The Saskatchewan Roughriders defeated the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in their first pre-season test.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders defeated the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the first Canadian Football League (CFL) pre-season game of the year.

“I thought the guys were flying. I thought they played fast. There is a different aura around this team. I'm grateful to be a part of it and I think it's going to be a special season at Riderville,” quarterback Trevor Harris said after the win.

Although Harris was only on the field for a few possessions in Monday night's game, he was still excited to be back after an injury-riddled season last year.

“It was amazing. It was just one of those things that I realized when I was out there today,” Harris said. “I thought about what happened and the work that has come back so far. I've learned a lot and grown a lot from it.”

The Riders' first possession ended with a fumble after AJ Ouellette failed to convert on third-and-two. But Harris went 2/3 and 72 yards on the first drive. That included a 65-yard pass to wide receiver Sean Bain Jr.

After the first quarter, the Bombers took a 3-0 lead.

Saskatchewan opened the second quarter with its second drive of the game, which ended with a 24-yard field goal by Brett Lauter to tie the game at three.

Harris was 7/9 and 123 yards so far and did not return a punt.

The Rider defense proved its dominance in the first half as Rodney Clemons, Deontay Williams and Tre Crawford recorded sacks.

“Our expectation is to be able to put pressure on the defender. You know we're not going to throw a big blitz package in the first preseason game, but we also want to find out who our real runners are. But it was really good to see how we affected the quarterbacks and took them down,” head coach Corey Mays said.

Mays will officially enter the game as the new head coach of the Saskatchewan Roughriders. But despite the victory in green and white, the new head coach was still hard on himself when it came to his own game away from home.

“I did well. I may have been too aggressive on a few things. But you know I think there are some things that we're trying to build. I have a lot of faith in certain position groups, and I've been vocal about it. It probably won't be the last time I've been too aggressive about some things,” he laughed. “I probably gave myself a C plus, definitely have to work for myself.”

Quarterback Mason Finn entered the game on the team's third possession, but was unable to score a first down.

Fine will only be around for a short time as the team decided to spend some time managing their three other backups.

“Fine has to be smart with his body and he had one, so we wanted to be smart enough that he could continue to compete at a high level. We just want to see other quarterbacks (too) and we're trying to get equal reps and equal mental reps for people. I think the plan of attack was good,” Mace explained.

Linebacker Zacoby McClain returns the green and white ball after a successful pickoff.

“It means a lot. All my hard work and dedication paid off. Coach always tells us to get in your hole and read the quarterback, so I did what coach said. It just hit me,” McClain said of his arrest.

The Riders took advantage of the possession and found the end zone on a 1-yard run by running back Frankie Hickson.

Lauter missed the extra point with 2:49 left in the half to make it 9-3.

A massive 53-yard field goal by the Bombers cut the lead to 9-6 with 1:45 left in the second quarter.

It was less than a minute before halfback Diego Fagot registered another interception for the Riders. That led to Lauter's successful 41-yard field goal that put Saskatchewan up 12-6 at halftime.

The second half opened with a big run by Jerrett Stearns on the kickoff. That put the Riders in good field position as quarterback Shea Patterson entered the game for his first touchdown.

Wide receiver Aju Aju opened the half with a one-handed catch from Patterson en route to a 38-yard touchdown. The riders chose to go for two and were successful. 20-6 Saskatchewan with 13:17 to go in the third quarter.

“It was good to get out there and go to work. I'm just thankful for the opportunity. You know, touches feel good, so it was good. My family was there watching. It meant a lot,” Aju said happily after the game.

Lawter missed a 53-yard field goal with less than 8:00 left in the third, but recovered one to make it 21-6 for Saskatchewan.

The sacks continued for Winnipeg when defensive lineman Habakkuk Baldonado recorded his first tackle.

The score would hold as the fourth quarter began and the Riders allowed quarterback Jack Coan to show off his skills.

Lawter missed another 43-yard field goal attempt with 12:14 to go in the game. But it came when he saw a hitter sitting on the sidelines after an awkward fall while working on practice shots.

However, he redeemed himself with 4:31 to go with a successful 37-yard field goal to extend the lead to 19 points, 25-6 for Saskatchewan.

With 2:22 left, the Bombers scored their first touchdown of the game, but failed on a two-point attempt to keep the score at 25-12.

This is the same time that the riders recorded their first win of 2024.

“We came here to do what we wanted to do, and that was to win a football game,” Mays said.

“Obviously, it's a preseason game, it doesn't matter when we go into the regular season. But if you're into scoring, you might as well try to win games. And I think it's a habit to win. It's a cliché. But you have to try to win games no matter what,” Harris added.

The riders will return to Saskatoon for a two-day training camp on Tuesday and Wednesday. They will play their second preseason game in Edmonton on Saturday, May 25 against the Elks.