The Saskatchewan Roughriders have opened as short favourites over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers for the annual Labour Day Classic.
The Riders won the first meeting between the two teams at Mosaic Stadium back on July 19 as Ajou Ajou caught four passes for 110 yards from Shea Patterson and Adam Auclair intercepted Zach Collaros in the red zone.
Saskatchewan has struggled badly since then, going 0-4-1 with losses to Montreal, Edmonton, and Toronto. Trevor Harris was brilliant in his return from injury in Week 11 but struggled terribly against the Argonauts, throwing for 190 yards and two interceptions.
Winnipeg has salvaged their season by winning three consecutive games, including an ugly one against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats last week.
The team’s defence has been dominant during its recent winning streak, allowing only 34 points and 230 net yards of offence per game. Star running back Brady Oliveira has also hit his stride following a slow first month to the season, averaging 97.3 rushing yards over his last seven games.
The annual rivalry game has been fairly evenly matched since 2016 with Saskatchewan holding a 4-3 advantage, including a 32-30 overtime win in 2023 that ended a brief two-year Winnipeg winning streak. The Riders won 11 straight Labour Day Classics from 2005 to 2015 and are 38-20 all-time in the rivalry game against their prairie foes.
The status of Winnipeg left tackle Stanley Bryant remains unclear following his medical episode last week, though he was released from hospital the day after the game.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers (5-6) will visit the Saskatchewan Roughriders (5-5-1) on Sunday, Sept. 1 with kickoff slated for 7:00 p.m. EDT. The Banjo Bowl, the annual rematch between the two teams, will be played the following weekend on Saturday, Sept. 7.
