Ideally, the Saskatchewan Roughriders will enjoy a hot streak as the weather cools down.
“I’ve always liked the colder games — the times when it’s getting a little chilly and the wind is a little brisker — because the games do mean more,” quarterback Trevor Harris said in advance of Friday’s CFL game against the Toronto Argonauts (7 p.m., Mosaic Stadium).
“Obviously, they all still count as two points if you win, but right now is the most important time to be playing winning football — not just winning games but playing winning football.”
Wins have been the norm for the Roughriders, who carry a league-best 11-4 record into Friday’s game. A victory over Toronto would guarantee Saskatchewan first place overall in the league and hosting privileges for the Western Final.
“We want to do it for the fans,” receiver Joe Robustelli said. “We want to do it for us.
“We approach every week with the goal of being 1-and-0 and that’s hopefully what we’re going to do.
“You want that confidence. You don’t want to get the Number 1 spot with a loss. That’s just not the way you want to do it, so getting the win is big.”
If Toronto wins on Friday, the Roughriders could still clinch first this weekend if the Calgary Stampeders lose to the host Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Saturday.
Such details, while important, are not an area of emphasis for the coaching staff.
“I’d be lying if I told you that this is super different than any other week for us,” said Head Coach Corey Mace, whose team is coming off a 20-13 victory over the host Ottawa REDBLACKS.
“We saw a lot of stuff on tape that we just want to be better at. We get an opportunity do it this week, which is awesome.”
Mace also appreciates the fact that the players aren’t thinking beyond the X’s and O’s and what needs to be done to defeat Toronto.
“Knowing myself and the staff and the leadership group of the team, everybody is aligned with our order of operation,” he said, “and you love that the guys are locked in on that.
“I think it’s a good thing. I know that they’ll hear all the other stuff about all the things that are at stake. No matter what game it is, there’s always outside noise that I know the guys hear. But, for the most part, everybody’s just looking to go execute and try to win a game.”
A victory would give Saskatchewan its best record (12-4) at the 16-game mark since the 1970 edition went 14-2 and established an enduring team record for wins.
By achieving the desired result on Friday, the Roughriders would finish first for the ninth time in the post-Second World War era.
Saskatchewan has finished first in 1951, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1976, 2009 and 2019. The 1968, 1969, 1970 and 1976 clubs also boasted the CFL’s best overall record but, oddly enough, were not among the Roughriders’ four Grey Cup-winning teams.
“It’s about playing championship-level football,” Harris said. “I’ve won two Grey Cups, and those teams were 9-and-9 (2012 Toronto Argonauts) and 8-9-and-1 (2016 REDBLACKS). The times we’ve been the team that clinched early, like in Ottawa (in 2018), we made it to the Grey Cup but we didn’t win it.
“It’s about getting hot at the right time. This is the time to get hot. We’re very well aware of that and, yes, it’s absolutely important to go 1-and-0 this week.
“We’ve had a tremendous week of practice. The enthusiasm, the energy and the execution have been great. It’s time for us to go translate that to the field.”