'Felt amazing': Armstead reflects on first game and win with Roughriders

Not only did Friday’s matchup between the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Calgary Stampeders mark the Riders’ first win in over two months but it also marked running back Ryquell Armstead’s first as a member of the green and white.

“It felt amazing. It was just what the team needed. If they give me 25 or 30 carries, I’m going to take it. I’ll give them 10 or whatever,” Armstead said following practice on Tuesday.

The American running back had quite the performance in his first game with 25 carries for 207 yards.

“College [was my last 200-yard game]. I’ve got a ‘what’s next’ mentality, I have since college. So, I just want to make sure it wasn’t a fluke,” he joked with reporters.

“During a couple of drives I said, ‘Man this is nice’. I remember it was like hand off, gash, gash. ‘This is sweet’. It felt like back in high school we were just the dominant team. We just ran the ball all over people,” said quarterback Trevor Harris reflecting on the game.

The performance came after Armstead had one practiced four times with Saskatchewan as he was only signed early last week.

“I was comfortable the third day I was here, so for me it’s just about regrouping with these guys, panning out the little things, just fixing them. You can work on something every day,” Armstead shared.

“The fact that he got here four days before that, I’ve actually been in his shoes before. I got to Montreal and played four days later. It’s no easy task learning the playbook, all the intricate details, and the little things. This week we can kind of do a little bit more with the run game, the pass game, the check downs, the certain things that he’s doing in terms of pass protection. He did a tremendous job handling the mental workload,” Harris said.

Earlier this month, Armstead was released by the Ottawa Redblacks, and it just so happens the Riders face them this week at home.

“It’s going to amazing seeing those familiar faces. I put in a lot of time with those guys. I know those guys pretty well. They know me pretty well. So I don’t think there’s too much planning just go out there and have fun,” said Armstead.

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Armstead has made himself at home in just one short week even earning the game ball against Calgary which he shared he hasn’t earned since his college days.

“This running back room, they’re all good at their job. They all know their stuff, they’re real pros. They show up on time, they do what they’re supposed to do, they’re encouraging. Ultimately the want what’s best for even me. We’re just competing and helping one another,” Armstead said.

The win marked the first time the Riders have won following Labour Day since the 2021 season.

“I never really thought about it until I heard that stat and it’s crazy to really think about. But this is a whole new team, whole new culture, so expect everything to be different from us,” said wide receiver, Kian Schaffer-Baker.

The Riders still sit in third in the West Division with a 6-7-1 record. The Redblacks are second in the East with an 8-5-1 record and can clinch a playoff berth with a win over Saskatchewan this week. The last time these two teams met it ended in a tie.

Kickoff for Saturday’s game is 1 p.m. and will be broadcast on CTV, not TSN.