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The Saskatchewan Roughriders will have some new faces as starters in the Banjo Bowl — and not due to on-field performance issues.
The Roughriders will be without defensive end A.C. Leonard after it was announced he was suspended for two games by the CFL for failing to supply a drug-testing sample following the Labour Day Classic.
“Our guys are selected for drug tests after the game randomly and he wasn’t able to submit a sample. If you do that, it’s an automatic two-game suspension,” Saskatchewan head coach Craig Dickenson said Friday.
“He wasn’t tested for anything because he didn’t submit a sample and there’s nothing the league can do on that. He knows that, he’s disappointed and we are as well. But it is what it is, we’ve got to move on and play well without him for the next couple weeks.”
Dickenson said Leonard was around for quite a while trying to submit a sample after Sunday’s 23-8 loss to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, but when it wasn’t going to happen, Leonard chose to leave.
“It was a decision he made. He told me straight up he has trouble after a game (submitting a sample). He waited around and got impatient,” Dickenson said.
“(He) probably should have waited around a little longer and just done it, but he didn’t and he made a decision to not submit the sample. It’s a lesson learned. He knew (the suspension) was coming and we told him it was coming so we’re not surprised.”
In Leonard’s absence, defensive end Pete Robertson will start in the rematch in Winnipeg on Saturday at IG Field. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.
That wasn’t the only big change the depth chart showed on Friday.
Defensive backs Ed Gainey (foot) and Loucheiz Purifoy (neck) have been ruled out, as has slotback Jordan Williams-Lambert (wrist).
Nick Marshall will move from cornerback to halfback, and Christian Campbell will start at corner.
AJ Hendy, who has been the team’s strong-side linebacker through the first four games, will move to the other halfback spot and Canadian Godfrey Onyeka will start at the SAM spot.
“We’re losing quite a few starters on defence and you never want to do that. We’ve been practising a lot of guys in a lot of different places and we will be OK,” Dickenson said.
“We’re going to have to communicate well in the back end and we’re going to have to get pressure on the quarterback to make it a little easier for the guys on the back end.”
Canadian receiver Kian Schaffer-Baker will take Williams-Lambert’s starting receiver spot.
Slotback Justin McInnis will also get promoted from the practice roster. Despite having a good showing in his first game as a starter, slotback Paul McRoberts is on the practice roster for another week.
“I support what the offensive coaches decide. I have the veto power and I’m not using it on this one. They want to go with McInnis and they feel like he knows multiple positions and can line up across the board,” Dickenson said.
“That doesn’t mean we’re down on Paul but his specific position just didn’t open up and so we went with a guy who can play multiple positions and hopefully we can move him around a little bit.”
There is some good news for the defence, at least for now. Defensive tackle Micah Johnson (ankle) is listed as a starter on the depth chart. It was a similar situation for the Labour Day Classic but Johnson was a late scratch.
The Green Zone pregame show is to get underway at noon on Saturday.
