Saskatchewan Roughrider

There was a time in Caleb Sanders’ athletic career when a tackle was soon followed by a routine raising of the hand. In 2018, for example, he was the Iowa state Class 3A heavyweight wrestling champion while competing on behalf of Glenwood High School. His overall record that season: 45-3.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders’ first practice of this past week was delayed by an extended team meeting that pertained to penalties, penalties and, for a change of pace, penalties. The messaging was emphatic from Head Coach Corey Mace, who was rankled by costly infractions that were assessed to his team in a 30-16 loss to the host B.C. Lions on Aug. 23. Six days later, penalties were again a huge part of the plot.

"If you're out there, they believe in you."

"We came in here and made some adjustments and we seen what they were able to do and you know go at it."

Before a sellout crowd of 33,350 at Mosaic Stadium, the Saskatchewan Roughriders regained their winning touch by defeating the Toronto Argonauts 28-24 on Saturday. Tommy Stevens’ two-yard TD run with 2:57 left in the fourth quarter put Saskatchewan (7-4) ahead to stay. Toronto dropped to 5-6. The Roughriders snapped a two-game losing spell while assuming sole possession of second place in the CFL’s West Division. Trevor Harris threw for 316 yards and two scores.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders have sold out The Greatest Show on Turf – Family Day Carnival presented by Nîkihk. With all 33,350 seats at Mosaic Stadium filled, Rider Nation has shown up in a big way to cheer loud and proud for their Green and White. Kickoff is at 5 p.m. It’s set to be a jam-packed night of family fun and exciting football. At halftime, 350 young cheerleaders will join the Rider Cheer Team for a special Junior Cheer performance.

One day, as an esteemed member of the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ alumni, Trevor Harris will be enshrined in the Canadian Football Hall of Fame. The Plaza of Honour is also a given for the fifth Grey Cup-winning starting quarterback in franchise history. The inevitable inductions will be well-deserved. But let’s put them off as long as possible, shall we? How about, say, a decade from now?

Aside from a winning performance, what does Corey Mace want to see from the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Saturday? “The main thing is the guys getting back to enjoying themselves and what they do,” the CFL’s 2025 Coach of the Year said leading up to the Roughriders’ looming home game against the Toronto Argonauts. “I spoke to them about celebrating each other’s success on the field and (it also applies) to the guys on the sideline, too.

"The main thing is just the guys getting back to enjoying themselves and what they do."

"I'm excited to see this version of us tomorrow and see how we have progressed."