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Plenty of new faces will get a chance to show what they can do in the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ second preseason game.
The CFL club is sitting a number of the presumed starters for the game against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Friday. Kickoff for the game is set for 7 p.m. at Mosaic Stadium. The Green Zone pregame show begins at 5 p.m.
Those starters include quarterback Trevor Harris, linebackers C.J. Reavis, C.J. Avery and Jameer Thurman, along with defensive backs Marcus Sayles, Rolan Milligan Jr., Nelson Lokombo and Tevaughn Campbell. Also sitting in the game are running back AJ Ouellette, defensive ends Shane Ray and Malik Carney, wide receivers Samuel Emilus and Kian Schaffer-Baker, and offensive linemen Jermarcus Hardrick and Logan Ferland.
One of the reasons for so many starters getting the game off is due to the quick turnaround ahead of the CFL regular season opener. Saskatchewan will host the Ottawa Redblacks on June 5.
“(The schedule) was something we looked at going into camp and it did have something to do with it. I understand the sentiment that you want all of your guys playing in the home games but for us, we want to make sure we are healthy going into Week 1,” Riders head coach Corey Mace said. “In saying that, we are still trying to formulate the backend of the roster. An unbelievable amount of reps for guys to make those decisions tough for us.
“I think it played out healthy for us.”
With Harris not playing, that opens it up for Jake Maier, Jack Coan and Tommy Stevens to showcase what they can do at the quarterback spot.
Maier joined the Riders after having his negotiation rights traded from the Calgary Stampeders to Saskatchewan.
He admits training camp has felt different this season.
“I’m appreciative though – I really am just with how the last couple of years have gone for me personally and feeling like I have entered an environment that has taken me in and appreciated me for who I am,” Maier said. “Being around guys like Trevor Harris and reuniting again with coach Mueller has been a nice reset for me personally. I am super grateful to be here.”
In the first preseason game – a 15-9 loss to the Bombers – Maier completed eight of 13 passes for 80 yards and an interception.
Coan is looking to show what sort of development he had in the offseason after spending most of his rookie CFL season as the Riders’ third-string quarterback last year.
“It feels great. I am just familiar with everything in terms of my teammates, the coaches and the playbook. I have taken a step forward and my comfortability with everything is a lot higher than last year so I can play a little bit faster and a little bit better,” Coan said.
Coan completed three of six passes in the first preseason game for 50 yards.
On the defensive side, a player who will look to impress is defensive end Ali Saad. The Riders’ first-round pick in this year’s CFL draft made his pro debut last week in the preseason.
“It was a great experience,” Saad said. “As a D-lineman, I felt like I just had to work on a couple of things and get used to that game speed, especially that 20-second (play clock), which got me a little bit tired. I thought everything went well.”
With training camp moving back to Regina, Saad finally got a chance to enter Mosaic Stadium as a player.
“It was great. I was kind of shocked and didn’t expect it — I thought it was beautiful,” Saad said. “I came out here and looked around and I was like, ‘I really made it.’ It was a great atmosphere.
“Even in Winnipeg, I felt like, ‘Damn, I’m a pro now.'”
He will also get his first chance to play in front of Rider Nation for the first time.
“I’m looking forward to it. I’m a big fan guy – I love to hear the crowd loud, I love to see people chant, I love to see people happy,” Saad said. “I’m expecting it to be loud – that’s what everyone was telling me is that we’re the number one fan base in the CFL, so I am looking forward to it.”
The Bombers will be without the CFL’s most outstanding player in the game as running back Brady Oliveira isn’t dressing. Quarterback Zach Collaros, who is suspended for the team’s first game of the season, is listed as the backup to Chris Streveler.
