OTTAWA — The Saskatchewan Roughriders are looking for a dynamic duo.
The Roughriders will be looking for their second straight victory to open the 2018 CFL regular season when they face the Ottawa Redblacks on Thursday (5:30 p.m., CKRM, TSN).
The Roughriders haven’t started a regular season with back-to-back victories since the 2013 season, when they defeated the Edmonton Eskimos 39-18 and the Calgary Stampeders 36-21.
The best Saskatchewan has done since then was split its first two games, which it did in 2014. Each of the past three seasons featured an 0-2-0 start.
Here’s one man’s list of five things to watch during Thursday’s game.
- Duron Carter: The Roughriders’ leading receiver last season isn’t expected to have a chance to catch any passes Thursday — at least not from Saskatchewan’s quarterbacks. Carter is slated to start at boundary cornerback in place of Nick Marshall, who was put on the six-game injured list this week with a finger issue. Carter’s first career start on the corner went pretty well — he had a 43-yard interception return for a touchdown against the host Stampeders on Oct. 20 — and he’s looking to recapture that magic against the Redblacks’ talented receiving corps.
- Shaq Evans: With Carter moving across the line of scrimmage for this game, Evans will make his first career CFL start at receiver. A fourth-round pick of the NFL’s New York Jets in the 2014 NFL draft, Evans looked smooth during Saskatchewan’s training camp. He’s big (6-foot-1, 210 pounds) and fast and is eager to restart a football career that stalled south of the border. He’s playing in Carter’s spot, so there could be some passes coming Evans’ way in Ottawa.
- Ball control: Roughriders quarterback Zach Collaros attempted 25 passes during Friday’s 27-19 season-opening victory over the Toronto Argonauts, but only two of those throws travelled further than 20 yards downfield. Collaros connected with Caleb Holley on a 34-yard gain on a third-and-three gamble from the Toronto 49-yard line, but the QB couldn’t hook up with Carter on a 35-yard attempt. A third long pass — a 39-yarder to Holley — fell incomplete, but Toronto was flagged for pass interference. The shorter passes reflect the philosophy favoured by offensive co-ordinator Stephen McAdoo, who wants the passing game to help keep the ball away from the opposition.
- What a rush: Charleston Hughes and Willie Jefferson got much of the attention after Friday’s victory over the Argos — and rightly so. They combined for three sacks (all by Hughes) and six quarterback pressures (including four by Hughes) as the Roughriders made life miserable for Toronto pivot Ricky Ray. But tackles Zack Evans, Makana Henry and Eddie Steele and other rushers like Tobi Antigha, Chad Geter and Eric Striker also were on the prowl against Toronto. That group will look to do the same Thursday — and Evans could be particularly motivated to face his former team.
- Surprise!: The Redblacks had the bye in the opening week of the regular season, so the Roughriders expect to see a few wrinkles from Ottawa in its first game of the campaign. Redblacks head coach Rick Campbell isn’t afraid to roll the dice at times, which also adds to the Roughriders’ wariness entering this game. Ottawa, meanwhile, has seen the video of Saskatchewan’s opener against the Argos and therefore may know some of the Roughriders’ tendencies in certain situations. Those factors could lead to an interesting chess match.
