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A couple of new faces on the Saskatchewan Roughriders are getting ready for their first taste of how loud Winnipeg’s IG Field can be when you’re wearing green and white.
The Roughriders and Winnipeg Blue Bombers will meet in the annual Banjo Bowl game Saturday. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.
The Roughriders won the first regular-season meeting between these two CFL teams in 2019, posting a 19-17 victory in the Labour Day Classic on Sunday at Mosaic Stadium.
Linebacker Solomon Elimimian got his first taste of the historic rivalry in that game. He recorded nine tackles in the contest.
“It felt like a playoff game,” Elimimian said. “(It felt like) the Grey Cup in 2011. We had 50,000 (fans in BC Place Stadium), it was loud and it meant so much. That was similar to what it felt like last weekend.”
Elimimian joined the Roughriders this past off-season after playing nine seasons with the B.C. Lions.
He expects it to be loud Saturday with thousands of Bombers fans out to cheer on Winnipeg. He’s also expecting to see some stringed instruments in the crowd as well.
“I expect a dogfight and I expect to see some banjos in the crowd because I always used to see them on TV,” Elimimian said. “I’m expecting our team to come out there and compete.”
Another newcomer to the Saskatchewan-Winnipeg rivalry is receiver Emmanuel Arceneaux. He also joined the Green and White this past off-season after spending eight seasons with B.C.
Arceneaux said the way the two fan bases support the teams is the biggest difference he has noticed when comparing it to other rivalry games.
“I applaud those fans for the energy they bring not just on game day, but in public and around the town,” Arceneaux said.
In order to prepare for the energy the Winnipeg fans will be bringing to the game, the Roughriders have been using recorded crowd noise throughout the week to prepare.
Arceneaux said he prefers to hear the real thing.
“That noise they pump in (to the stadium during practice) is worse than the fans, to be honest with you,” Arceneaux said. “I can’t wait to hear the fans scream.”
Head coach Craig Dickenson said his team needs to be prepared for the challenges it will face on offence with how noisy it’s going to get.
“It gets really loud. I’m not sure if it’s louder than (Mosaic Stadium) but it’s close,” Dickenson said. “I know a couple years ago they had a bragging rights (contest) between our stadium and theirs and I think it’s neck and neck.”
He said the loud noise can be unnerving for an offence, no matter how prepared it is.
“Quarterbacks and all players have an internal clock and they know when they’re up against it,” Dickenson said. “That’s one of the things we’ve talked about this week — playing with the noise and playing with poise.”
The Blue Bombers (8-3) have won four of the past six Banjo Bowl meetings. The Roughriders (7-3) are looking for their first seven-game win streak since 2014. First place in the West Division will be on the line in the meeting.
The Green Zone pre-game show gets underway at noon.