Riders look to build on Labour Day win in Banjo Bowl rematch

It’s one of the unique quirks of the CFL — and this week it once again features one of the best rivalries the league has to offer.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders and Winnipeg Blue Bombers will meet in the second game of their home-and-home series as it shifts to Manitoba. Saskatchewan won the first meeting 32-26 in the Labour Day Classic.

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“It’s cool. When I first came to the CFL, I was like, ‘Wait, we play the same team twice in a row? That’s weird.’ It’s not like anything you really know in the U.S.,” quarterback Trevor Harris said.

“You learn to appreciate it and the chess match within the chess match is fun — how are they going to adjust? What different blitzes are they going to bring and try to do different things and give us different looks and what are we going to do differently to combat what they were doing and how can we project forward? How are they going to play us versus how they played us last week versus how they played the earlier parts of the season?

“It’s the same formula for us: physicality, brotherhood and doing what we need to do to win the game.”

The annual rematch in Winnipeg hasn’t been kind to the Riders. Since it was first given the moniker of Banjo Bowl in 2004, the Bombers have a 12-9 record in the contest. Since 2013, Saskatchewan has only three wins, with one of those coming last season.

“We know it’s going to be just as rocking as it was here for them,” said Riders offensive guard Jacob Brammer. “We just have to be that much more locked in on everything we want to do offensively.”

One of the players the Riders can feed off of during the game is former Winnipeg Blue Bombers player Jermarcus Hardrick. Hardrick was with the Bombers from 2016-23 before he joined the Riders in 2024.

You could see the reigning Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman bringing the energy in the Labour Day Classic, including some verbal sparring with his former teammates.

“Yoshi (Hardrick) brings a lot of energy to our team each and every day. We all kind of feed off of him. We also try to pick him up as well. Maybe he’s not feeling great,” Brammer said. “He does a great job instilling that within the team — bringing that nasty attitude to the team.”

The Riders will be without wide receiver Daniel Wiebe in the game, as he has been ruled out with a head injury. Fullback Albert Awachie (ankle), slotback Kian Schaffer-Baker (knee), as well as linebackers Nick Wiebe (knee) and Josh Woods (ankle) also will not play this week.

Running back A.J. Ouellette (knee) is questionable for the contest.

Linebacker Antoine Brooks Jr. (wrist) and Hardrick (hip) are available for the game in Winnipeg.

Kickoff for the game is set for 2 p.m. Saturday. The Green Zone pregame show begins at noon.