Coming off a huge, Week 1 win over the defending Grey Cup champion Calgary Stampeders on the road last weekend, the Ottawa REDBLACKS will look to improve their early-season record to 2-0 on Thursday night as they host the Saskatchewan Roughriders .
Following the first-ever REDBLACKS win in Calgary, punctuated by a five-yard rush punched into the end zone by Dominique Davis late in the fourth quarter, all eyes are now on the Roughriders.
A complete team effort was necessary at McMahon Stadium to come away with the win, as the defence starred in holding the Stamps to 318 offensive yards while also shutting them down in the second half of the game, allowing the offence to climb back into the game. Davis, once the dust settled, had three rushing touchdowns and a total of 276 passing yards on the night. Mossis Madu was also a standout for the REDBLACKS in Week 1, as the running back rushed for 112 yards on 24 carries. Rick Campbell’s men proved that even when they are down, they are far from out, which is a great thing to prove in Week 1 of the regular season.
Coming off a road loss in Hamilton last week, a heated battled that had a final score of 23-17 in favor of the Ti-Cats, the Roughriders will be coming into TD Place without starting quarterback Zach Collaros, who was placed on the six-game injured list following a headshot in that first game. The Riders will come into the game with a potential combination of Cody Fajardo or Isaac Harker under centre on Thursday night. Fajardo came on in relief of Collaros, but was also hurt during the game, forcing 23-year-old rookie Isaac Harker into play. Harker and his teammates were able to keep it close until the end of the game, but could not come away with the win against the Ti-Cats.
STORYLINES
“Willie P“ returns
Thursday’s game marks the return of former REDBLACKS running back William Powell. Powell spent the first three seasons of his CFL career in Ottawa, playing in 35 games for the REDBLACKS and putting up 2,835 rushing yards, 719 receiving yards and a total of 17 touchdowns. Powell will be returning to TD Place for the first time since he signed with Saskatchewan in the offseason.
Keeping the streak alive
The REDBLACKS have defeated the Roughriders the past three regular season meetings between the teams, going back to the 2017 season. Ottawa beat Saskatchewan during the seventeenth week of action in the 2017 season, in a tight affair that ended 33-32 for the REDBLACKS. Last year, Ottawa defeated the Roughriders both at home and away, with scores of 40-17 and 30-25, respectively. In these past three wins for Ottawa over the past two seasons, the REDBLACKS have outscored the Riders 103-74.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
Questions left unanswered at QB
With Zach Collaros being placed on the 6-game injured list, the Riders have two options at QB. Fajardo came in relief for Collaros after his injury early in the game, but went 9/17 for 66 yards passing, before we saw Isaac Harker come in the game. Harker went 8/14 passing, with 128 yards gained, and was intercepted twice. Despite all of that, the ‘Riders kept it close the whole game and only went on to lose by six points, in large part because of the combined work of their backup quarterbacks. While Fajardo is listed as Thursday’s starter, it’s expected Harker will also be in the mix.
New faces, new (green) digs
After an active 2019 free agency period, the Roughriders, like many teams in the CFL, are showing a new look to their roster this year, with many new acquisitions coming to the team. William Powell and AC Leonard, two ex-REDBLACKS, are amongst those new names to their roster. Also new this year for Saskatchewan is Micah Johnson, who had 14 sacks last season.
GAME INFO
Saskatchewan Roughriders @ Ottawa REDBLACKS | Week 2 – June 20, 2019
Kickoff – 7:30 p.m. ET | TD Place Stadium
BROADCAST INFO
7:30 PM ET | EN: TSN 1-3-5
Radio : EN : TSN 1200 | FR : 104,7 Outaouais FM
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