REGINA — It’s a rivalry unlike any other in the Canadian Football League.
The CFL schedule over the September long weekend showcases the league’s best matchups, and there is none greater than the Labour Day Classic between the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Saskatchewan Roughriders. It’s also the first meeting between the prairie rivals this season, who haven’t met since Winnipeg eliminated Saskatchewan at home in the Western final last year en route to winning the second of back-to-back Grey Cups.
The Bombers enter the game atop the CFL standings, leading the West with a 10-1 record. The Roughriders got back into the win column with a victory over the B.C. Lions last week, but have struggled much of the year, currently boasting a mark of 6-5.
With that, here are five storylines to keep an eye on in what should be a physical affair between two clubs that really dislike each other — the main ingredient to any good rivalry.
The rivalry, take 58
It’s the 58th edition of the Labour Day Classic, a series that has seen the Roughriders win 37 of those games. The Bombers were victorious in 2021, earning a convincing 23-8 triumph, in what was just their second Labour Day victory in the previous 16 games.
Indeed, the past hasn’t been kind to the Blue and Gold and just because the Bombers have been a dominant force in recent years, nothing is guaranteed on this weekend. You might recall the 2011 campaign, where the Bombers opened the season 7-1 and the Roughriders stumbled to a 1-7 mark, only for Saskatchewan to beat Winnipeg 27-7.
Perhaps the great equalizer in this one is a packed house at Mosaic Stadium. The game has long been sold out, and while there will be plenty of blue jerseys in the stands from the Winnipeg faithful, a majority of the 33,350 in attendance will be clad in green.
There’s also a good chance the game will go down to the wire. Of the nearly 60 games played, more than half (31) have been decided in the final three minutes.
Standings watch
There will be more than just bragging rights at stake in this one.
With back-to-back games against the Roughriders, including next week’s Banjo Bowl rematch, the Bombers will have a chance to not only further cement their place atop the West, but also prevent Saskatchewan from moving up in the standings and securing a home playoff game.
Winnipeg has wrapped up the season series with the Calgary Stampeders, having won all three games already this year. The Bombers hold a 1-0 edge over the B.C. Lions, with two more games still to be played but against a team that will be without star quarterback Nathan Rourke.
A pair of victories against the Roughriders would nearly secure first place in the West, giving the Bombers the easiest route in their bid for a third straight title. The Roughriders already seem destined to finish fourth, which would include a crossover to the East.
That might seem like a pretty favourable spot for Saskatchewan given the East has been awful, but I’ll remind you that no team has ever made the Grey Cup game as the crossover let alone won it. And even if they did get there, as the East representative the Roughriders would be relegated to visitors in their own house, with the West club getting the home locker room.
The Marino effect
I’ve been hammering home this point all week, but given the importance quarterback Zach Collaros is to the Bombers and the risk that comes with playing against Roughriders defensive lineman Garrett Marino, it’s impossible to ignore the elephant in the room.
Marino has created quite the reputation for himself since joining the CFL last season. Despite having just 14 CFL games on his resume, the 28-year-old has been ejected from two games, including one that led to a four-game suspension, and has been fined for unsportsmanlike play three times.
The four-game suspension was handed down in Week 5 after Marino appeared to intentionally injure Ottawa Redblacks pivot Jeremiah Masoli, knocking him out for 10-12 weeks with a knee injury. The play, along with the ensuing celebration, which included Marino flexing his muscles and blowing kisses to the crowd while Masoli winced in pain nearby, accounted for two of the games, while delivering a racially intensive comment to Masoli and another illegal hit earlier in the night round out the other two.
In the game in which Marino returned after his suspension, he was fined again for unnecessary roughness against B.C. Lions offensive lineman Peter Gober. As for his first ejection, it was against the Bombers in last year’s Banjo Bowl, so you know there’s not a lot of love lost between the two sides.
The Bombers were sure not to add any fuel to Marino’s fire, with several players complimenting his skillset. But it would be foolish not to keep an eye out for No. 92 given his penchant for playing outside the rules.
Pete Robertson is tied for the league lead in sacks, with eight, (The Canadian Press files)
Battle in the trenches
While Marino will be someone to monitor, that’s not exactly going to be an easy task when you consider the talent across the Roughriders D-line.
Defensive end Pete Robertson is tied for the league lead in sacks, with eight, despite missing four games this season owing to injury. Anthony Lanier, assuming he’s good to go after missing last week, is also a force to be reckoned with, as the defensive lineman isn’t far behind with seven sacks. When you consider Marino, A.C. Leonard and Charleston Hughes are also in the mix, it’s little surprise that the Roughriders lead the CFL with 34 sacks.
Saskatchewan likes to have a healthy rotation on the D-line, inserting as many as seven players into the game to keep bodies fresh and the pressure constant. They can often get to the quarterback by rushing four or even three, while not being afraid to send the house in an all-out blitz.
The packed house adds another layer to the challenge, in that it will be very difficult for the Bombers O-line to communicate through the crowd noise. They’ve been pumping in artificial noise all week at practice, but it’s near impossible to replicate the passion of one of the most spirited fanbases in the league.
Road to victory goes through Fajardo
The Bombers best chance of winning will be by giving the Roughriders a taste of their own medicine. As good as Saskatchewan has been getting to opposing quarterbacks, it’s been equally as bad protecting their own.
It’s a fair statement to say Roughriders quarterback Cody Fajardo has been running for his life this season, with Saskatchewan surrendering a CFL-worst 44 sacks. For those keeping score at home, that’s a full 12 sacks from the next closest team and more than double the 21 sacks the Bombers have given up in 2022.
Indeed, the Roughriders O-line has been incredibly leaky this season and it will be up to the likes of Bomber defensive ends Willie Jefferson and Jackson Jeffcoat to exploit that weakness. It’s when Fajardo has been able to get into a rhythm that he’s dangerous, but when he’s forced to run around on his injured knee, he morphs into a completely different player.
The Bombers D-line will also be leaned on to take some pressure off other areas of the defence, those that have been hit with injuries in recent weeks. Weakside linebacker Malik Clements is out, with Jesse Briggs expected to fill in. Middle linebacker Adam Bighill was limited in practice with a nagging shoulder issue but should be good to play.
The Bombers are missing boundary corner Demerio Houston, who pulled up lame in last week’s win over Calgary and is likely to be out for some time. Jamal Parker will be added to the secondary, taking over for Winston Rose on the field side so he can slide into Houston’s spot.
Twitter: @jeffkhamilton
Jeff Hamilton
Multimedia producer
After a slew of injuries playing hockey that included breaks to the wrist, arm, and collar bone; a tear of the medial collateral ligament in both knees; as well as a collapsed lung, Jeff figured it was a good idea to take his interest in sports off the ice and in to the classroom.
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