PREVIEW: Saskatchewan Roughriders vs Toronto Argonauts

This is it Rider nation, one last chance to see the Riders at home before a game in Vancouver next week, and then whatever the playoffs hold.

It will be a chilly afternoon at Mosaic Stadium, with the wind chill expected to flirt around minus 10 degrees, so be sure to bring along some extra clothing just incase.

On the field, the Riders don't have much to play for, while the Argos are trying to fight off the Hamilton Tiger-Cats for home field in the east semi-final, granted Hamilton will need some help to make it happen. If Winnipeg is able to beat Hamilton on Saturday morning, then the game won't mean much for the Argos either, should Hamilton win though, it becomes a must win game to clinch the playoff spot and avoid a winner take all the seasons final week. So with that in mind, Argos head coach Scott Milanovich won't be holding anything back.

“We're not a position where we can hold anything back,” he said. “So I'm certainly not looking at it that way.”

The Riders meanwhile have stated, publicly anyway, they don't really care if they're in the west semi-final or the east semi-final with the crossover. Should the ladder take place, then there's a good chance they'll be facing these same Argos, but in the comfy confines of Rogers Centre in the big smoke. So is head coach Corey Chamblin going to go vanilla to keep the Argos, and even the Stamps guessing?

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“No, this is one a regular game plan,” said Chamblin. “We're trying to make sure win this game. We want to make sure the guys are playing fast.”

Chamblin certainly has been known to say one thing to the media, and do differently on the field, but this one is likely true. He was playing up home field advantage earlier on Friday as well, adding they need to keep winning at home to make sure everyone knows Mosaic Stadium is tough place to come play football. He also wants to put on a good show for the fans one last time at home.

These teams met just a few weeks ago in Toronto, and we all know the Riders dominated that game from start to finish, and it was probably their best overall game of the season. That being said, there was one big piece that was missing form the Argos line…future hall of fame quarterback Ricky Ray.

“I've been playing against him, for this is my tenth year,” said linebacker Mike McCullough. “He's just as good as he was six or seven years ago when they were going to grey cups.”

Ray definitely made an impact on his return against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, and having him in the line up will likely make a difference in the outcome of this game too.

“He's a vertical threat guy,” said Chamblin. “Once he that back foot planted in the ground, it's leaving. He loves the corner routes, he loves the deep balls.”

As for Ray, he was able to take a few things away from that game in Toronto that he missed against the green and white.

“First down we're going to see a lot of zone, they're going to keep things in front of them,” said Ray. “Second down we're going to get a little more man, where they're trying to challenge us.”

Despite his return to the line up, Milanovich told reporters on Friday that Ray isn't quite at 100 per cent just yet, but he's definitely getting closer.

Darian Durant isn't exactly at 100 per cent either coming into this game, the regular season has definitely taken it's tole on Durant. So the goal against Toronto is two fold, play well…but also keep Durant on his feet, and out of the trainers office. Something he figures they can game plan for.

“Having extra guys in to block, quick passes, getting the ball out of my hands so I don't have to take big hits,” said Durant.

Last time these two teams met, the Riders did a pretty good job at shutting down Argos sensation Chad Owens. He comes into this game 250 all purpose yards away from single season record holder Mike “Pinball” Clemons. Special teams coordinator Craig Dickenson credited great placement of punts last time for keeping him to 76 yards on returns, with 40 of those on one return. That might not be so simple this time around, with a windier and colder Mosaic Stadium.

“It's a great challenge to all of our special teams unit,” said kicker Sandro DeAngelis. “He's kind of a home run hitter, the one time you think you have him down, next thing you know he can be sprinting by us.”

As for the roster there's a few notable changes for the Riders. Mick Williams is back on the defense line as he's returned from injury. Left tackle Xavier Fulton is also back in his usual spot. Coming off are Johan Asiata and of course Rob Rose who was released. Look for the scratches to be linebacker Abraham Kromah, defensive lineman Zach Evans, receiver Brooks Foster and one of defensive linemen David Veikune or Jay Alford.

The game gets underway at 2 o'clock, you can also watch it on TSN.

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