At 6-foot-6 and 304 pounds, Zack Fry is easy to spot in a crowd.
It will be considerably tougher to locate his father, Chuck, who will be in the company of roughly 20,000 other attendees at Thursday’s game between the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Ottawa REDBLACKS.
Chuck, who resides in London, Ont., will make the six-hour drive to be present at TD Place for his 23-year-old son’s first CFL start.
“I’m probably going to be a little more nervous, trying to find him in the stands and everything,” Zack Fry said after the Roughriders practised at Mosaic Stadium on Tuesday.
“I know he’s going to be there, yelling at me if I mess up. There’s a little more added pressure to it, but I’m excited for him to be there.”
Fry is to start at left guard in place of Ryan Sceviour, who injured an elbow on Saturday against the visiting Edmonton Elks.
Sceviour had been playing left guard since Philip Blake was sidelined by a quad injury during the Roughriders’ second regular-season game.
“You always wish those injuries don’t happen so you’re not shoved into a spot, but I think our group does a really good job of preparing for stuff like this,” Fry said.
“I’m just going to get in there, do what I do, and ride with the guys around me.”
Fry, who starred at Western University in London, was the Roughriders’ second-round selection (16th overall) in the 2022 CFL Draft.
After attending the Roughriders’ training camp in 2022, he returned to Western for one more year of U Sports football. He is now in his second CFL season.
Saskatchewan is expected to deploy another first-time starter, Nick Jones, on the offensive line in Ottawa.
Jones would become the Roughriders’ fourth starting right tackle this season.
After Jermarcus Hardrick (quad) and Jacob Brammer (hamstring) were shelved by injuries, Brandon Council played on the right side last weekend against Edmonton. He subsequently decided to retire.
Hence the anticipated elevation of Jones — a Mississippi State product whose signing was announced by the Roughriders on July 16.
Jones and Fry are to become the Roughriders’ nith and 10th starting offensive linemen during a regular season that does not reach its halfway point until Thursday.
“Fry played really well (against Edmonton), so it’s good that he got that game under his belt,” Head Coach Corey Mace said.
“With Nick playing in the SEC, he played some good football. I know he’s excited for the opportunity.
“He’ll be out there with guys who have played a lot of games, so communication is key from that standpoint.
“At the end of it, the ball is snapped and it’s football. Let’s go.”
INJURY UPDATE
Sceviour, Brammer and five other Roughriders players are listed as out for Thursday’s game, according to an injury report released by the team on Tuesday.
Quarterback Trevor Harris (knee) will sit out his sixth game in a row after being a full participant in practice on Monday and Tuesday.
He was placed on the six-game injured list after spraining the medial collateral ligament in his left knee against the visiting Hamilton Tiger-Cats on June 24.
Leading up to this week, he was cleared to resume practising, but Shea Patterson will remain behind centre on Thursday.
Running back A.J. Ouellette (hip) is to miss his third game in a row. In Ouellette’s absence, Frankie Hickson has rushed for 206 yards over two games.
Linebackers Jameer Thurman (elbow) and Melique Straker (hamstring), along with receiver KeeSean Johnson (head), will also sit out Thursday’s game.
Defensive end Malik Carney, who missed Monday’s practice due to a knee injury, was a full participant in Tuesday’s workout and is ticketed to play on Thursday.
PATTERSON, ALFORD HONOURED
Patterson is on a roll when it comes to the Honour Roll.
He has been the CFL’s top-rated quarterback, according to Pro Football Focus, in two of the past three weeks.
Patterson received the best grade (80.0) of any CFL quarterback after guiding the Roughriders to a 19-9 home-field victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on July 19.
He graded out at 85.2 during the Roughriders’ 42-31 loss to Edmonton. In that game, he posted CFL personal bests in passing yards (306) and touchdown tosses (two) in addition to rushing four times for 30 yards and one TD.
Saskatchewan’s Mario Alford also made the latest Honour Roll … twice!
He was appraised as the top returner (with a 68.0 grade) and special teams player (90.6).
Alford returned Saturday’s opening kickoff for a 101-yard touchdown. He also had three punt returns for 76 yards, including a 46-yarder.
