A.J. Ouellette went facemask-to-facemask with Adam Bighill, who was fined for a high hit on Shea Patterson last season
When’s Labour Day? And the Banjo Bowl?
Ouellette’s long, blonde hair gave him away. Without Ouellette’s locks jutting out from his helmet it was nearly impossible to discern his number (45) from any distance because the Roughriders were wearing their new, “obsidian-green” jerseys. “Almost black” is also apt.
Although the new threads were popular with the players and most fans, the marketing ploy obviously didn’t consider how tough it was to read dark-on-dark numbers for Riders radio play-by-play voice Dave Thomas, Winnipeg’s Derek Taylor and TSN’s Dustin Nielson.
It was most certainly Patterson (Number 5) on that last play, finishing his third CFL start by taking the snap and trying to run away from Winnipeg’s pass-rushers before tossing an intentional incompletion to kill the final few seconds, going to the ground and getting jumped on by Bighill.
Patterson should have thrown the ball earlier, but he accepted the blame and graciously exonerated Bighill.
“Didn’t feel great,” Patterson told reporters afterwards. “But nah, I’m fine … That’s just him making a play. That’s on me, too. I can’t hold onto it that long.
“Maybe got a little too cocky and a veteran linebacker came and sent me a message, so respect to him.”
Bighill’s hit was, honestly, dangerous and unnecessary. It wasn’t penalized but he could still be fined by the CFL.
The Bombers, who have appeared in the last four Grey Cup games, began the season with four consecutive losses before winning two straight heading into Friday’s game. Winnipeg had also won seven of its last eight games against the Roughriders, who haven’t qualified for the playoffs since the Covid-shortened 2021 season.
Winnipeg desperately needed the victory to keep pace in the West. Instead, the Roughriders created some space by tossing a defensive shutout; they didn’t allow a touchdown.
Kickers accounted for all the points except a third-quarter touchdown toss from Patterson to Clint Ratkovich. With a strong performance from right tackle Jacob Brammer, making his first start in place of injured veteran Jermarcus Hardrick, the Roughriders also overcame the loss of primary target Kian Schaffer-Baker. Rookie Ajou Ajou stepped in for the slotback and caught four passes for a game-high 110 yards.
“The timing of that was excellent,” said Riders head coach Corey Mace, who ran onto the field postgame for a handshake with Winnipeg boss Mike O’Shea.
After being seen gesturing with an arm, Mace was asked during his media scrum what they discussed. Mace told reporters he was explaining the nuances of that final play to O’Shea to make sure there were no misunderstandings. Apparently there weren’t.
Playing before an announced crowd of 29,649 the Roughriders remained undefeated through three home games as they prepare to visit the Montreal Alouettes on Thursday. Montreal, the reigning Grey Cup champ, had a bye this week and could be without injured quarterback Cody Fajardo.
It’s the second straight, six-day “week” for the resilient Roughriders, who are 2-1 since starting quarterback Trevor Harris was placed on the six-game injury list with sprained knee ligaments.
Patterson scrambled effectively and had some passes dropped while completing 17 of 25 attempts for 261 yards with no interceptions. It was his best performance, but’s silly to think the Roughriders would leave him as the starter whenever Harris — the team’s high-paid, veteran leader — is ready to return.
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