Photo courtesy: John Kenney/CFL.ca

Rider Nation doesn’t need to worry about quarterback Trevor Harris ahead of the most important game of the season.

The 39-year-old pivot was pulled from Saskatchewan’s 32-15 loss to the Calgary Stampeders last week with under five minutes remaining in the game after absorbing a sack from Canadian Justin Sambu on his final series. He appeared to get up gingerly on the play, but the team dismissed injury concerns after the game.

Speaking to the media after his first practice of the week on Wednesday, Harris stayed true to that talking point and threw a little shade at the second-year defensive tackle in the process.

“I know he thought it was a big hit; it really wasn’t that great of a hit. It wasn’t in the top 50 I’ve taken,” he quipped. “Didn’t hit my head, and I felt good. I was cramping from the early third quarter on, and unfortunately, when I went down to the ground, both of them (Harris’ legs) had cramped when I stood up. I kind of waddled off the field.”

Fans in Regina remain hyper-vigilant when it comes to Harris’ health after he missed most of his first season with the team with a tibial plateau fracture. He was absent for an additional six games last year due to an MCL sprain, and was held out of one start already this season with concussion symptoms.

There was concern that he may have re-aggravated that head injury on Sambu’s hit, the last of four sacks absorbed in the loss, but the replay clearly shows Harris attempting to stretch his calf after the play. He has not been limited in practice and knows exactly what is needed to ensure the situation does not repeat.

“A little pickle juice,” he chuckled. “I’ve got some Baja Gold sea salt and some good electrolytes and stuff.”

While Harris’ exit from the game may have been precautionary, the result itself has raised almost as many red flags. For the second time this season, the Riders were soundly beaten and out-physicaled by the Stampeders, the team that poses the biggest challenge to them in the West Division.

While he contends that most teams would still happily trade records with his 8-2 squad, Harris acknowledges that last week was not the best they had to offer.

“They out-executed us. We’ll see them again — hopefully, at least — and we’ll be excited about that. It’s all about building to become the best version of the team that we can be,” he said. “Football’s about matchups, and at that time, the matchup they brought, they were better than we were. You’ve got to give them credit, but we’re on to the next, and we’ve got a huge one against Winnipeg.”

The Blue Bombers have been the class of the West Division — and the CFL in general — for the last five seasons, but now sit two games behind the Riders ahead of their annual rivalry home-and-home. The Labour Day Classic carries a different set of expectations, and no further slip-ups will be tolerated.

“I was at Costco yesterday, and I think six or seven people stopped me and said, ‘Hey, big game this weekend.’ They were like, ‘Hey, we got eight wins, but we need nine.’ You kind of feel the game in the air,” Harris explained.

“I’ve even heard fans say, ‘I don’t care how many games you win, just beat Winnipeg on Labour Day.’ There’s a lot of passion there.”

The 13-year CFL veteran has played for a team in each of the CFL’s big three rivaries and maintains that Sunday’s game is the best the league has to offer.

“I think there’s one right answer,” he insisted. “Anybody who’s in a certain rivalry is going to say that, but I think the CFL longtime people would tell you it’s this one. In terms of the hatred between the fan bases and whatnot, and how the fans chirp us as players when we’re over there, and I’m sure our fans do the same thing. ”

The Saskatchewan Roughriders (8-2) will host the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (6-4) at Mosaic Stadium on Sunday, August 31 with kickoff slated for 7:00 p.m. EDT. The Blue Bombers are coming off back-to-back wins against Ottawa and Montreal, while the Roughriders had their four-game winning streak snapped by the Stampeders.

The weather forecast in Regina calls for a high of 29 degrees with a mix of sun and cloud. The game will be broadcast on TSN in Canada, CBS Sports Network in the United States, and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune-in on 680 CJOB in Winnipeg and 620 CKRM in Regina.