6:23 p.m.
Roughriders are massive 11.5 favourites, which Luc points out is almost disrespectful in pro football. So he’s going with the Argos to cover the spread, just by playing for pride. The over/under is 50.5, with Luc taking the over on this one.
5:57 p.m.
Another game, another nice night for football for the Roughriders! Temperature at kickoff will be around 19 C and will drop to 16 C by game’s end. It’ll be clear skies all evening, with a steady breeze at 30 kmh from the south east.
5:54 p.m.
It’s Week 19 in the Canadian Football League, it’s a meeting between the West Division and East Division, it’s the Saskatchewan Roughriders taking on the Toronto Argonauts at Mosaic Stadium in Regina!
It could be a special night for the 11-4 Roughriders if everything goes according to plan, as with a win Saskatchewan will clinch first place in the West Division in addition to a bye through the first round of the playoffs and — most importantly — a home playoff date for the Western Final on Nov. 8. The Riders snapped a two-game losing skid with a 20-13 win over Ottawa last week.
The news isn’t as bright for the defending Grey Cup champion Argonauts. With a 47-29 loss to the Ottawa Redblacks last week, Toronto fell to 5-11 and have been officially eliminated from the playoffs. The Argos have lost their last three games and are in third place in the East.
The Rider Broadcast Network pregame show with Teagan Witko, Justin Dunk and Was Cates is currently on the air on SportsCage.com. Dave Thomas and Luc Mullinder will have the game call at kick-off at 7 p.m.
The Roughriders depth chart: You can read all about the Saskatchewan line-up changes right here, but two of the biggest ones see defensive back Rolan Milligan Jr. and 1,000-yard receiver Dohnte Meyers out with knee and ankle injuries respectively. Returner Mario Alford is back in the line-up, as are receiver Joe Robustelli and kicker Brett Lauther. Sheldrick Redwine gets the first start of his career at cornerback.
Trevor Harris once again starts at quarterback and is 315-for-433 passing for 4,097 yards, 22 touchdowns and 11 interceptions to go along with a 108.5 efficiency rating.
Running back A.J. Ouellette continues his career year and is up to second in the CFL in rushing with 222 carries for 1,110 yards, only 10 back of Calgary’s league leader Dedrick Mills. He also had eight touchdowns on the season. KeeSean Johnson has caught 85 passes for 1,156 yards, third best in the CFL. Tommy Neild joins Johnson in leading the line-up with four receiving touchdowns.
Linebacker Jameer Thurman leads the Roughriders with 76 tackles, while defensive end Malik Carney is tops with seven sacks. Defensive tackles Micah Johnson and Micah Rose each have six sacks. With Milligan and Tevaughn Campbell out, Thurman leads with three interceptions.
The Argonauts depth chart: With Toronto out of the playoffs, they’ve decided to shut down starting quarterback Nick Arbuckle for the season as he battles an injury, with Jarret Doege getting the start at pivot. The Argos are also without one of their top defensive players in linebacker Wynton McManis, who is second on the team with 62 tackles, and their top receiver in Damonte Coxie, who has 854 yards receiving.
Doege has completed 52-of-92 passes for 565 yards, three touchdowns and five interceptions while holding a 72.1 efficiency rating.
Spencer Brown is Toronto’s top ball carrier with 63 carries for 281 yards and one touchdown. Slotback Dejon Brissett leads the receiving corps with 59 catches for 833 yards, wide receiver Jake Herslow is tops with nine touchdowns.
Linebacker Cameron Judge has 76 tackles to lead the defence, defensive end Andrew Chatfield leads with seven sacks and defensive back Tavarus McFadden has six interceptions.