Next man up: Battered Roughriders ready to set the tone against rival Blue Bombers

Mosaic Stadium in Regina is set for a grudge match on Friday evening, as the Saskatchewan Roughriders host their home opener against their arch-rival: the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Both CFL teams won their first regular-season games, but the Riders enter Week 2 with some key players sidelined with injuries.

"When I see blue, I just want to win," said Tevin Jones, who is replacing Derel Walker at wide receiver on Friday. "The W on everything, I just want to take it off and put it in our little category so we can be 2-0."

The Riders squeaked out a 17-13 win on the road against the Edmonton Elks in Week 1, thanks in part to the defence locking up the Elks' offence during a late fourth-quarter drive in their own zone.

But the win came at a cost.

Three starters —  defensive back Nic Marshall, defensive lineman Miles Brown and Walker — are injured and will not play on Friday. Walker is on the six-game injury list.

"Every team has [injuries]. We're not going to spend a lot of time worrying about it," head coach Craig Dickenson told reporters on Thursday.

"We've got good depth this year and we'll be all right."

Starting quarterback Trevor Harris also suffered a hip injury in the dying seconds of last week's game. He has been nursing the injury all week and is listed as a game-time decision against the Bombers.

Harris told reporters on Thursday that he hopes to be cleared to play. He has to meet four criteria in order to play, including whether he is capable of protecting himself and whether he would compromise the team if he were to play.

"I've played through worse," Harris said. "If it's up to me, I'm going to play."

If he isn't cleared, backup quarterback Mason Fine is slotted in the Riders lineup to get the start.

Meanwhile, rookie defensive backs Rodney Clemons and Deontai Williams will fill the voids on defence.

Williams, 26, signed with Saskatchewan after getting cut by the Seattle Seahawks after the 2022 NFL pre-season. He will notch his first professional start in front of his family and youth football coach — whom he considers a second father.

Williams recognizes he's new to the Rider-Bomber feud, but he's prepared to set a tone.

"I'm part of the family now," he said.

"[If] we throw blows, we throw blows. It's going to be a very physical game and, obviously, we don't like the other side, so [I'll] give it all I've got and get a win out of this game tomorrow."

The Bombers are stacked, and Dickenson described them as "a well-oiled machine."

Winnipeg has played in each of the last three Grey Cup games, winning two of them. Eleven of their players cracked TSN's top 50 players list of 2023, including six who made the top 10.

Dickenson credited the Bombers' offensive line as the best in the Canadian Football League, controlling the pace well. The Riders' defensive line has prepared for that challenge, he said.

"The game will be won and lost in the trenches," Saskatchewan's head coach said.

The Riders will also try to limit the amount of time the Bombers' offence has the ball, he added.

Kickoff is at 7 p.m. CST.