Riders’ offence looking to turn the page ahead of Labour Day Classic, ready for stretch run

The Saskatchewan Roughriders returned to practice Tuesday looking to turn the page following a heartbreaking Week 12 loss to Toronto.

Argonaut’s Lirim Hajrullahu’s single on the game’s final play earned Toronto a wild 20-19 win over the Riders Thursday night.

“It’s frustrating the way that one ended,” Quarterback Trevor Harris told reporters Tuesday. “We got in such a good rhythm early. Mid-second quarter we kind of flat lined.”

During their 4-0 run to begin the season, Saskatchewan averaged 32 points scored per game.

Since then, the Riders have scored about 21 points per game, winning just once in their last seven.

“We have to move the field,” Head Coach Corey Mace said. “And when we get down in the red zone, we have to turn threes into sixes.”

The Rider offence reached the end zone just once in their loss to Toronto.

“The name of the game ultimately is to score more points,” Mace added. “And the challenge is mighty this week with a really good defense.”

Labour Day Preparation

Ahead of the 59th annual Labour Day Classic, the Riders remain atop the Canadian Football League’s west division.

Their last win was Week 7 against the same Winnipeg Blue Bombers they’ll face Sunday.

“[Winnipeg] is getting back into a flow,” Mace said. “If it comes down to the wire, we’ve got to be on it because they’re ready to go.”

Since that loss to Saskatchewan, Winnipeg has won three-straight games, climbing to second place in the division.

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They have surrendered 23 or more points just one time in the last four games.

Rider Receiver Shawn Bane Jr. said Tuesday the offense is primed to break through on the scoreboard.

“We’ve got the talent and pieces on offense,” he added. “It’s just executing what we need to execute.”

The Final Stretch

Labour Day historically marks the start of the final stretch to the end of the CFL regular season.

The Roughriders will play west-division opponents six of the next seven games.

“The last few weeks, we’ve had opportunities to come out on top,” Mace said. “The toughest thing to stomach is I think we’ve addressed what we need to address and we end up putting ourselves in the jam.”

Harris hoped the offense can find their stride as they prepare for the run to the end of the regular season.

“Whether it’s an explosive play, getting the run going or me finding completions,” he said. “But defenses do a lot of different things to disrupt your timing.”

Bane Jr. felt adversity at this point in the season will help the team when the games get bigger.

“It’s a great teacher,” he said. “We’ve been through a lot of late in loses. We know how to lose now so it’s putting those pieces together and figuring out how to win in those tight games.”

“This team is callousing ourselves for the big moments,” Harris added. “We don’t have anybody who’s going to flinch at the end of the game.”