to some strong performances by those who stepped up. Article content Article content Article content In Episode 164 of the Rider Rumblings podcast, Leader-Post sports editor Taylor Shire and columnist Darrell Davis dive into what made the Roughriders successful last Thursday and what they need to improve on going forward into Week 2 as Saskatchewan is set to visit the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Saturday. Article content
National Post
a day ago
- Sport
- National Post
The Big Question: What are the Saskatchewan Roughriders doing about their injuries?
Ka'Deem Carey is the first part of an answer to this week's Big Question about the Saskatchewan Roughriders: Article content Article content An all-star running back who won a Grey Cup last season with the Toronto Argonauts, Carey has joined the Roughriders to fill one of four roster spots left vacant by injuries suffered during Saskatchewan's season-opening, 31-26 victory Thursday over the Ottawa Redblacks. Article content Carey will likely replace starter A.J. Ouellette, who left Thursday's game late in the first quarter after getting hit in the head. Signing Carey was anticipated because Riders head coach Corey Mace used to be an assistant coach with the Calgary Stampeders, where he worked with the veteran running back. Mace was asked about Carey after the Argonauts unexpectedly released him during training camp. Article content 'I'm trying to find a better word, but it's a crappy situation,' Mace said last week. 'Knowing Ka'Deem though, he's a happy-go-lucky guy. I know he's got an unbelievable family back home and, you know, I wouldn't be shocked if he's playing football in the CFL this year.' Article content Although backup running back Thomas Bertrand-Hudon replaced Ouellette admirably, scoring a rushing and a receiving touchdown against Ottawa, the Roughriders are expected to start Carey on Saturday when they visit the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The Roughriders also need to replace slotback Kian Schaffer-Baker, who limped noticeably on his left leg after getting hurt in the first quarter. Article content Article content Defensive back Rolan Milligan Jr. and offensive lineman Payton Collins also had to be replaced because of in-game injuries. The extent of their injuries will be more evident when the Roughriders return to the practice field Tuesday. Article content Article content Milligan, a CFL all-star who last season was the league's outstanding defensive player, appeared to get knocked out while making a second-quarter tackle. Collins, the left tackle who was playing his first CFL game on an offensive line that had been decimated and reformulated because of pre-season injuries, had a knee twisted during a fourth-quarter offensive play. Article content Veteran receiver Mitch Picton, who replaced Schaffer-Baker, could be called upon again to play slotback while the Roughriders will likely juggle their secondary and offensive line to compensate for the other losses. Article content Rookie DBs Eddie Heckard or Antoine Brooks Jr., each of whom had impressive pre-seasons, could be activated from the practice roster to make their first CFL start. On the offensive line, the Roughriders are hoping Jacob Brammer (back) can return from a one-game stint on the injury list and start at right guard, shifting Trevon Tate back to left tackle and Zack Fry to left guard. Article content
CBC
4 days ago
- Sport
- CBC
Roughriders hold off Redblacks 31-26 in CFL season opener
The Saskatchewan Roughriders won the CFL's first game of the 2025 season, but the 31-26 victory over the Ottawa Redblacks on Thursday was costly. The Roughriders lost four starters to injury, including three in the first 17 minutes. Receiver Kian Schaffer-Baker appeared to injure his left ankle; tailback A.J. Ouellette suffered a suspected head injury; and defensive back Rolan Milligan left the game with an apparent neck injury. Offensive lineman Payton Collins was injured in the third quarter of his CFL debut when an Ottawa player rolled up the back of his right leg. None of the four injured Riders returned to the game. The Roughriders dealt with injury issues