The Saskatchewan Roughriders have secured their post-season placing so, once again, Jake Maier is part of the picture.
On Oct. 26 of last year, with second place and a home playoff game assured, the Roughriders rested several starters during a home game against the visiting Calgary Stampeders — for whom Maier threw three touchdown passes while helping his team win 27-12.
This time around, Maier is to get the nod behind centre for Saskatchewan, which one week ago clinched first place overall in the CFL and hosting privileges for the Western Final (Nov. 8, 5:30 p.m., Mosaic Stadium).
Maier will step in for Trevor Harris, who is to be rested on Friday when Saskatchewan opposes the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at Princess Auto Stadium.
“Anytime you get the opportunity to play in a professional football game, regardless of what it means in the standings or anything like that, you have to show the organization that you belong and that you’ve earned the right to wear this uniform for this team,” Maier said.
“You’ve got to let it all hang out there like you are the starter — like you are a guy who plays every week. Regardless of what the situation is that we’re in, we’re going to play as well as we can. I think guys need to be able to prove that when they step on the field, there’s no drop-off and that you’ve got to be able to execute just like the guys in front of you.”
The proven presence of Maier has already been beneficial to the Roughriders, even though Harris has started all but one game this season.
That one game was on June 28, when Maier piloted Saskatchewan to a 37-18 victory over the visiting B.C. Lions. Harris sat out that game due to injury.
If not for the victory in late June, the Roughriders would still be striving to clinch first place.
Maier’s win out of the bullpen, as it were, underlined the wisdom of acquiring him from Calgary in the off-season and promptly signing him to a new contract.
Over the previous two seasons, Saskatchewan had a 10-6 record in games started by Harris but was only 5-14-1 without him.
Maier provided a valuable insurance policy after starting 45 games for Calgary over a period that snapped 2021 to 2024.
Last season, he and Harris were two of only four CFL quarterbacks to throw for at least 20 touchdowns.
With those credentials, Maier could have started for a number of teams, whereas he has served largely in a support capacity with Saskatchewan. It is an unaccustomed role, but one he has nonetheless enjoyed.
“I’ve observed a lot — probably more than I ever have — but it goes beyond just staying on the sidelines and watching the game from that point of view,” Maier said.
“It’s the week-to-week preparation. It’s seeing the offence and the team continue to build and seeing what that looks like. It’s following the lead of Trevor and his leadership and taking little things here and there.
“The example he is setting for you every day is something I’ve been really appreciative of, and that’s from just observing the way he handles his business. I tell him all the time that I’m super grateful for him being a part of my career now, and me being a part of his.
“If anything, the observing of a great culture and a great coaching staff and a great quarterback who’s probably a Hall of Famer and being a part of that every day has been really special.”
What, specifically, has Maier learned from Harris?
“Just how to lead,” the 28-year-old signal-caller replied. “I think that’s one of the biggest things and one of my bigger takeaways from Trevor.
“I tell him all the time that there’s a lot of things in his preparation that I’m definitely stealing going forward for the rest of my career.
“The way he leads the group, he’s the same guy every day. He just brings that energy and that focus that’s undeniable. I don’t know anybody in the room who would ever not listen to everything he has to say.
“When he speaks, everybody is very attentive and it means something. He’s one of the best leaders I’ve ever been around.”
Having been around the CFL for a handful of years, Maier knows how quickly things can change. In Calgary, he replaced a legend (Bo Levi Mitchell), who has gone on to accomplish more great things after joining the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
The physical nature of professional football creates the possibility of a game or a season being altered on one play, or with one snap.
The Toronto Argonauts experienced that reality in 2024 when marquee quarterback Chad Kelly suffered a fractured right tibia and fibula during the Eastern Final.
Nick Arbuckle, who had received significant playing time for Toronto in its regular-season finale, took over behind centre and ultimately earned Grey Cup MVP honours.
“That’s a circumstance that we obviously hope we never have to see here, but (Arbuckle) is a great example — a guy who has been in the league for a while and, when he got his opportunity, he was able to lead his team to a championship,” Maier said.
“Any opportunity I can get to get the live reps, live bullets, for the ‘if necessary’ is something that I’m always going to be grateful for.”
PLENTY AT STAKE
The Roughriders are resting plenty of starters for the looming game — Jameer Thurman being a notable exception.
Thurman, in his second year as Saskatchewan’s middle linebacker, welcomes the opportunity to square off against the Blue Bombers on their home turf.
“At the end of the day, you’ve got to remember that they ended our season last year, so we have an opportunity to end theirs or make them continue to keep fighting for theirs,” Thurman told reporters earlier this week, referencing the 2024 Western Final.
A divisional All-CFL selection last year, Thurman has a team-high 81 defensive tackles in 16 games this season. He registered 76 tackles in 17 appearances last year.
Thurman has exceeded his 2024 totals in sacks (three, up from one) and sacks (three, compared to two).
He is part of a front-line linebacking corps that is unchanged from last week. Antoine Brooks Jr. (weak side) and A.J. Allen (strong side) complete the linebacking trio, which has accounted for the Roughriders’ past four interceptions.
A victory on Friday would move the Roughriders into a tie for the second-highest total in franchise history. Saskatchewan also won 13 games in 1969 and 2019. The team record of 14 was set in 1970.
The latter record can be equalled if the Roughriders defeat the visiting Lions on Oct. 25 in addition to prevailing in Winnipeg tonight.
“We’re going there to win,” Thurman stated. “At the end of the day, it’s not about trying to see whether guys can do it. Whoever is up is up, we’re going out there to get the job done and win.”
TWO TO GO
Saskatchewan’s second-last regular-season game does not have a bearing on the team’s playoff path for the first time since 2010.
On Oct. 31 of that year, the Lions defeated the Roughriders 23-17 at BC Place. Saskatchewan, which placed second in the West in 2010, concluded its regular season the following week with a 31-23 victory in Edmonton.
The 2007 Roughriders also entered the second-last week of the season having clinched the No. 2 spot in the division. Even with nothing at stake in terms of the standings, the Roughriders posted a 36-29 victory at Commonwealth Stadium on Oct. 26, 2007 to eliminate Edmonton from playoff contention.
“Every game matters. Our guys understand that,” then-Head Coach Kent Austin told reporters in Edmonton. “It doesn’t matter who we play or what parts we move around. Whenever we take the field, we take the field to win.”
Saskatchewan won its penultimate regular-season game of 2007 while starting Marcus Crandell at quarterback and resting Kerry Joseph, who went on to be named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player. Joseph was also the Grey Cup-winning quarterback in 2007.
In 2010, Saskatchewan started its No. 1 quarterback, Darian Durant, in each of the final two games. The Roughriders then won back-to-back West Division playoff contests to advance to the Grey Cup.
CHICO AND THE MATH
Chico Bennett Jr. is poised to become the 2,211th active-roster player in Roughriders history.
Signed on Sept. 22, the 6-foot-4, 256-pound defensive end will become the sixth Bennett to dress for the Roughriders, following Bruce (defensive back, 1966 to 1972), Charles (defensive lineman, 1985), Fred (defensive back, 2016), Bryan (quarterback, 2019) and Jake (offensive lineman, 2019).
Terrance J. Williams Bennett, a quarterback, was on the Roughriders’ practice roster in 2000 and attended training camp the following year.