Roughriders wary of winless Redblacks

REGINA – The Saskatchewan Roughriders hope history doesn’t repeat itself when the winless Ottawa Redblacks visit Mosaic Stadium on Friday.

The Redblacks (0-7) are the underdogs against the defending Grey Cup champion Roughriders, who occupy second place in the CFL’s West Division with a 5-2 record.

When asked how dangerous a winless team can be, Saskatchewan’s quarterback Trevor Harris and head coach Corey Mace recalled a 2024 game in which the Roughriders were stung.

The 0-7 Edmonton Elks travelled to Regina and defeated the 5-2 Roughriders 42-31 on Aug. 3.

“The one thing I can say about football is adversity is ubiquitous. It’s found everywhere,” Harris said. “We’ve just got to make sure that we know that adversity is going to come tomorrow, and anybody that thinks they’re a bad football team doesn’t watch film.

“This team was up two touchdowns against Winnipeg in the fourth quarter. This team pushed Montreal to the limit a few weeks ago. They maybe didn’t play a great game last game, but how often do you see professional football clubs play two poor games in a row? It doesn’t happen. They’re going to respond.”

The 40-year-old quarterback said the ‘Riders need to concentrate on their own game rather than what the desperate Redblacks will bring.

“We don’t really ever concern ourselves too much with other teams,” Harris said. “It’s about how are we executing because if we play our game, I’m always going to like us.

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“If you don’t, then what kind of confidence do you have in your guys?”

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Redblacks head coach and general manager Ryan Dinwiddie says his players must put in the work to improve.

“We’ve got to find ways to get better, and we obviously got to critique some things. But I think we’ve got to keep that locker room positive, right?” said Dinwiddie, who is in his first season as Ottawa’s head coach and GM after six seasons as head coach of the Toronto Argonauts.

“Even in the coaching staff, we’ve got to keep it positive. I mean 0-7 can (have) a lot of stress on a lot of folks. We know where we’re at, but at the end of the day, we’ve got to make sure we do our jobs.

“I just tell the guys don’t read the outside noise … It’s all about the guys in this building. I’m sure there’s people who have picked us to lose this game going into Saskatchewan. We’re 0-7 but it doesn’t mean we can’t go in there and capture a win.”

Saskatchewan has dealt with an extensive run of injuries this season.

Receiver Kian Schaffer-Baker (knee), defensive back Rolan Milligan (knee), cornerback Tevaughn Campbell (forearm), running back A.J. Ouellette (knee), receiver Sam Emilus and offensive lineman Zack Fry (knee) were on the six-game injured list.

The next-man-up mentality has been repeated by Saskatchewan’s coaches and players this season, and the Roughriders are one of the top teams in the league despite injuries.

“I’m not shocked at that because I see these guys work nonstop,” Mace said. “Our coaches do a good job. For example, they’ll give out tests every week to the position group, and yeah, you better have the answers whether you’re playing or not, so it just keeps everybody accountable. It keeps them attentive in all the meeting rooms. It’s just the environment here.

“We know that injuries are going to happen, so to not have people prepared would be a misstep. I’m not shocked that these guys are able to execute at the standard that we’re looking for.”

The Roughriders made a roster move Thursday when the club signed Canadian kicker Dawson Hodge.

Saskatchewan rookie Alex Hale has struggled in making 12 of 17 field-goal attempts, and connecting on just one of five from 40-plus yards. He’s missed a field goal in each of his last three games.

Hodge, who played five seasons at Wilfrid Laurier, attended the Calgary Stampeders training camp this year and also spent time with the ‘Riders and Argos in 2025.

MOVING ON UP: At 39,951 career passing yards, Harris needed just 49 to become the 12th quarterback to break 40,000. He trailed Tracy Ham (40,534 yards) by 583 yards for 11th in the CFL’s all-time passing yardage list. Doug Flutie was 10th with 41,355 career passing yards. In 135 career starts, Harris boasted a record of 75-59-2.

ON THE MARK: Ottawa quarterback Jake Maier has completed 30 or more pass attempts in each of his last two games for a total of 655 yards. He was 30-for-40 passing in a 36-34 loss to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on July 19 and followed up with a 34-for 41 effort last week in a 34-13 setback against the Montreal Alouettes. Maier owns a career record of 19-34-1. Five of his victories were against the Riders and of his 70 career touchdown passes, 12 were against Saskatchewan.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 6, 2026.