Albert Awachie woke up to confetti on Tuesday morning.
He hopes to see plenty more of it floating around on Nov. 16 in Winnipeg, during the presentation of the Grey Cup.
For now, the celebration is reserved for the fine art of turning 33 — a birthday the eighth-year Saskatchewan Roughriders fullback commemorated on Tuesday.
“This morning, I tried to treat it as normally as possible,” Awachie said. “There were some decorations that my girlfriend hung up and stuff like that. I’ve gotten a lot of messages from my family, wishing me a happy birthday.
“But I’m trying to keep it low-key, knowing that this is a big week for the whole team. I’m really not focused on myself.”
Everyone’s emphasis is on Friday’s CFL game against the Toronto Argonauts (7 p.m., Mosaic Stadium).
A Roughriders victory would clinch first place and hosting privileges for the Western Final, to be played Nov. 8. The 112th Grey Cup Game is to be held eight days henceforth at Princess Auto Stadium in the Manitoba capital.
“Just waking up is definitely a birthday present for me,” Awachie said, “and so is being a part of the Rider organization.
“It’s in a really good place now and I’m very happy with what’s coming about this week.”
Awachie aspires to be part of a first-place team for the second time since being signed by the Roughriders as an undrafted free agent on May 16, 2017.
He was a member of a division-leading Saskatchewan squad that posted a 13-5 regular-season record in 2019. The 2025 edition (11-4) is one victory shy of securing the league’s best record, a feat the Roughriders have not accomplished since 1976.
A pennant would reward the persistence of Awachie, who has defied the aging process by paying scrupulous attention to his diet and spending countless hours in the weight room.
“I swear he gets bigger every day,” Head Coach Corey Mace marvelled. “He’s a massive human.
“On offence in the blocking game, he’s a big body who can move. He’s super strong. On special teams, he allows us to plug him into a bunch of spots, which is important for us as well.
“He’s able to help us establish the run game and help us in protection. He has even gotten out on a couple of (pass) routes as well, so we’ll see if the ball finds him.
“He’s the consummate professional.”
Not to mention someone whose playing career has far outlasted that of the typical professional athlete.
“Honestly, just reflecting on it, I had no idea I would still be playing,” said the always-easygoing Awachie, who played U Sports football with the hometown University of Toronto Varsity Blues.
“I felt I was talented enough, but so many right things had to come together — the opportunities, the timing, the people around you, the health. So many factors go into it.
“It’s a blessing just to have a career this long and it’s something I did not imagine.”
It was something he facilitated, though, by being relentless in his pursuit of self-improvement after entering the CFL as a 225-pounder. He has since added 35 pounds of muscle.
“I didn’t just choose this weight,” the 6-foot-3 Awachie said. “I had to get to this weight.
“With people coming downhill, especially on kickoffs, the first people who really taught me a lesson were in the (2019) Banjo Bowl. It was (Thiadric) Hansen and (Jonathan) Kongbo — huge people who I was seeing for the first time. Boom! Boom! One after the other.
“After that, I realized that if I want to stay in the league, I have to be facing these people. The bigger you get, the bigger people your competition becomes.
“You’ve just got to stay on key and I think I’m at the right spot right now.”
LEFTY THROW WAS THE RIGHT DECISION
It has been a groundbreaking year for the Roughriders’ starting quarterback, who has completed a pass left-handed and punted for a single in recent weeks.
So, he was asked, what else might be on the Trevor Harris bingo card?
“Can we maybe get a 25-yard run?” he responded with a smile. “I can maybe do my ‘T-Mobile’ celebration.”
It should be noted that Harris has an impressive average yards per carry (5.7) this season, having gained 40 yards on seven rushes, with a long gain of nine.
His first career punt — a 45-yarder — resulted in a rouge on Aug. 31, when Saskatchewan defeated the visiting Winnipeg Blue Bombers 34-30.
The left-handed pass was unveiled on Friday, when Harris made an improvisational, desperation toss to running back Thomas Bertrand-Hudon shortly before being tackled at TD Place.
Bertrand-Hudon gained seven yards to put the Roughriders in a third-and-one situation. A.J. Ouellette then ran for one yard to keep the drive alive.
“I came off the field and I was like, ‘Why isn’t anybody talking about my left-handed completion?’ ” Harris said. “I’m halfway kidding, but it was fun.”
The lefty effort was the 3,061st completion for Harris since he entered the CFL in 2012. Earlier in the Ottawa game — won 20-13 by Saskatchewan — he had moved past Matt Dunigan (3,057) and into ninth place on the CFL’s All-Time list.
For the record, Harris is now 3,063-for-4,318 (70.9%) on right-handed throws and 1-for-1 (100%!) as a southpaw.
“I don’t really condone what happened,” Harris said of the latter pass. “I’m not going to try to make a habit of that.
“It was my one Mahomes moment, I guess.”
A LEGENDARY LIFE
Legendary coach Frank Smith — a giant in Canadian university football — passed away earlier this week at age 93.
Much-renowned for a 21-year association with the UBC Thunderbirds, Smith was also a CFL assistant coach with the Roughriders (1995) and the hometown B.C. Lions (1997, 1998, 2000).
While at UBC, Smith was a guest coach at Roughriders training camp in 1978, 1979, 1980 and 1981. He was Saskatchewan’s offensive backs and receivers coach in 1995.
Before going into coaching, Smith played Canadian professional football as a guard with Calgary (1953), Edmonton (1954), B.C. (1955) and Winnipeg (1956). He helped Edmonton win a Grey Cup in ’54.
Smith entered the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2019. The other builder enshrined that year was former Roughriders President/CEO Jim Hopson.