Riders lose preseason contest in Calgary to the Stampeders

The Saskatchewan Roughriders scored a touchdown late in the game, as many of the depth players got their chance to show what they could do in game action.

Saskatchewan lost 20-15 to the Calgary Stampeders in preseason action at McMahon Stadium.

After a week of training camp, the defending Grey Cup champions hit the field for the first time in a game.

Quarterback Jack Coan, who is in his third season with the CFL club, started the game and played most of the first half for the team. He finished the game with nine completions on 15 attempts for 98 yards and an interception.

Brayden Schager came into the game late in the third quarter and finished the game off for the Riders. He finished with 10 completions for 139 yards. He also scored the only touchdown of the game for the Riders, running it in from 20 yards out with five seconds left on the play clock. The ensuing two-point try was no good.

Short-yardage specialist Tommy Stevens also threw some passes in the game for Saskatchewan, completing two for 11 yards.

Trevor Harris, like many other starters for the Riders, did not dress for the contest against the Stamps.

Calgary quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. got a chance to throw five passes in front of the Stamps’ home crowd, completing three of them, with one of them being a 70-yard touchdown to Jalen Philpot. He also threw an interception, with safety Nelson Lokombo coming down with it.

Stampeders also got a touchdown with backup quarterback Josh Love rushing it out from one yard out.

With running back AJ Ouellette also not dressing, Mario Anderson Jr. handled the first reps at running back. Anderson averaged over five yards per carry, finishing with 21 yards on four carries. Coan had 22 rushing yards while Schager led the way with 41 yards on the ground.

When it came to receivers, Mathew Sexton led the way for the Riders. Sexton, who was signed after the start of training camp, had five catches on nine targets for 78 yards. Abdul Janneh had 44 receiving yards, Juwann Winfree had 35 yards, and Riders’ draft pick Shemar McBean had 37 yards.

Calgary got to the Riders’ quarterbacks three times in the contest.

On the defensive side of the ball, Kendy Charles, Chico Bennett and Davin Vann recorded sacks in the game.  Desmond Evans got pressure on the quarterback a few times but was unable to take a pivot to the ground.

A pair of first-rounders also recorded a pass knockdown in the game. This year’s first-round pick, defensive back Malcolm Bell, had a knockdown, while 2025 first-round pick Ali Saad recorded a knockdown as a defensive tackle.

One of the battles being watched throughout camp was at the kicker spot. After struggling last season, the team released veteran kicker Brett Lauther, who is now with the Ottawa Redblacks. Jonathan Kim made both of his field goal attempts while Alex Hale went one-for-two on field goals.

Saskatchewan only committed four penalties for 40 yards while Calgary had nine infractions for 81 yards.

Saskatchewan will return to Saskatoon to continue training camp before hosting a preseason game in the city on Saturday. It will be the first preseason game in Saskatoon since 1991.

The Riders will have a bye week during the first week of CFL action and will open its regular season on June 13 at Mosaic Stadium against the B.C. Lions.