After reaching the West Division final in Corey Mace’s first season as head coach, the Saskatchewan Roughriders are looking to take it to the next level in 2025.
Mace replaced Craig Dickenson for the 2024 CFL season following 6-12 records in 2022 and 2023 campaigns that ended with seven-game losing streaks.
The Riders responded to Mace, who joined the team after two seasons as defensive co-ordinator for the Toronto Argonauts. Mace believed the Riders needed a new culture that went beyond football, building a family relationship between the players, coaches and organization.
While there were growing pains, the players bought into Mace’s plans. After finishing the regular season in second place in the West, the Riders defeated the B.C. Lions 28-19 in the division semifinal before falling 39-22 to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the division final.
Although the Riders fell short of their ultimate goal of winning the Grey Cup, Mace feels the experience gained during the 2024 season will help the team moving forward.
“For us, just looking at the end of last year and having that experience in a big game, on the road in a hostile environment, I think that stuff is important,” Mace said. “Being in those bigger games, having that experience, you understand what to expect. We also need to focus on executing on the details.
“I felt we missed (some details) in that last game (West final), and that’s everybody, myself included. I think we understand the recipe. We’ve just got to make sure that we’re diligent with the ingredients.”
The Riders, who will host the Ottawa Redblacks on Thursday in the regular-season opener, were successful last season despite injuries to a number of key players including quarterback Trevor Harris, offensive lineman Jermarcus Hardrick and running back A.J. Ouellette.
Hardrick and Ouellette, Saskatchewan’s top free-agent signings in the off-season, were expected to bring their Grey Cup pedigree to the Riders lineup and lead on and off the field. But Hardrick suffered a season-ending quad injury in Week 6 and a mid-season hip injury limited Ouellette to eight regular season games.
Harris went down with a serious injury for a second straight season with a torn ACL and MCL in his left knee. While Harris was able to return for the playoff run, he was limited by the injury which hadn’t fully healed.
As part of his preparation for the 2025 season, Harris received platelet-rich plasma injections in his injured knee to accelerate healing while reducing the need for anti-inflammatory medications. Harris received the injections from his brother Cody Harris, a certified physician assistant.
Entering his 13th CFL season, the 39-year-old Harris is confident the Riders can take the next step.
“We’ve got a group that’s very motivated and that has potential. You try and temper your expectations, but I think this group can do some special things,” said Harris, who had limited playing time in the pre-season.
Ouellette also made some changes in the off-season, opting to cut some weight to become quicker. After playing last season at 225 pounds, the five-foot-nine Ouellette dropped to 200.6 pounds in March. His plan is to play this season at 205 to 210 pounds.
“I was looking to get faster, just trim off some of the fat and work on some top end speed with the coaches as the gym. I did some strength training, just more isometric work trying to keep everything healthy,” said Ouellette.
A 1,000-yard rusher for the Argonauts in 2023, Ouellette said he was frustrated by his injury issues last season.
“It was defeating not being able to play a single game the way you wanted to. Even when I came back at the end of the year, I didn’t feel too good, just good enough to get the job done.”
Also caught up in last year’s injury bug were a number of offensive linemen. The Riders were forced to commit to the “next man up” mentality as the offensive line shuffled players almost on a weekly basis.
A similar situation seems to be brewing this season as two starting offensive linemen have gone down with injuries. Centre Sean McEwen, signed as a free agent from the Calgary Stampeders, suffered a torn ACL in a one-on-one drill early in training camp and will be out for the season. Guard Phillippe Gagnon, who joined the Riders from the Montreal Alouettes as a free agent, tore his bicep on May 19 and will be sidelined indefinitely.
Despite the injuries, Hardrick believes the offensive line is more than capable of doing its job.
“It’s not a panic issue at all,” he said. “It’s definitely not something that you that you want to happen. We’re looking at everything is perfect, not perfect as in someone got hurt, but perfect as an opportunity that’s presented to us, and we have opportunity to rise to the challenge.
“Logan (Ferland) is a great example. Last year he didn’t complain. He was at guard, and he went right to centre. He said, ‘Huddle up.’ We didn’t talk about it again, they just did their jobs.”
2024 record: 9-8-1, second, West Division
Did you know?: Harris will wear Caddix Cleats this season. The patented SuperStuds design reportedly lessens wear and tear on ankles and knees by reducing rotational force on all types of playing surfaces.
Key additions: QB Jake Maier (Calgary), CB Tevaughn Campbell (Jacksonville NFL), OL Sean McEwan (Calgary), OL Phillippe Gagnon (Montreal).
Key losses: DL Anthony Lanier (Toronto), OL Peter Godber (Ottawa), WR Jerreth Sterns (Winnipeg), WR Ajou Ajou (Indianapolis NFL)
Players to watch: Harris, Ouellette, DB Rolan Milligan, DB Marcus Sayles, WR KeeSean Johnson.
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