{"id":730966,"date":"2026-06-12T01:38:11","date_gmt":"2026-06-12T01:38:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/730966\/"},"modified":"2026-06-12T01:38:11","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T01:38:11","slug":"riders-linebacker-josh-woods-faces-off-against-former-team-in-home-opener","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/730966\/","title":{"rendered":"Riders\u2019 linebacker Josh Woods faces off against former team in home opener"},"content":{"rendered":"

When it came to choosing where he wanted to play in 2026, coming to Saskatchewan was at the top of Josh Woods\u2019 list.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThis was my number one. Immediately with coach (Travis) Brown and (Corey) Mace and (Josh) Bell, and the defence with everything that is going on \u2026 this is where I wanted to be,\u201d the linebacker said. \u201cI wanted to be in an environment that loves football and the capital of football in Canada, so I\u2019m just grateful to be here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more:<\/p>\n

Woods is a CFL veteran, coming to the league in 2021. The 28 year old first signed with the B.C. Lions, where he spent the past five seasons amassing 152 tackles, three sacks and two interceptions.<\/p>\n

Now his first game in green and white<\/a> will come against those Lions on Saturday at Mosaic Stadium. Kickoff for the game is set for 5 p.m. The Green Zone pregame show begins at 3 p.m.<\/p>\n

\u201c(Nathan Rourke) is a dynamic playmaker.<\/a> He\u2019s Kid Canada \u2013 trying to be the face of the league,\u201d said the Ontario, Calif., product. \u201cHe\u2019s dynamic and can throw the ball or run the ball. It\u2019s going to take all 12 of us to stop him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Woods has been able to line up and learn from some of the top defenders from the CFL last season, including linebacker Jameer Thurman<\/a>. Thurman was an All-CFLer last season.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re getting better every day, just knowing where each other is going to fit, and how we see things and how we are going to be able to play off of each other and make plays,\u201d Woods said. \u201cIt\u2019s been easy playing with someone like that who knows everything \u2013 you don\u2019t have to look over or second-guess anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

Woods is also excited to finally have the fans in Saskatchewan on his side during a game.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t wait to have Rider country out here rocking with the fans and the energy,\u201d Woods said. \u201cI\u2019ve been on the other side of it, so I know what it looks like, but being in it and being a part of it and having them cheer for you and not against you, I can\u2019t wait for that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of course, that noise means it can be difficult to communicate. Woods believes the veteran members of the Riders will help ease that issue.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t have to worry about the guys around me when I have Rolan Milligan and Marcus Sayles to the boundary side and Jameer. They all know what they are doing,\u201d Woods said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are times I know they are going to play off me, especially Marcus, who knows how I like to play because I played with him in B.C.,<\/a> so he knows where I will be at and he will play off me and there will times I will make them right.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll give them looks they haven\u2019t really seen before. I\u2019m a different body type at Will (linebacker) I feel like, so I think we\u2019re all excited and just can\u2019t wait for Saturday.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fans preparing for 2025 championship celebration<\/p>\n

Along with it being the opening game of the season for both the Riders and Lions, Saskatchewan will unveil the 2025 championship banner before the start of Saturday\u2019s game.<\/p>\n

The home opener will also be the first Riders\u2019 home game that will allow for tailgating to take place at REAL District.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe now-familiar refrain from Trevor Harris (\u2018We\u2019re champs forever\u2019) after winning the 112th Grey Cup Championship will echo throughout Mosaic Stadium as we unveil our Championship Banner in a moment Rider Nation will remember for years to come,\u201d stated a release from the Roughriders ahead of the game.<\/p>\n

The release encouraged fans to arrive well before the game\u2019s 5 p.m. kickoff to enjoy the pregame celebrations<\/a> in store.<\/p>\n

Security Building Supplies Riderland Park will be a spot for fan and family fun ahead of the game with its live DJ, inflatables, face painting and autographs on Saturday afternoon.<\/p>\n

Donations of cash and non-perishable food items will be accepted at Riderland Park and the Grey Cup will be on site between 2 and 4:30 p.m. for fans to take a photo with the trophy while helping fight food insecurity in Saskatchewan, the Roughriders shared.<\/p>\n

Donation bins will be located throughout the park, at each gate and be collected by Purolator volunteers around the concourse.<\/p>\n

The Roughriders are also excited for fans to take in the new game-day tradition of its Coors Light Tailgate, which is open to the public by foot, located south of the Brandt Centre.<\/p>\n

Two Harvard II from 2 Canadian Forces Flying Training School, 15 Wing Moose Jaw, will flyover Mosaic Stadium just before kickoff. At halftime, the Engelheim Minor Football Showcase will entertain attendees with a youth flag football game to show off local football talent.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor many kids, this is where the football journey begins, and you may get your very first glimpse of a future Saskatchewan Roughrider!\u201d the release said.<\/p>\n

The third quarter will bring the opportunity to meet and get autographs from 2025 champions Jorgen Hus and Mitch Picton at Pepsi Gate 2 in Mosaic Stadium.<\/p>\n

After the game, fans will be invited onto the Mosaic Stadium field.<\/p>\n

Gates will open at 3:30 p.m. on June 13.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When it came to choosing where he wanted to play in 2026, coming to Saskatchewan was at the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":730967,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[437],"tags":[49,48,521,522,520,82],"class_list":["post-730966","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cfl","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-canadian-football-league","tag-canadianfootballleague","tag-cfl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/730966","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=730966"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/730966\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/730967"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=730966"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=730966"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=730966"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}