With the CFL playoffs just to start, most of the Grey Cup attention seems to have centred around teams like the Montreal Alouettes, Edmonton Elks, and even the B.C. Lions.
Notably missing from that group are the defending champs, the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
That’s just fine with Jameer Thurman.
“Good,” the star linebacker told reporters in Vancouver ahead of Saturday afternoon’s Western Semi-Final clash against the favoured Lions. “There’s always extra motivation. Everybody has their own way of motivating themselves.
“I love when people overlook us. I love when we are not respected in the eyes of everyone else. This season has been an up-and-down year for us. We deserve that (distinction) a little bit. It’s playoff time now. Anything can happen.”
The Riders-Lions matchup features teams that had drastically different first and second halves of the season.
Saskatchewan won six of its first eight games and was in a battle with the Elks for the West Division lead. But injuries – lots of them – caught up with them and they lost six of their next eight contests to hit the .500 mark with just two games to go.
The Riders needed a last-possession touchdown drive in their 17th game against an Alouettes team resting many of their key players just to secure a playoff berth. They enter the playoffs with a two-game winning streak and a 10-8 record thanks to a backup-filled win over the Elks in the season finale last Saturday.
“Whenever you’re winning games, that builds momentum,” Thurman said. “It builds the confidence in the guys that you play with. It builds the confidence throughout the rest of the team as well. It just builds confidence when you’re out their on the field, that winning feeling.”
The Lions, meanwhile, started the season 1-5 amid their own injury problems – most prominently to quarterback Nathan Rourke. They rounded nicely, including two resounding home wins over the Riders to take second in the division with matching 10-8 record.
“They’re a very explosive team,” Thurman said. “They found a way to gel after a rough start. They responded, and they’re hot right now.”
The Riders have knocked the Lions out of the playoff in two straight years. There’s no doubt the Lions would love to exact some revenge.
Lions linebacker Darnell Sankey is also trying to spark a narrative that his team is more motivated because they haven’t won a championship as a group yet.
Thurman said that’s a bunch of poppycock.
“I don’t think that’s the case because I’m hungrier than ever now,” he said. “Everyone loves the feeling of winning. Everyone’s always chasing that. If you win, I don’t see how that correlates.
“Everyone’s always hungry, especially when it comes to playoff time because we’re trying to get a ring on our fingers.”
Saskatchewan coach Corey Mace mostly backs up Thurman’s assessment. He said he understands why Sankey might think that, but he’s convinced the Riders have the same drive as last year.
“I can tell you that the mindset for us hasn’t really changed,” Mace said. “We’re not ignorant to the fact that we have experience in big games. However, we are very hard on (how) ’25 has nothing to do with this team.
“This team is just as hungry as the team that was here last year. There are new pieces. You put in so much work. There’s really only one thing that really makes you feel like it’s worth it.”
The Riders have a long, tough road in defence of their Grey Cup. It starts Saturday against the Lions, who feature a quick-strike offence led by Rourke.
Rourke has torched the Riders this season, passing for 1,060 yards with six touchdowns and one interception in the three meetings. The Riders’ objective is to limit his big play down the field.
“I know our guys are ready to rise to the occasion,” Mace said.
That starts with Thurman, the team leader with 101 tackles and their top defensive player. He believes the Riders are ready for the task at hand thanks to their invaluable Grey Cup experience.
“Bend-don’t-break mentality. Resiliency. We’ve been there before,” he said “The pressure and the intensity of the game, guys have been in those games before. It’s all about going out there and executing.”
The Rider Broadcast Network will have all the action from the Western Semi-Final beginning with the pregame show at 11:30 a.m. Dave Thomas and crew will get listeners set up for the game, and he’ll then join Luc Mullinder with the game call at kickoff at 2:30 p.m.
