2:02 p.m.
After a summer where the Riders haven’t had to deal with inclement weather all that often, odds are the sold-out crowd will be getting rained on tonight. There’s a 60 per cent chance of thundershowers at game time, with that number bumping up to an 80 per cent chance of rain as the night progresses. Temperatures will be a touch cool at around 19 C, with the wind out of the east at 30 km/h.
So bring a raincoat to the game tonight!
2:01 p.m.
The Rider Broadcast Network pregame show is on the air. Teagan Witko and Wes Cates will have plenty of special guests, and the Voice of the Roughriders Dave Thomas and Luc Mullinder will have the game call at kickoff at 5 p.m.
2:00 p.m.
It’s the biggest match-up of the CFL regular season, it’s a battle of legendary arch-rivals, it’s the Saskatchewan Roughriders taking on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Labour Day Classic!
There has been a lot of talk over the past week with regards to how important this game is in the West Division standings in addition to the simple rivalry, and that’s only added to the excitement surrounding today’s contest at Mosaic Stadium.
Saskatchewan comes into the game with a 7-4 record and are in second place in the West, having battled to a 28-24 win over the Toronto Argonauts last weekend. That was an important win for the Riders, as they had lost their previous two games and desperately needed to get back on track.
It looked early in the week like Saskatchewan was going to get absolutely mauled by injuries heading into the Classic, but the nicks that kept a handful of players out of practice proved to be only that, and things are shaping up comparatively well for the Green and White rosterwise.
The Blue Bombers have had an up-and-down season from start to finish, but Zach Collaros and crew are coming off one of their biggest wins of the season in Week 13, a 44-28 victory over the first-place-overall Montreal Alouettes.
Collaros had 324 yards passing, Brady Oliveira ran for 106 yards and Ontaria Wilson had 114 yards receiving and two touchdowns. All against one of the staunchest defences in the CFL.
As a result, Winnipeg heads into the Classic with a 6-5 record and with a win can move into a tie for second place with the Roughriders.
How things will turn out on Sunday is anyone’s guess, but one thing is for certain — Mosaic Stadium will be absolutely rocking, and that’s going to make for an utterly amazing environment for some CFL football!
Saskatchewan’s depth chart:
Winnipeg’s depth chart:
