The Saskatchewan Roadriders swept the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in a preseason tilt

REGINA — Corey Mays won his first game as head coach of the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Monday, but he believes it's just the first of many steps the team needs to take to reach its expectations.

Mace and the Riders opened the 2024 CFL preseason schedule at Mosaic Stadium with a 25-12 win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Mays brings a winning pedigree to Saskatchewan, joining the Pacers after five seasons as defensive line coach for the Calgary Stampedes and defensive coordinator for the Toronto Argonauts for the past two seasons. In six seasons as a Stampeders player, Mays was a member of the 2014 Gray Cup winning team. He won two additional Gray Cups as a coach, with Calgary in 2018 and Toronto in 2022.

After two consecutive 6-12 seasons under head coach Craig Dickenson, Raiders general manager Jeremy O'Day was looking for a strong coach to change the team's culture. In their last scrimmage, Saskatchewan was disorganized and took too many penalties.

Mays has been preaching since taking over and noted in his postgame media conference that there is still work to be done.

“We came here to do what we wanted to do, and that was to win the football game, but our Achilles' heel is penalties,” Mays said after the Riders committed nine penalties for 117 yards, including a 59-yarder. – Dhonte Meyers' punt return midway through the third quarter.

“Since camp, we've been really focused on seeing those things happen, and I can look deeper and see if some of them could have been avoided or at a higher speed and we could have worked on better technique. But it was too much for our liking. Penalties are worth points and we have to do much better. That's the focus.”

Veteran quarterback Trevor Harris saw his first action for the Riders on July 15, 2023 after suffering a fractured tibia in his right knee in a 33-31 loss against the Stampeders. Harris played two series against the Bombers, completing seven of nine passes. 123 yards. His longest completion was Sean Bain Jr. for 65 yards.

Harris, 38, was thrilled to be back on the field.

“It was amazing. It was just one of those things I was walking around in today. I just thought about what happened and the work that went back so far and I looked at it and said, 'If something happens again, I'm at peace with it,' because I've learned a lot and I've grown a lot from it,” Harris said.

While Harris was confident he would be back on the field after surgery, many CFL followers weren't so sure he would come back from such a serious injury. Harris said he was not motivated by doubters during his rehab.

“I hope they think so, but just watch. So I don't play, I play for the love of the guys in the locker room and to glorify Jesus and that's what I'm thinking about,” Harris said.

“It's not about proving anyone wrong, but more or less proving the people who believed in me and were with me.”

Chris Streveler, who returned to the Bombers after three seasons in the NFL, started at quarterback in place of Zach Collaros, who missed the trip to Regina. Like Harris, Streveler played a few series before giving way to Eric Barrier. Streveler was good on seven of eight pass attempts for 65 yards. He also showed he hasn't lost his running ability, gaining 25 yards on three carries.

The Riders got touchdowns from tailback Frankie Hickson on a one-yard run and slotback Aju Aju on a 38-yard reception.

Aju, a 6-foot-2, 211-pound wide receiver, was selected 59th overall by the Riders in the 2024 CFL draft. She announced her presence to the housemates on Monday with a stunning bang. Crossing the middle of the field, he held off a Winnipeg defender with one hand before running unimpeded into the end zone.

Mays praised the rookie for his effort in the game and in training camp.

“Aju has been making great plays in camp. If he can figure out what it's like to be a pro, and he's been doing that since he's been in camp, man, what a steal he's been… He's been great so far in camp, so I'm happy to see him. his today,” Mays said.

Thomas Bertrand-Houdon added a two-point conversion on a one-yard run for the Riders. Kicker Brett Lauter hit field goals of 24, 38 and 41 yards. He also had two touchdowns of 53 and 48 yards.

Saskatchewan's defense had a strong day, tallying five sacks and two interceptions. Rodney Clemons, Deontay Williams, Tre Crawford, Myles Brown and Habakkuk Baldonado each had a sack, while Diego Fagot and Zacoby McClain had interceptions.

Winnipeg's lone touchdown came with 2:22 left in the fourth quarter when Terry Wilson Kevens connected with Clercius for an eight-yard touchdown pass. The Bombers missed the ensuing two-point conversion.

Bombers kicker Sergio Castillo had two field goals of 26 and 53 yards.

In addition to Collaros, other veterans who did not make the trip to Regina for the Bombers included linebacker Adam Bighill, receiver Nick Demski, Brady Oliveira and receiver Dalton Schoen. Defensive lineman Willie Jefferson dressed for the contest but did not see any game action.

Tijuan Garbutt and Chauncey Rivers each had a sack for Winnipeg.

The Riders wrap up their preseason schedule in Edmonton on May 25 against the Elks, opening the regular season on June 8, also in Edmonton.

The Bombers host Edmonton on May 25 in their final preseason game and open the regular season on June 6, hosting Montreal in a rematch of the 2023 Gray Cup game, which the Alouettes won 28-24.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on May 20, 2024.