For the first time since 2010, the CFL season opened in Saskatchewan with the Roughriders playing host to the Redblacks.
It was an opener that featured a little bit of everything: impressive offence, big plays on defence, people chuckling as a grown man got hit in the private parts, and a dramatic comeback that came up just short. In the end, Saskatchewan held on for a 31-26 win to start the season 1-0 for the sixth year in a row.
Here are my thoughts on how it all went down.
It’s not how you start or finish
Most movies and television shows try to start strong and then build to a wild finish that people will remember. The Riders’ performance on Thursday flipped that script entirely.
The game couldn’t have started much worse for Saskatchewan, then they almost blew it at the end. The Riders kicked off this year’s maiden voyage by getting carved up on defence before going two-and-out on offence. They compounded those problems with a botched field goal attempt as Joe Couch wasn’t able to get the hold down, then a fumble on their next possession.
In the middle part of this game, however, Saskatchewan played nearly flawless football. Then, the fourth quarter happened, and the Riders looked like a team that was hell-bent on justifying the “No Lead is Safe” mantra of the CFL. It was strange to see a team not be able to do anything right, then look unstoppable, only to struggle again to close out the game.
Injury concerns
Saskatchewan’s injury woes from the preseason carried over into Week 1. Big free-agent acquisition Sean McEwen was injured during training camp, leaving a hole in the middle of the offensive line. Rookie left tackle Payton Collins limped off the field, joining Rolan Milligan Jr., A.J. Ouellette, and Kian Schaffer-Baker, who all left the game in the first half and didn’t return.
Late in the game, DaMarcus Fields took a shoulder to, ahem, a sensitive area, and he also had to exit the game. There was no word on the extent of any of the injuries, but those are some very talented players that would be tough to replace if they miss time.
TBH the Riders may have a new starting RB
A.J. Ouellette was hoping to get off to a strong start after a disappointing 2024 but it isn’t looking good so far. After mixed results early in the game, Ouellette got drilled by Jovan Santos-Knox and was forced to leave the game after having trouble getting to his feet.
That opened the door for Thomas Bertrand-Hudon, who ran right through it. The third-year back out of Delaware State will lead the CFL in rushing for at least a day after a 14-carry, 57-yard performance that would have looked much more impressive had a 37-yard carry not been called back for holding.
The 28-year-old also found his way into the end zone for a pair of touchdowns, including the Green and White’s final major of the night that put them up 31-14. His running style is actually quite similar to that of Ouellette, and he allowed Saskatchewan to stick to their original game plan as seven of his carries went for at last half the yardage for a first down.
You have to feel for Ouellette going into year two of injury issues, but there is no denying that Bertrand-Hudon looked effective behind the banged-up interior of Saskatchewan’s offensive line. He certainly has earned an extended look, regardless of Ouellette’s status for Week 2 against Hamilton.
Satback down
The Riders won the trenches battle on both sides of the ball against Ottawa. There are very few constants in the Canadian Football League, and that is doubly true for the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
One thing you could count on last season was that the Riders’ run defence was going to shut down basically anyone they faced off with. If opening night was any indication, that will continue in 2025.
The Riders shut down William Stanback on Thursday night, holding last year’s second-leading rusher to just 26 yards on nine carries. Saskatchewan turned Ottawa into a one-dimensional team, and were a couple of drops on would-be interceptions. That was a staple of this defence a year ago, and it looks like it is going to cause headaches for opposing offensive coordinators again this season.
Emilus is more
While a new face stole the show in the backfield, it was a familiar connection through the air that did most of the damage as Trevor Harris and Samuel Emilus put up big nights.
Much like everything else with the Riders, the night didn’t start well for Emilus, who fumbled while fighting for extra yards on his first catch of the day. He absolutely made up for it as the game went on, reaching the century mark before the first half was up.
In all, Emilus caught all eight targets that came his way for 133 yards and a touchdown. This type of game is always within the range of outcomes for the fourth-year receiver out of Montreal, it is just a matter of finding it consistently.
Emilus had three games last year with less than 30 yards receiving compared to two games over 100 yards. Harris is the king of “just take what the defence gives you,” but Emilus made sure he was the apple of his quarterback’s eye in Week 1. More performances like this could really help unlock something in Saskatchewan’s offence for 2025.
Offensive line impresses
For all the concerns about the offensive line without McEwen, they held up perfectly fine against a tough Ottawa front. The lone interception on Trevor Harris’ line was a result of getting hit as he threw. Aside from that, though, the veteran pivot was kept relatively clean as the young, make-shift line didn’t surrender a sack and got enough of a push to allow Bertrand-Hudon to impress.
It’s just one game, but the offensive line being a non-issue in Week 1 has to give head coach Corey Mace at least a couple of extra minutes of sleep this week.
Brown seeing Green
On the first drive of the game, Ottawa quarterback Dru Brown had time to pick apart Saskatchewan’s secondary. The coverage got much more snug as the game went on, but the pass rush wasn’t finding a home. That is, until the game was on the line.
Saskatchewan sacked Brown on three of Ottawa’s last four possessions with Malik Carney’s second of the game providing the dagger on second down, setting up a sub-optimal third-and-27 with the game on the line. Jameer Thurman’s sack may stick with Brown the longest, as he was noticeably distressed after the linebacker’s knee appeared to strike his hip area.
It had to be a bit of déjà vu for Brown, who was hurt in the tie between these two clubs last year, forcing him to miss a week. The pass rush may not have been as consistent as Saskatchewan would have liked, but you saw enough flashes from Carney, Thurman, and newcomers Mike Rose and Shane Ray to make you believe this defence will be just fine in 2025.
Alford one
During training camp, we were all saying Mario Alford is an elite returner and, even at age 34, is the one true king of the returns for Saskatchewan.
Whether Alford was competing for his job or frustrated that people thought he was, it produced a brilliant game. Alford averaged 28 yards per return, and he allowed the Riders to start in excellent field position.
Saskatchewan had five drives end in points against Ottawa. Those drives started on their own 46, 30, 40, 42, and Ottawa’s 43-yard line. Obviously, that’s not exclusively because of Alford, but he had as big of a role in that as anyone else, and it allowed the Riders to get out to the lead that they did.
Final thoughts
At the beginning of this column, I mentioned movies and TV focusing on the start and end of their shows. Those are the parts that people generally remember, and they can leave a lasting impression.
This is why it might be tough for fans to look back on this game with a ton of confidence. But, if you take a step back and look at the game as a whole, the Riders spent much more of this game looking like a great football team than they did a bad one. The offensive line holding up as well as it did was a major win, and while injuries are never fun, Saskatchewan recovered nicely, which should give fans confidence moving forward.
This is a team that has big dreams for the upcoming season. No, you wouldn’t play the Mortal Kombat “Flawless Victory” sound after this game, but basically every part of what the Riders are hoping is a championship formula showed up at a high level in Week 1, even if only for a moment.
We’ll see if they can keep it up against Hamilton, a team with a deep, talented receiving corps and a very good quarterback, but also features a defence that has quite a few question marks this season. That certainly sounds like the team they just faced, so it should be interesting — or infuriating — but it absolutely will not be boring.
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