Riders drop smoke delayed preseason finale 27-20 against Winnipeg

WATCH: The heavy smoke has had an impact on outdoor events, including a delay to Friday’s Rider game. Donovan Maess has the details.

Although it doesn’t count towards the standings, the Saskatchewan Roughriders dropped a Friday night affair against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 27-20, going winless for the 2025 preseason.

The Riders scored their first touchdown of the preseason with under 30 seconds remaining in the game to make the score closer.

“I thought we moved the ball okay,” Head Coach Corey Mace told reporters after the loss. “And then [we had a] turnover in the green zone there.”

Saskatchewan made it inside Winnipeg’s 20-yard line five times Friday but inked out just one touchdown – the only they scored in two preseason games.

“We ended a bunch of drives in preseason with kicks,” Mace added. “We are still putting up points, but we want to turn those threes into sixes.”

It was a game which saw a majority of back-ups get time for both teams. Several Saskatchewan starters, including Trevor Harris, A.J. Ouelette, Kian Schaffer-Baker and more did not dress. While more than a dozen Bomber regulars did not travel to Regina Friday.

The game was delayed by over an hour from its originally scheduled 7 p.m. kickoff time due to air quality issues caused by wildfire smoke in the province’s north.

“[The smoke] wasn’t noticeable when we took the field,” Riders’ quarterback Jake Maier said. “Throughout the day, it was like, ‘wow, this is kind of nuts.”

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to anybody that’s been affected with that. But when we took the field, we were fortunate enough to feel like this is just any other game,” he added

Mace said several players in the lineup tonight deserved the opportunity to prove themselves on the field.

“I was just pleased everything worked out the way it did and we were able to kick off,” the Riders’ head coach said. “We were really hoping we’d be able to get to play for those guys. They’ve worked so freaking hard and they earned that opportunity tonight.”

Once underway, Winnipeg would jump ahead quick with two fast touchdowns in the first quarter.

Chris Streveler started the game for Winnipeg and marched the Bombers down the field to score first.

On the second drive of the game for Winnipeg, everyday starter Zach Collaros needed just two passes to get to the endzone to give the blue and gold a two-score lead. The drive would be the only appearance for the two-time CFL MOP who was 2/2, 80 yards passing and a TD.

Collaros will serve a suspension in Week 2 of the season for failing to make himself available for a drug test. Winnipeg has a bye Week 1.

Preseason miscues

The Riders’ offense continued to sputter this preseason, notching just 252 yards total offense - mostly on the final drive of the game.

“We had our opportunities to keep some drives going,” Maier said. “And we did at times. [But] we had some where we just got some unlucky breaks, a couple bad bounces, and [the game] kind of got away from us on [other] drives.”

Similar to their first preseason game, the legs of Rider kickers would account for all the points scored by Saskatchewan.

Brett Lauther finished the night 3/3 on field goals, including making a 53-yard field goal in the third quarter before Dawson Hodge got a chance to kick in the second half. Hodge made his lone attempt from 31 yards.

With Harris getting the night off, Maier started at the pivot position for Saskatchewan.

Maier played the entirety of the first half under centre going 9/15, throwing for 113 yards, one interception and no touchdowns.

“When it comes to these preseason games, you know guys are playing for their life,” he said. “They’re playing for their job security and and so you understand that. You just try to make the game as loose and as fun as possible just because there is a little bit of anxiety that comes with that.”

Jack Coan would enter the game to play the second half. The second-year quarterback out of Notre Dame threw for 189 yards on 18 completions and 25 attempts with no touchdowns nor interceptions.

“I’m definitely disappointed we couldn’t get the win,” Coan said following the game. “But it was good to finally get in the end zone on the last drive.”

“For me personally, I just it was exciting for me to get out there and just feel the speed of the game again and get in front of Mosaic [Stadium].”

A bright spot on the Rider offense was returning wideout Joe Robustilli. The sophomore wide receiver caught six passes for a game-high 119 yards receiving.

“It felt really, really good [to put a game together],” Robustilli said. “[Training camp] has been going well. [I am] getting a lot of confidence.”

After a catch in the third quarter, Robustelli was visibly shaken up, favouring his right shoulder.

“It’s nothing,” the receiver joked. “Just a little thing.”

The Riders’ head coach praised Robustelli’s effort saying the wide receiver has been showing glimpses of brilliance in practice since joining the team last year.

“It’s not a shock. We’ve seen Joe do that to our defense for over a year now,” Mace said about Robustelli. “We were just kind of waiting for him to display that in game.”

“[Robustelli] getting banged up and just strapping them up. Work’s gotta be done,” he added.

Regina-product Mitch Picton also saw lots of playing time Friday, making seven catches for 77 yards receiving.

Final cuts

Teams now have to make their final cuts to their rosters by Saturday’s deadline.

“It’s going to be some tough conversations in there,” Mace admitted. “It’s a good thing, though. But we push those guys to really understand the reality of it.”

“They fought till the very dang end and there were some guys who made some really good plays tonight,” he added.

Maier also touted his teammates’ effort in their final showcase in game action.

“Guys were focused on their job and just trying to make the next drive their best drive,” the fifth-year pivot said. “Especially in a preseason game like that, you’re trying to make sure you run your offense correctly and you’re trying to make sure all the details are ironed out.”

The Riders are expected to announce their final roster moves Saturday, along with the rest of the league.

Saskatchewan opens the regular season against the Ottawa Redblacks at home Thursday June 5. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Mosaic Stadium and on TSN.