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July 31, 2024

Fourth straight home win would put Roughriders in rare company

A bid for nine is on the line when the Saskatchewan Roughriders play host to the Edmonton Elks on Saturday.

The 2024 Roughriders will become the ninth team in franchise history to win its first four home games of a season if the Edmonton Elks taste defeat at Mosaic Stadium.

The 1968 Roughriders went on to win all eight of their CFL home games.

Saskatchewan started off with six consecutive home victories in 1956, 1967 and 2010.

The home-field winning streak stretched to five in 1994.

Now the Roughriders are hoping to match the editions of 1954, 1993 and 2013 by winning four home games in succession out of the gate.

“Winning every game is important, but at home in front of our fan base, we’re very prideful about that in this building,” Head Coach Corey Mace said after Wednesday’s practice.

“We know what it’s like for some of our fans to travel to get here. For me, it takes 13 minutes to get here. For some, it’s a few hours here and back, so we want to make it worth their while. To win is the best way to do it.

“But it’s not easy. Every week, we’ve got to make sure we’re dialed to put the best product forward. We just want to make sure that we’re playing hard and we’re playing detailed.

“That puts us in the best position for us to be happy and the fan base to be happy.”

HARRIS UPDATE

Quarterback Trevor Harris, who is on the six-game injured list, is eligible to resume practising this week after sitting out the past 4½ games.

He is not yet on the practice field taking part in drills, but significant progress has been noted.

“Trevor’s very close, man,” Mace said. “He’s just got to get a few things hammered out with the medical staff, but he’s very close.”

Harris suffered a sprained medical collateral ligament in his left knee near halftime on June 23, when the Roughriders played host to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

With Shea Patterson finishing up that game, Saskatchewan won 36-20 to improve its record to 3-0.

The Roughriders have subsequently gone 2-2 with Patterson as the starter.

Patterson was the CFL’s top-rated quarterback in Week 7 of the 2024 season, according to Pro Football Focus. He was named to PFF’s Honour Roll after piloting the Roughriders to a 19-9 victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on July 19 at Mosaic Stadium.

INJURY UPDATE

Starting right offensive tackle Jacob Brammer left Wednesday’s practice with a hamstring injury.

“We’re still trying to get a little bit more information on that,” Mace said. “I’m hoping that it just looks scarier than it actually was, but we’ll probably have more information tomorrow.

“Like we have all year, if somebody needs to step up, then we’ve got to do it and they’re ready.”

As for defensive lineman Anthony Lanier II, he is facing a knee injury that “is probably going to be something that’s going to be a little tough this week” from a playing standpoint, according to Mace.

Fellow American defensive tackle Micah Johnson did not practise for the second straight day due to personal reasons. However, he is expected to be in the lineup on Saturday.

Wednesday’s did-not-practice list also consisted of running back A.J. Ouellette (hip), defensive lineman Nicholas Dheilly (personal) and centre Peter Godber (personal).

Linebacker Adam Auclair (shoulder) and defensive lineman Bryan Cox Jr. (lower back) were full participants in Wednesday’s workout. Neither player practised on Tuesday.

Running back Frankie Hickson, whose hamstring injury limited his involvement in Tuesday’s practice, was a full participant on Wednesday.