last season and focused on a next-man-up mentality. Thursday's game took that to another level, and one that head coach Corey Mace expects from his players. "The next-man-up mentality, that certainly that has been our experience in the past, but the expectation is you've got to get the job done," Mace said. "You're on this team; you're a professional athlete. We're not going to change too much stuff up just because somebody else is in there. If you're on the active roster, things keep rolling. I'm extremely proud of the guys who had to step up and double duty, because a lot of those guys also are on special teams, having to suck wind in Week 1." Saskatchewan took a 31-17 lead into the fourth quarter, but the Redblacks, behind the impressive play of quarterback Dru Brown, cut the deficit to 31-26 with four minutes left in the game. Brown, who completed 34 of 41 passes for 413 yards with two touchdowns, had the Redblacks on their own 41-yard line with 1:11 left to play. After an incompletion, Brown was sacked for a 16-yard loss by Saskatchewan's Malik Carney. Facing a third-and-26 situation, Brown connected with William Stanback on a 14-yard completion that turned the ball over on downs. "It sucks to lose," Brown lamented. "I wish it was different but at the end of the day, it's one game. It's a game we felt we could've won. Great teams still thrive in this type of environment and there were some encouraging things going on. "We're on our way. We're not there yet but we'll get there." When Ouellette went down, Thomas Bertrand-Hudon stepped into the void and rushed for 57 yards and one touchdown on 14 carries. He also gained 17 yards and one touchdown on two receptions. Betrand-Hudon benefited from the blocking of Samuel Emilus on his rushing touchdown, which gave the Riders a 31-14 lead. "He blocked his tail off the entire game, and he helped me out score a couple of times, so I've got to give props to him. He actually swung me into [the end zone]," Bertrand-Hudon said. It was the second two-touchdown game of Betrand-Hudon's CFL career. He scored twice in a 33-26 loss to the B.C. Lions on Sept. 29, 2023, during his rookie season. Despite some big offensive numbers by Ottawa — Brown's 413 passing yards and Justin Hardy and Bralon Addison with 133 and 112 receiving yards respectively — Mace felt Saskatchewan's defence answered the bell when it mattered. "This is what I do understand about this defence, and it has been this way since even I played — I don't care how many yards, just tell me if it's a W or an L," the coach stated. "As far as the defence being able to stand up when we needed it, to make a big play, yeah, they made them when we needed them." Roughriders starting quarterback Trevor Harris also wasn't concerned about how the victory looked. "It's early in the season and we've got to understand that these are full 60-minute football games," Harris said. "It's tough to win in this league. "Our defence stepped up, our specials did a great job. We're going to be all right. We're going to be a different team when it comes to Week 15 and playoff time and Labour Day. "We're going to be improved from where we are right now. But make no mistake, these wins matter at the end of the year, so a win is a win." Ottawa scored a touchdown on their first possession of the season. The Redblacks drove 87 yards on 10 plays with backup quarterback Dustin Crum reaching the end zone on a one-yard sneak. Brown was seven-for-seven passing for 84 yards on the drive. Harris completed 19 of 26 pass attempts for 277 yards and two touchdown throws in the game. His backup Tommy Stevens scored on a one-yard run 13 seconds into the second quarter and Emilus hauled in a 10-yard touchdown pass from Harris seven minutes later to increase Saskatchewan's lead to 14-7. A 17-yard field goal by Brett Lauther with 17 seconds left in the quarter gave the Riders a 17-7 halftime lead. Emilus had an impressive first half with six receptions for 106 yards and one touchdown. He finished the game with eight catches for 133 yards. Geno Lewis, on an eight-yard reception, and Stanback, on a two-yard run, also scored second-half touchdowns for the Redblacks.
