Calgary Stampeders seek to rein in Saskatchewan Roughriders' hot offence

Saskatchewan Roughriders' DaMarcus Fields, right, tackles Calgary Stampeders' Dedrick Mills during second half CFL football action in Calgary, Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

CALGARY — The Saskatchewan Roughriders showed what quarterback Trevor Harris can do with healthy receivers in the CFL team’s season-opener.

After a 31-27 win over the visiting B.C. Lions, the Roughriders seek to carry over their sizzling offence Saturday against the host Calgary Stampeders.

The weather could factor into how both teams deploy the football at McMahon Stadium, however, as thunderstorms and showers were forecasted for Saturday afternoon and evening.

“I’ve always kind of prided myself on being an all-weather quarterback, especially in the rain,” Harris said. “If you have high-level winds, that’s what really kind of affects games. But for me, throwing into the rain is really not an issue.”

Saskatchewan is coming off an offensive showcase featuring Harris’s 417 passing yards and his three touchdown throws to Samuel Emilus.

Kian Schaffer-Baker contributed 165 receiving yards on a career-high 11 catches. KeeSean Johnson totalled 131 yards on nine catches.

“We’re always called to go out there and leave everything you got out on the field because you never know when it could be your last opportunity, so we all know what our expectations are,” Schaffer-Baker.

“We come out each and every single day to push each other to be better and when we’re all playing together, everyone doing their job, I don’t think anyone could stop us.”

It was rare when all three receivers were available in a single game last season.

Schaffer-Baker of Mississauga, Ont., was sidelined with a foot injury in last season’s Week 1 and didn’t play again until October.

Emilus, from Montreal, missed over half the season with foot and knee injuries, although he took Most Outstanding Canadian honours in the Grey Cup with 10 catches for 106 yards.

Johnson’s knee injury in October kept him out of the West final and Grey Cup game.

“It’s really good that we have those guys healthy at same time and yeah, I think the sky’s the limit for that group,” Harris said.

The Stampeders had a bye week after a tough 30-28 loss to the visiting Winnipeg Blue Bombers to start their season.

Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. orchestrated a 15-play, 104-yard touchdown drive on Calgary’s last possession for a one-point lead, but the Bombers won 30-28 with a walk-off field goal.

“A lot of things we could learn from that drive,” Adams said. “It’s learning lessons and I was grateful for that opportunity and hopefully we could not be in that situation again to go for a win and just try to win early.”

Calgary spent extra time in Friday’s walkthrough on special teams as Winnipeg dominated punt returns in the opener.

Tough test

Calgary beat Saskatchewan in both meetings last season, but the 2026 edition of the Roughriders will be a tough early-season test of the Stampeder defence at McMahon.

“Trevor Harris is a really great quarterback, so our job as a D-line is to put pressure on him and make him uncomfortable and we’re going to do that,” said defensive tackle Jaylon Hutchings, who will play his first game of the season after sitting out the opener with a hamstring injury.

“I want to come with the nasty mindset of stopping the run. That’s the first thing. And we have to earn the right to pass rush. So we stop the run, we have the right pass rush.”

Defensive end Folarin Orimolade remains out of the lineup. He hasn’t played since tearing his Achilles tendon last September.

“Just had a little bit of a soreness, and unfortunately just decided to push him back,” Stampeder head coach and general manager Dave Dickenson said. “I’m not going to guarantee him next week either though. He’s got, to me, to try to get at least three, four, five weeks of good hard practice in.

“I do think we have good players besides Flo. He is a big part of our team and will make us better, but he’s got to be able to feel like he can play a lot and make an impact.”

Veteran kicker René Paredes (groin) will also miss a second straight game to start the season.

For the Roughriders, Mike Benson makes his Roughrider debut and replaces Aaron Crawford (knee) at long snapper.

Roughrider fans traditionally turn up in droves at McMahon given the number of Saskatchewan expats who live in the Calgary area, and the city’s reasonable driving distance from the provincial border.

“We’ve got to give our fan base something to cheer about,” Roughriders head coach Corey Mace said. “It’s great to see the green in the crowd, but you want to hear them.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 19, 2026.

Donna Spencer, The Canadian Press