Answering questions about the Saskatchewan Roughriders with one game to go in the regular season
With one game left in the season, there are a few questions readers have about the Roughriders before the playoffs begin.
- What did you see from Ouellette that he did better now that he’s healthy? From Bruce
One game back from injury is a small sample size, but it appeared Ouellette had a little more patience in his first game back after missing the last six with a hip injury.
He rumbled for 84 yards on 16 carries for an average of 5.3 yards per carry. But during some of those attempts, you could see Ouellette wait for the hole to open before attacking it.
Before coming to Saskatchewan, Ouellette averaged 5.5 yards per carry over four seasons with the Toronto Argonauts. Before Saturday’s game, he averaged 4.1 yards in his first seven starts this year.
If he continues to let the offensive line do the work in front of him before hitting hole they have made for him, Ouellette could be a gamebreaker in the playoffs for the Riders.
- Can the Riders get A.J. and Ryquell Armstead on the roster together? From @C_Forrest
Both Ouellette and Armstead, who is close to returning from a shoulder injury, are great running backs and offer a similar style, so I wonder if the team thinks it makes sense to roster both.
Would you give 10 carries to each guy? Do fresh legs in a game help or does a running back get stronger with more carries? That’s a question the Riders will have to consider.
Of course, the ratio also comes into play. With centre Peter Godber returning from injury soon, the Riders could flip Logan Ferland back to guard, which would allow them to carry four Canadian offensive linemen instead of three. That would allow Armstead, an American, a chance to get in.
However, it would likely come at the expense of a defensive player as Canadian running back Thomas Bertrand-Hudon is a valuable special teams player, so I don’t imagine he would come off the roster.
It’s not as easy as plugging Armstead into the lineup once he’s available but they certainly could with a bit of juggling.
- What is the best-case scenario for the Riders, honestly? Finishing second and battling B.C., or finishing first, getting that first round bye, and letting B.C. and Winnipeg duke it out, then play the winner? From Chris
It’s crazy to think the Roughriders are potentially just two wins away from a Grey Cup berth.
If Winnipeg manages to lose to Montreal on Oct. 26 and the Riders can beat Calgary, Saskatchewan will host the West Final on Nov. 9.
That’s the obvious goal. Playing at home in the playoffs is a huge boost and the fact that Saskatchewan has secured at least one of those home playoff games certainly helps the chances of the Green and White advancing into the postseason.
However, if Saskatchewan finishes in second, I think the Riders can carry a ton of momentum from Saturday’s win against B.C. into the West semifinal. If they are able to win that, there’s a chance they could continue to roll into Winnipeg in the West Final and take on a Bombers team that would have been idle the week prior.
Either way, the Roughriders are in a good position.
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