Globe and Mail
4 days ago
- Health
- Globe and Mail
Saskatchewan Roughriders kick off 2025 CFL season with 31-26 win over Ottawa Redblacks
The Saskatchewan Roughriders won the CFL's first game of the 2025 season, but it was a costly 31-26 victory over the Ottawa Redblacks. The Roughriders lost four starters to injury, including three in the first 17 minutes of Thursday's game. Receiver Kian Schaffer-Baker appeared to injure his left ankle, tailback A.J. Ouellette suffered a suspected head injury and defensive back Rolan Milligan left the game with an apparent neck injury. Offensive lineman Payton Collins in his CFL debut was injured in the third quarter when an Ottawa player rolled up the back of his right leg. None of the four injured 'Riders returned to the game. Ottawa scored a touchdown on their first possession of the season. The Redblacks drove 87 yards on 10 plays with backup quarterback Dustin Crum reaching the end zone on a one-yard sneak. Redblacks quarterback Dru Brown was seven-for-seven passing for 84 yards on the drive. Saskatchewan responded with 17 unanswered points in the second quarter. Quarterback Trevor Harris completed 19 of 26 pass attempts for 277 yards and two touchdown throws in the game. QB depth stretches far across CFL as season kickoff looms His backup quarterback Tommy Stevens scored on a one-yard run 13 seconds into the second quarter and Samuel Emilus hauled in a 10-yard touchdown pass from Harris seven minutes later to increase Saskatchewan's lead to 14-7. A 17-yard field goal by Brett Lauther with 17 seconds left in the quarter gave the Riders a 17-7 halftime lead. Emilus had an impressive first half with six receptions for 106 yards and one touchdown. He finished the game with eight catches for 133 yards. Thomas Bertrand-Hudon took over for Ouellette in the Saskatchewan backfield and added two touchdowns in the third quarter. He had a 15-yard reception for a major three minutes into the quarter and he scored on a six-yard run late in the quarter. It was the second two-touchdown game of Betrand-Hudon's CFL career. He scored twice in a 33-26 loss to the B.C. Lions on Sept. 29, 2023, during his rookie season. Geno Lewis, on an eight-yard reception, William Stanback, on a two-yard run, and Justin Hardy, on a 27-yard reception, also scored second-half touchdowns for the Redblacks, who cut the deficit to 31-26 with four minutes left in the fourth quarter. Brown completed 34 of 41 passes for 413 yards with two touchdowns. Hardy, with eight catches for 133 yards, and Bralon Addison, with eight receptions for 112 yards, led Ottawa's receivers.
CTV News
5 days ago
- Health
- CTV News
Injury bug plagues Riders in opening game win over Ottawa
Saskatchewan Roughriders running back AJ Ouellette (right) runs the football against the Ottawa Redblacks during the first half of CFL football action in Regina, on Thursday, June 5, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Heywood Yu The Saskatchewan Roughriders paid a hefty price to beat the Ottawa Redblacks 31-26 to open the 2025 CFL season. In the first 17 minutes, Kian Schaffer-Baker, A.J. Ouelette and Rolan Milligan Jr. all left the game with injures and did not return. No updates were immediately available on the specifics of each injury. Schaffer-Baker was seen on the Rider sideline with an apparent limp, favouring his left leg, about midway through the first quarter. Near the end of that frame, Ouelette took a hard hit to the head when tackled by Adarius Pickett. Ouelette was slow to get up and left the game after the play. To start the second quarter, Milligan Jr. made a tackle on Ottawa's Bralon Addison and went down hard. Both Ouelette and Milligan Jr. were taken to the locker room for further evaluation. In third quarter, OL Payton Collins – who was making his first professional start Thursday – also left the game with an injury and did not return. Despite the valuable losses, the offense clicked for the Riders, combining for over 360 yards through the air and on the ground and finding the endzone four times. Trevor Harris went 19/26, 277 yards passing, throwing two touchdowns and one interception. In relief of Ouelette, Thomas Bertrand-Hudon ran the ball well – totaling 57 yards on 14 carries, while also notching 17 yards receiving on two catches. Bertrand-Hudon also reached the endzone twice himself. Samuel Emilus led the game in receiving with 133 yards, making catches on all eight targets and a touchdown. The 2024 Most Outstanding Canadian nominee only had two 100-plus-yard receiving games last season. The Riders did have to stave off a late charge from the Redblacks. Saskatchewan led 31-14 at the end of the third, but Ottawa scored 12-unanswered points on two touchdowns, failing on a 2-point convert to draw within five. The Riders' defense would stand tall on the final Ottawa drive of the game - forcing a turnover on downs - icing the game.
