The Saskatchewan Roughriders hope their home opener provides some closure.
Part of the objective is to emphatically signal a departure from the relatively recent past when the Roughriders face the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Sunday at Mosaic Stadium (5 p.m., TSN, CKRM).
“As an opposing coach and/or player, when you walk into Mosaic, you feel like it’s big-time football. The fan base obviously helps with that as well, just knowing how passionate the fan base is here.
“We want to crank that joker up, man. If I’m being honest, the last couple of years I just feel like it kind of lost that lustre just a tad here in Saskatchewan. We want to build that trust back from the fans and bring this game in Canada back to the heights that we know it is here in this province.”
The Roughriders have taken an important step in that direction by beginning a season with back-to-back road victories for the first time in franchise history.
“By no means are we sitting back here going, ‘Look at us. We’re 2-and-0,’ ” quarterback Trevor Harris emphasized. “This is the time to step on the accelerator.
“We’re not relaxing here. It’s not time to exhale. It’s time to put the pedal to the metal, because we know what we’re capable of if we can start putting together full stretches of games instead of just a quarter.”
Fourth-quarter comebacks were the ticket to triumphs in the first two games.
Saskatchewan began its 2024 campaign on June 8 by defeating the Edmonton Elks 29-21. Edmonton led 21-8 before Saskatchewan responded with 21 unanswered points.
Eight days later, the Tiger-Cats were ahead 20-7 at halftime and 30-20 with 5½ minutes left in the game before, once again, the Roughriders roared back. Saskatchewan scored 13 points in a row, 10 of which were registered in the final 43 seconds.
“It’s the first time in Rider history that we’ve had back-to-back double-digit comebacks in the fourth quarter,” Harris said. “Obviously, that’s a stat that doesn’t happen often for a reason, so we don’t want to make a habit of it.
“This is not a team of people who are going to be flinching. We’re going to continue to press on and always believe. I think that’s what tells us about the genetic and mental makeup of this team more than anything.”
Making up for two consecutive 6-12 seasons is a priority for the players and coaches, who want to maximize the advantages presented by an ardent fan base and a state-of-the-art stadium.
With that in mind, Mace referred to “what Rider Nation has been since my time being in this league matched with the facility that we have now.”
He has seen both sides of the equation.
Mace was introduced to the Roughriders’ fan base on Oct. 17, 2010. As a newcomer to the Calgary Stampeders’ defensive line, he scored his first CFL touchdown — on a 60-yard fumble return — to help the visitors win 34-26 at historic Mosaic Stadium.
As a visitor to the new facility, which officially opened in 2017, Mace was part of a championship celebration when the Toronto Argonauts edged the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 24-23 on Nov. 20, 2022 to win the 109th Grey Cup Game. He was the Argonauts’ Defensive Co-ordinator at the time.
In that capacity, he was also part of the Roughriders’ most-recent regular-season home game — a 29-26 Argonauts victory on Oct. 21.
Forty days later, he was named the Roughriders’ 48th Head Coach.
“It just seems like forever that I’ve seen all green jerseys,” said Mace, underlining his focus on his current role.
“More than anything, we’re just ready to hear our fan base.”
Mace has heard from and engaged with the fans since becoming the Roughriders’ Head Coach and Defensive Co-ordinator.
“We talk about building it among ourselves, but we’ve got to build the trust of the fan base to make sure we are must-see,” he stated.
“We have that advantage when everybody’s packing the house here to get that feeling back for Rider Nation.
“We just have to do our part on the field. We know our fan base will do their part as well.”
