The Saskatchewan Roughriders aspire to inflate their win total by defeating the Calgary Stampeders in an important — but not necessarily pressurized — CFL West Division clash on Friday.
“I define pressure as something you put in tires,” Roughriders quarterback Trevor Harris told reporters in Calgary on Thursday. “I don’t really worry about it.
“I think (pressure) would maybe be something like you make a $20 bet and you only have $10 in your pocket, but I think we’ve got the money in our pocket to do what we need to do for the rest of the season.
“Pressure comes from past failures or future anxieties. To me, it’s just about us existing in the present moment and doing our best.”
That is what it will take to snap a winless streak that has reached seven games (0-6-1).
Despite a challenging stretch, the 5-7-1 Roughriders currently hold down the West’s third and final playoff position. Calgary (4-8-1) is one point behind Saskatchewan.
“Both teams are positioned in a spot where it hasn’t been a great season to this point or what we had all pictured, but the results we are looking for are still ahead of us and still within our control,” Harris said.
“Each team should have a sense of urgency at this point.”
Those words are applicable to the Roughriders’ defence, which feasted on turnovers to help the team boast records of 4-0-0 and 5-1-0 early in the season.
After six games, the Roughriders had a league-best plus-11 turnover differential. Over the last seven contests, Saskatchewan is plus-3 — still a commendable number, but a contrast to the torrid early-season pace.
“You have to have a sense of urgency in everything you do, because that stuff carries over,” said middle linebacker Jameer Thurman, who leads the CFL in fumble recoveries (three).
“When you have that mindset going into the game, you find a way to get the ball.”
Thurman suggested another mindset that would serve the Roughriders well on Friday and beyond.
“Don’t make things bigger than what they are,” he said. “Go out there and have fun.
“At the end of the day, this is a tough business, and guys forget that we’re playing a game that is actually pretty fun.
“So you go out there and continue to have fun, but also go out there and do your job well.”
That point has also been made by Corey Mace.
“Being a glass-half-full guy, I like to look at the positives,” the Roughriders’ first-year head coach said.
“We have a team that is resilient and that is not afraid to fight until the very last second and is comfortable in adversity. We just have yet to find ways to overcome it the way that we anticipate.
“Fortunately, we’re in a situation where we still have time to figure that out — not a lot. But I believe you have to have the people we have in the building to get that done.
“I’m confident in that and excited to see how we’re going to progress.”
EXTRA POINTS
• Running back Ryquell Armstead and defensive lineman Eric Black are to make their debuts with Saskatchewan tonight. They increase the Roughriders’ all-time player count to 2,181, taking into consideration everyone who has suited up for at least one regular-season or playoff game since 1910. Armstead and Black are the 67th and 68th players to dress for Saskatchewan this season. Armstead becomes the 42nd to draw a starting assignment.
• Effective on Friday night, only five Roughriders will have started every game at the same position this season — slotback Samuel Emilus, offensive tackle Trevor Reid, defensive tackle Micah Johnson, linebacker C.J. Reavis and defensive halfback DaMarcus Fields.
• Harris needs 11 completions to tie Tracy Ham for 14th on the CFL’s all-time list. The Roughriders’ signal-caller is 16th in passing yards (31,956) and attempts (4,041) and 20th in touchdowns (175).
• Mario Alford has moved into third in Saskatchewan’s all-time yardage list on punt returns (2,051) and kickoff returns (3,021). In the latter category, he is 414 yards behind second-ranked Tristan Jackson. With 124 kickoff returns, Alford is three shy of Albert Brown (who is third) and 22 back of Jackson (second).
• The Roughriders have a league-high 16 players on the six-game injured list. Edmonton is next at 14, followed by B.C. (13), Ottawa (13), Calgary (11), Montreal (11), Hamilton (9), Toronto (9) and Winnipeg (9).
• All four of the Stampeders’ victories have been registered at home, where they are 4-2-1. Calgary is the league’s only winless road team (0-6-0) this season. The Stampeders visit Mosaic Stadium on Oct. 26.
