Omarr Morgan at Roughrider practice on Thursday.
Photograph by: Roy Antal, Leader-Post
Photograph by: Roy Antal, Leader-Post
REGiNA — It's only July and there are still a lot of games to play in the CFL season.
So chances are that Saturday's meeting at Mosaic Stadium between the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Montreal Alouettes will not be the biggest key to the final standings or who reaches the post-season. But when the two teams squaring off are the only ones in the league with spotless 2-0 records, some players can't help but feel a little more is on the line.
So chances are that Saturday's meeting at Mosaic Stadium between the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Montreal Alouettes will not be the biggest key to the final standings or who reaches the post-season. But when the two teams squaring off are the only ones in the league with spotless 2-0 records, some players can't help but feel a little more is on the line.
"Regardless of what's going on, everybody wants to be the best," said Roughriders cornerback Omarr Morgan. "It is early in the season, but everybody wants to be the best. We have a chance to go out there (Saturday) and be the best.
"Not only that, Montreal has beaten two Western opponent teams. They beat the defending Grey Cup champions and turn around and beat a team that's one of the favourites for the Grey Cup in Edmonton. Now they're coming in to face us so we want to show them the West is no joke."
That said, like most players, Morgan isn't counting on Saturday's matchup to make or break the season.
"You want to win every game, but it's not really a big deal about starting off this or that," he said. "We started off 6-and-0 last year and we didn't go to the Grey Cup. You've got to finish strong in this league."
Riders slotback Jason Clermont referred to the meeting as a "statement game" but only in that Saskatchewan is looking to distance itself from the other teams in the West and the rest of the league while facing a perennial contender.
"We can't control if other teams are winning or not," Clermont said. "Being the only 3-and-0 team? We just want to win every game we're presented with so we're going to continue that way and not worry what other teams are doing.
"What are you going to do? Are you going to cheat your teammates and your coaches and your fans by not trying as hard if the other team has a couple of losses?"
But the battle of undefeateds goes beyond which team will be 3-0. Riders head coach Ken Miller considers it a barometer for where the Riders stack up against an Als team that boasts the top offence and defence in the league.
But the battle of undefeateds goes beyond which team will be 3-0. Riders head coach Ken Miller considers it a barometer for where the Riders stack up against an Als team that boasts the top offence and defence in the league.
Montreal and Saskatchewan rank first and second respectively in points per game and are first and third in yards allowed per contest. As well, the Riders ranks first in the CFL with 11 takeaways while the Alouettes are not far behind at nine.
Alouettes right guard Scott Flory, a Regina product, doesn't like to consider any games measuring sticks just yet.
"We're developing as a football team," he said. "We have a lot of carryover from last year, but there's a lot of new guys too. We haven't figured out our identity and it's a long road.
"This is Week 3 of an 18-week-plus journey. It's a long season and a lot of things can happen in the CFL. I remember in 2001 we were 9-and-2 and then lost eight in a row (including the post-season)."
Perhaps Saskatchewan running back Wes Cates described the game's likely place in history the best.
"It's something that people have in the back of their minds, but I don't think anybody's going to be talking about the Week 3 game between Montreal and Saskatchewan when November comes," he said.
"It's something that people have in the back of their minds, but I don't think anybody's going to be talking about the Week 3 game between Montreal and Saskatchewan when November comes," he said.
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