The Saskatchewan Roughriders gave fans in Saskatoon a performance to remember on Saturday evening.
Playing in the Bridge City for the first time since 1991, the Roughriders beat the visiting Winnipeg Blue Bombers 31-27 in front of 7,654 fans at Griffiths Stadium, who erupted in the final minute after rookie quarterback Brayden Schager threw a three-yard touchdown pass to rookie receiver Daniel Wiebe with 42 seconds left in the game.
The touchdown pass capped off quite the night the 22-year-old Schager, a University of Hawaii product who is competing with Jack Coan for Saskatchewan’s No. 2 quarterback spot.
“There’s a lot of emotions (and) a lot of adversity throughout the game,” said Schager, who ended the night 14-of-19 for 179 yards with two interceptions and one touchdown on six drives. “I had an unfortunate interception, and then I get poked in the eye pretty bad. I could hardly see out of my right eye for the rest of the game, so that was tough just not being able to see. And, obviously, the pick six.
“I still couldn’t see the last drive. I couldn’t see out of the right eye great, but it’s coming back a little bit now (postgame). But there was some times where I had to kind of close my eye and just throw with the left eye.
“But I just keep fighting, that’s what I do. I’ve had a lot of adversity with football in my life and I just keep fighting no matter what. I’m never going to quit. So, I told those guys in the huddle, ‘Let’s go do something special. Let’s just go play football, let’s go execute, let’s go have fun,’ and that’s what we were able to do.”
Saskatchewan Roughriders quarterback Brayden Schager (10) throws the football against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers during the second half of CFL preseason football action at Griffiths Stadium in Saskatoon, Sask. on Saturday, May 23, 2026.
After more than a dozen starters sat out of Saskatchewan’s first pre-season game on Monday in Calgary, the Roughriders deployed nearly all of their veterans on Saturday in Saskatoon, while getting one last chance to evaluate some rookies in game action before roster cuts are made next weekend.
The Blue Bombers, playing in their first pre-season game, also brought a veteran roster to Saskatoon as quarterback Zach Collaros started the game and connected with Tim White on his first three passes for 57 yards before veteran running back Brady Oliveira rumbled into the end zone from two yards out to make it 7-0 Winnipeg.
Saskatchewan responded with a similar drive as quarterback Trevor Harris connected with veteran receivers KeeSean Johnson and Kian Schaffer-Baker for a pair of big gains, 48 yards and 25 yards respectively, before running back A.J. Ouellette punched in a two-yard touchdown run himself to tie the game 7-7.
The backup quarterbacks then entered the game for both teams as Canadian Taylor Elgersma took over for Collaros whole Coan entered the game for Harris.
And on Coan’s second pass of the game, he took a big hit and was intercepted by Bombers defensive back Evan Holm, who returned the pick 55 yards for a touchdown to put Winnipeg up 14-7.
After the Bombers added a 50-yard field goal, Roughriders running back Mario Anderson sprinted for a crowd-pleasing 30-yard run before Coan was sacked to end the drive. Johnathan Kim, in competition with Alex Hale to be Saskatchewan’s starting kicker, converted a 51-yard field goal to make it 17-10.
Following a rouge on a 73-yard punt single to make it 17-11, Saskatchewan was looking to add more points but Hale’s 57-yard field goal attempt went wide.
On the next drive after a two-and-out by the Bombers, Kim split the uprights on a 40-yard field goal to make it 17-14 at the end of the first half.
Saskatchewan Roughriders quarterback Jack Coan (14) throws the football against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers during the first half of CFL preseason football action at Griffiths Stadium in Saskatoon, Sask. on Saturday, May 23, 2026.
In the second half, with Coan still in the game, the third-year pivot engineered an eight-play, 53-yard drive — capped off by a 12-yard touchdown pass to rookie receiver Johnny Johnson III — to put Saskatchewan in front 21-17, which was Joan’s final pass of the game.
“It was a great atmosphere out here. The fans were awesome,” said Coan, who completed 10-of-18 for 100 yards with one touchdown and one interception on eight drives. “As far as my play, I think I have a lot to improve upon and get better from, but it was really fun to get out there and compete and try to bounce back from from some adversity.
“It’s one play, one life. That’s what one of my old college coaches used to say; once one plays over, it’s dead, and you move on to the next one, and you just play each play in the present moment, and that’s all it is.
“It was important for me to go out there and finally get a touchdown drive, and it was a lot of fun.”
On Winnipeg’s next drive, Elgersma marched the Bombers to Saskatchewan’s 36-yard line before he was intercepted by rookie defensive back James Burgess on the 15-yard line.
Schager came into the game at quarterback for Saskatchewan and completed his first three passes before he was intercepted by Winnipeg’s Ridge Texada on a ball that bounced off the hands of Wiebe.
On the next drive, Winnipeg returned the favour as Elgersma was intercepted by Roughriders’ defensive back Malcolm Bell, Saskatchewan’s first-round pick in this year’s CFL draft.
“My first pick since 2019 so it’s been great,” said Bell. “I just saw the ball, I knew I had to go get it. The guys told me they were going to pay me $50 if I get a pick, so as soon as I saw the ball in air I thought about money and I went and got my money.”
Minutes later, Schager was intercepted for the second time in the game as linebacker Ja’Kobe Clinton stepped in front of the throw and returned it 41 yards for a touchdown to put Winnipeg in front 24-21 with the convert.
Following a two-and-out by Saskatchewan, the Bombers tacked on a field goal to increase their lead to 27-21 with 4:26 left.
Schager led the Roughriders on a seven-play, 87-yard drive which ended in a 35-yard field goal by Kim to make it 27-24 before Saskatchewan’s defence forced a two-and-out.
And with 1:51 left on the clock, starting from his own 11-yard line, Schager began the game-winning drive with a 39-yard pass to Abdul Janneh, who led the team with six catches for 107 yards, before throwing another pair of first-down passes to get Saskatchewan to the Winnipeg 35-yard line.
The Roughriders got all the way down to the three-yard line before Schager connected with Wiebe on a three-yard touchdown pass to put Saskatchewan on top 31-27 with 42 seconds left.
“The game, I felt was very up and down, so I was happy to end it that way,” said Wiebe. “But looking back, there’s a lot to improve on. “I’m trying to make the team at the end of the day, and I think there’s plays that helped me get there but there are plays that take me back.
“So I’m trying to try to get better.”
The Green and White’s defence then sealed the victory as defensive lineman J.J. Weaver sacked Bombers’ quarterback Bryce Perkins for a loss of 10 before linebacker Vi Jones clinched the game with a last-second interception.
“Every game we play we want to win, so it was cool for us to be able to get ourselves out of whatever hole that we created,” said Roughriders head coach Corey Mace. “Especially in the last few minutes there, we needed all three phases to come through, and they did, man. We talk about that constantly.
“It was really cool to see and for them to have that moment in there.”
The Saskatchewan Roughriders enter the stadium before CFL pre-season football action against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at Griffiths Stadium in Saskatoon, Sask. on Saturday, May 23, 2026.
The Roughriders will now return to Regina next week for the final week of training camp before receiving a bye in Week 1 of the season. Saskatchewan, the defending Grey Cup champions, will kick off the regular season against the B.C. Lions on June 13 in Week 2.
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