‘This is pro football’: Riders taking nothing for granted against 0-7 Redblacks

The Saskatchewan Roughriders don’t have to look too far back in their history to know you can’t take any team lightly in the CFL.

In 2024, the 5-2 Riders locked horns with the 0-7 Edmonton Elks at Mosaic Stadium. Edmonton won that showdown 42-31.

On Friday, the 5-2 Riders will take on the 0-7 Ottawa Redblacks. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m., and The Green Zone’s pregame show begins at 5 p.m.

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“We know what this is. There’s no team in this league that you’re just going to walk into the game, just show up and you’re going to win,” Riders head coach Corey Mace said.

“It’s not going to happen. You have to be on it from the start of the week all the way to the last whistle. I believe the guys understand that.”

Riders quarterback Trevor Harris, who didn’t play in the 2024 contest against Edmonton due to an injury, also brought up that game.

“This is pro football. I know in high school when you play an 0-7 team, it’s a little bit different. This is professional football. These guys are scratching and clawing and they’ve pushed Winnipeg to the limit and Montreal to the limit very recently,” Harris said.

“We know the type of club these guys are, and we know the type of coaching and intensity and leadership they have over there.”

The Riders will need to overcome is a rash of injuries during Friday’s game.

On Thursday, the team announced that slotbacks Sam Emilus (foot) and Kian Schaffer-Baker (knee), as well as defensive back Tevaughn Campbell (forearm) and fullback Albert Awachie (ankle), were placed on the six-game injured list.

With the release of Jaylen Johnson earlier this week, only KeeSean Johnson and Dhel Duncan-Busby remain from the team’s Week 1 starting receiving corps.

Johnny Johnson III, D’Sean Mimbs and Dylan Djete will round out the rest of the starting receivers. Djete, the team’s 2026 second-round draft pick, will make his first career CFL start.

Djete has missed most of the season while recovering from a quad injury, but the 22-year-old receiver said he has learned a lot while he has been recovering.

“I learned how to be composed and how to be a pro. Just watching the guys, not even just asking questions, but seeing how they act around me,” Djete said.

“They are just being pros in every way — in recovery, how to learn plays. Me and Sam (Emilus) watch film together, because I knew this moment would come, so I had to really project myself as a starter, so that was my mindset. Always try to work like a starter so when it comes, I’m ready.”

With Campbell out on defence, Nelson Lokombo will make his return to the lineup after missing with an ankle injury. Lokombo will have started games at safety, halfback and cornerback this season.

“I think I can play any position, and it’s a credit to the coaching staff that they trust me to go out there and play those positions. I have a sense of pride for that and I love doing that,” Lokombo said.

The Riders’ defence will look for an even bigger impact from Derick Roberson on Friday after the former NFL and UFL defensive end recorded a sack in his first game with the Riders last week. He admitted it took a couple of days to get used to lining up a yard off the ball.

“Just losing one-on-one pass reps, I was like ‘I can’t do that, so I need to get better at my pass rush and getting off the ball.’ At first it was a little bit tricky, but after you get used to it, it gets easier and easier,” Roberson said.

Ottawa, which recent fired its defensive co-ordinator and released wide receiver Eugene Lewis, will look to find some success with a new lineup. The team will still be led by quarterback Jake Maier, who has thrown for 2,207 yards, eight touchdowns and nine interceptions.

With Ottawa still looking for its first win, linebacker Jameer Thurman said he knows the Redblacks will be a desperate team.

“You can expect the unexpected. They are going to try everything in their power to come away with a win,” Thurman said. “We just have to go out there, do our job, do what we do best and make sure that doesn’t happen.”