HAMILTON — The Saskatchewan Roughriders will be looking to get back to their winning ways when they face the Hamilton Tiger-Cats today at Tim Hortons Field.
The Roughriders (5-5-0) had a three-game winning streak snapped Saturday, when they fell 48-28 to the hometown Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The Tiger-Cats, meanwhile, have won two straight after losing eight in a row to open the season.
Saskatchewan and Hamilton met once before this season, with the Roughriders prevailing 37-20 at Mosaic Stadium on July 8. This is the squads’ final meeting of the 2017 regular season.
To set up the contest (5 p.m., CKRM, TSN), here’s one man’s list of five things (or people) that bear watching:
1. The Quarterbacks: Kevin Glenn’s right hand has been the most scrutinized hand in Canada for the past week. Glenn smacked his throwing hand on a Winnipeg defender last week and hasn’t practised since, raising questions about his availability for today’s contest. He’s expected to be a game-time decision. Backup Brandon Bridge has been taking first-team reps all week and is prepared to make the first regular-season start of his Roughriders career — if he gets the call, that is. The Tiger-Cats, meanwhile, have handed the keys to the offence to Jeremiah Masoli, who has guided them to two wins after replacing Zach Collaros.
2. The Linebackers: Two players who left Saskatchewan in the off-season for the (allegedly) greener pastures of the NFL have returned to the Roughriders — and both will play today. Otha Foster III takes over as the starting strong-side linebacker, giving Saskatchewan an excellent man-to-man pass defender at that position. Jeff Knox Jr., is listed on the depth chart as a backup middle linebacker, but the athletic Knox is a proven commodity at the weak-side spot. Foster, Knox, Henoc Muamba and Sam Eguavoen combine to provide Saskatchewan with an elite linebacking corps.
3. T.J. Barnes: With 6-foot-5, 330-pound Nick James out of the lineup in Winnipeg, the Roughriders were missing a big man in the middle of their defensive line. So naturally, Saskatchewan went out and found a bigger man in Barnes. The 6-foot-7, 355-pounder was signed Monday and immediately was plugged into the D-line rotation. The 27-year-old product of Georgia Tech University had NFL stints with the Kansas City Chiefs, Jacksonville Jaguars, Buffalo Bills and New York Jets, playing 21 regular-season games in that league between 2014 and ’16.
4. Speaking of former NFLers …: Marcus Thigpen will handle the punt and kickoff returns for Saskatchewan today. He was with the Roughriders in 2009, but didn’t play any games with them. He was released after training camp in 2010 and signed in Hamilton, where he was one of the CFL’s most dangerous returners. How dangerous? In his first career game, he returned the opening kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown and later added a 118-yard missed field-goal return for a major. That season, Thigpen became the first player in CFL history to score TDs in five different ways (on punt, kickoff and missed field-goal returns, on a running play and on a reception). After two seasons in Hamilton, he played four seasons in the NFL.
5. A New Attitude: The Tiger-Cats have looked like a different team over their past two games, but it’s unclear if that change is a result of June Jones replacing Kent Austin as head coach or if it’s just a coincidence. Whatever the reason, the Roughriders have noticed the difference. Saskatchewan head coach-GM Chris Jones pointed out several times this week that Hamilton’s offensive line has been strengthened by the play of tackles Ryler Mathews and Tony Washington, that tailback C.J. Gable looks like a new man and that the receivers are running their routes with more authority. Mathews is out today, though, with rookie Lamar Holmes taking his spot.
