Roughriders not getting ahead of themselves against winless Redblacks

The Saskatchewan Roughriders hope history doesn’t repeat itself when the winless Ottawa Redblacks visit Mosaic Stadium on Friday.

The Redblacks (0-7) are the underdogs against the defending Grey Cup champion Roughriders, who occupy second place in the CFL’s West Division with a 5-2 record.

When asked how dangerous a winless team can be, Saskatchewan’s quarterback Trevor Harris and head coach Corey Mace recalled a 2024 game in which the Roughriders were stung.

The 0-7 Edmonton Elks travelled to Regina and defeated the 5-2 Roughriders 42-31 on Aug. 3.

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“The one thing I can say about football is adversity is ubiquitous. It’s found everywhere,” Harris said. ”We’ve just got to make sure that we know that adversity is going to come tomorrow, and anybody that thinks they’re a bad football team doesn’t watch film.

“This team was up two touchdowns against Winnipeg in the fourth quarter. This team pushed Montreal to the limit a few weeks ago. They maybe didn’t play a great game last game, but how often do you see professional football clubs play two poor games in a row? It doesn’t happen. They’re going to respond.”

The 40-year-old quarterback said the ‘Riders need to concentrate on their own game rather than what the desperate Redblacks will bring.

“We don’t really ever concern ourselves too much with other teams,” Harris said. ”It’s about how are we executing because if we play our game, I’m always going to like us.

“If you don’t, then what kind of confidence do you have in your guys?”

Redblacks head coach and general manager Ryan Dinwiddie says his players must put in the work to improve.

“We’ve got to find ways to get better, and we obviously got to critique some things. But I think we’ve got to keep that locker room positive, right?” said Dinwiddie, who is in his first season as Ottawa’s head coach and GM after six seasons as head coach of the Toronto Argonauts.

“Even in the coaching staff, we’ve got to keep it positive. I mean 0-7 can [have] a lot of stress on a lot of folks. We know where we’re at, but at the end of the day, we’ve got to make sure we do our jobs.

“I just tell the guys don’t read the outside noise … It’s all about the guys in this building. I’m sure there’s people who have picked us to lose this game going into Saskatchewan. We’re 0-7 but it doesn’t mean we can’t go in there and capture a win.”

Saskatchewan has dealt with an extensive run of injuries this season.

Receiver Kian Schaffer-Baker (knee), defensive back Rolan Milligan Jr. (knee), cornerback Tevaughn Campbell (forearm), running back A.J. Ouellette (knee), receiver Sam Emilus and offensive lineman Zack Fry (knee) were on the six-game injured list.

The next-man-up mentality has been repeated by Saskatchewan’s coaches and players this season, and the Roughriders are one of the top teams in the league despite injuries.

“I’m not shocked at that because I see these guys work nonstop,” Mace said. “Our coaches do a good job. For example, they’ll give out tests every week to the position group, and yeah, you better have the answers whether you’re playing or not, so it just keeps everybody accountable. It keeps them attentive in all the meeting rooms. It’s just the environment here.

“We know that injuries are going to happen, so to not have people prepared would be a misstep. I’m not shocked that these guys are able to execute at the standard that we’re looking for.”