'Both shown to be excellent players': Riders load up with Armstead and Ouellette at running back for playoff game

The Saskatchewan Roughriders have moved their Canadian ratio around to accommodate American running backs Ryquell Armstead and A.J. Ouellette for Saturday’s playoff game.

“It was something since bringing Q (Ryquell) in that could be an option for us either late in the season or playoffs. But you wanted to make sure that they’re healthy enough. Unfortunately [that meant] there were guys that wouldn’t be able to play in order to get them both on the roster. But we feel like having them both plays into our favour,” said head coach, Corey Mace.

The Riders released their depth chart ahead of Saturday’s West Semi-Final versus the Lions.

In this week were veteran players such as Rolan Milligan Jr., A.J. Ouellette, and KeeSean Johnson who sat the final game of the regular season as a result of the game that did not change the outcome of the standings. But offensive lineman, Peter Godber, also returns from injury as the sixth offensive lineman. The team has chosen to keep Logan Ferland at centre.

Notable players out of the lineup this week:

• Defensive back, Deontai Williams
• Defensive back, Kosi Onyeka
• Offensive lineman, Noah Zerr
• Running back, Frankie Hickson

The team will also have Canadian Thomas Bertrand-Hudon at the RB position but has been clear they will try to dominate with Armstead and Ouellete in their run game.

“Armstead’s been all in since he got here. Obviously we’re familiar with A.J. and what he can do in a playoff game really well. Both can protect the quarterback very well, can catch out of the backfield. I don’t want to say it’s thunder and lightning kind of deal but they’ve both shown to be excellent players in this league and we’re lucky to have them both,” said Mace.

“It’s just whoever is a little winded we can get the next guy in there. We’re both smart football players, know the offence, can run people over. If you’re not a hundred percent, get out, let the next guy get in,” said Ouellette when asked about their game plan.

Ouellette knows the one, two style of running backs on a roster as he and Andrew Harris were key pieces of the Toronto Argonauts Grey Cup Championship run in 2022.

“He’s (Ryquell’s) been here for a few weeks now, kind of helped him see the game the way I see it and then he’s helped me the same way he sees it.”

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“He’s probably one of the best running backs I’ve seen in this league,” quarterback Trevor Harris told reporters about Ouellette.

But he added praise for both backs.

“It’s obviously a gigantic part of who we want to be, we have to be able to run the football and I feel like we have that ability. That is a huge part of who we want to be. Anytime you have a championship team you’re never one dimensional. If you are, you become easy [for defences to adjust to] The fact that we have the ability to do [use] both is going to be huge for us.”

Saturday will mark the first time in over 1,000 days the Riders will take to the field in a playoff game. It is the first for Trevor Harris as a member of the green and white but his mindset does not shift from what the team has done all season to get to this point.

“I hate to be the guy that bursts everyone’s bubble. It’s still 12 on 12, you still have three downs, maybe there’s a little heightened intensity or focus. But to me if you say you’re going to try harder right now, I love playing those type of people because that means their effort is going to fluctuate. I treat every game the same,” Harris said.

But Harris did add that he believes this is the best time of the year to play football as teams are playing their best football.

The Lions and Riders split their season series but in their first matchup it was Lions’ quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. and Shea Patterson as the starters. In the second matchup, it was Harris and Lion’s Nathan Rourke going head to head. On Saturday, it will be the first time Adams and Harris will both be at the helm for their respective squads.

Harris and Adams spent time together in Montreal.

“I love Vernon but not tomorrow,” Harris joked. “I love the guy, he’s continued to ascend and get better. He’s been somebody that the Bible talks about, iron sharpens iron. We were only together a short time in Montreal but it was very much iron sharpens iron. But tomorrow is our day, I don’t want it to be his day,” Harris shared.

Adams put up an impressive 451 yards against the Riders back in Week 6 in their 35-20 victory.

“There’s a lot of film out there on him. You don’t just need that game to see what VA’s about and his capabilities. For us it’s just about using that film, seeing the mistakes we made, and just about going from there,” said defensive lineman, Micah Johnson.

A major target that game was Lion’s receiver Justin McInnis who recorded 243 receiving yards and a touchdown.

“He has a great arm, his eyes stay downfield even when he scrambles. We let one guy go for almost 300 yards on us so we have to lock in on each other this time,” said linebacker, C.J. Reavis.

But all records are out the window on Saturday with the season on the line for both teams.

“It just feels good for us to be able to chase a championship and that’s our end goal is to be Grey Cup champions this year,” defensive back, Marcus Sayles exclaimed.

Kick-off for Saturday’s semi-final is 4:30 p.m. on TSN.