Toronto Argonauts at Saskatchewan Roughriders: Week 6 preview

Another week has come and gone for the Toronto Argonauts and after a nail biting finish against Ottawa, they head out west to New Mosaic Stadium and take on the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Not only was the conclusion of Week 5 fantastic, Week 6 also started off with a bang after Winnipeg’s comeback against Montreal at Investors Group Field. On Saturday night, the Toronto Argonauts will take on the Saskatchewan Roughriders at New Mosaic Stadium.

The Argonauts are trying to increase their division lead and pull away from the pack, while the Roughriders are trying climb out of the basement in the Western Conference.

As per usual, let’s take a look at what the two teams have done in the previous weeks and all season, in the lead up to their Week 6 clash.

Toronto Argonauts

https://twitter.com/TorontoArgos/status/890376824777265152

The Argonauts (3-2-0) took on the defending Grey Cup champions Ottawa Redblacks during Week 5, in another close game at BMO Field. Thanks to Lirim Hajrullahu’s 34-yard field goal with four seconds left in the game, the Argos took the season series and beat Ottawa 27-24.

It came at a cost, however, as defensive players Victor Butler and Cleyon Laing are out Saturday night, after suffering injuries Monday night (both were place on the six-game injured list). Linebackers Terrance Plummer and Justin Herdman will take their place on defence.

Quarterback Ricky Ray had a better game compared to his previous week, going 40-for-55 in completions and passing for 367 yards. He also threw two touchdowns in what was his fifth straight game with 300 passing yards or more.

Like his counter-part in Saskatchewan (which we’ll get to in the next portion), Ray is also looking to make some history of his own. He’s aiming to become the Argonauts all-time passing yards leader as he’s 371 yards shy of tying Condredge Holloway’s record set between 1981-1986.

The boatman are also looking to continue to put pressure on the opposing quarterback. They remain first in the league in defensive sacks, as well as being tied for first in forced fumbles at five.

Linebacker Bear Woods, who underwent concussion protocol after a helmet to helmet hit on Redblacks quarterback Trevor Harris, will start for the Argonauts. Defensive end Shawn Lemon also makes his return to Regina, after being traded by the Roughriders to the Argos in July of 2016.

The Argos are trying to get their first winning streak of the season. Each time they’ve won a game so far this season, the next week resulted in a loss.

Saskatchewan Roughriders

https://twitter.com/sskroughriders/status/888953571709820928

The Saskatchewan Roughriders (1-3-0) came up short on the road against the Calgary Stampeders last week, losing 27-10 at McMahon Stadium.

Despite the loss, history was made in Calgary when Roughriders quarterback Kevin Glenn became the seventh player to pass for 50,000 yards in the CFL. He finished the game with 203 yards, along with no touchdowns or interceptions.

Glenn joins the likes of Damon Allen, Anthony Calvillo, Ricky Ray, Danny McManus, Ron Lancaster and Henry Burris in the 50k list. He needs less than 400 yards to pass fellow Riders legend Ron Lancaster (50,535) to sixth all time in passing yards.

The Riders came close to pulling off a comeback against the Stampeders, after being down 17-0 at halftime. They scored a touchdown in the third quarter, but were limited to a field goal in the final quarter as the defence allowed another 10 points.

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Receiver Naaman Rosevelt has also been riding high on a hot streak. Rosevelt has caught 22 of his last 29 passes for 289 yards. He also leads the CFL with 15 second down conversions.

Riders linebacker Sam Williams, who has started every game so far this season, will be inactive for their matchup against the Argonauts. Williams leads the team with 18 defensive tackles.

Slotback Caleb Holley returns to the defensive side, after missing several weeks due to injury.

The Riders are hoping to improve on the defensive forefront. They sit last in the league in both sacks (five) and forced fumbles (one), second in the league with points allowed (107), and tied at fourth for interceptions on the season (two).

Wrap up

There you have it. Another note to make is that this is the 17th time in their careers that quarterbacks Ray and Glenn have faced off. Ray leads the all time series at 9-6-1.

Not only is Lemon making a comeback to Regina, but Argonauts defensive coordinator Corey Chamblin is also returning to Riderville, after being dismissed from his coaching duties in 2015.

It’s the first of two games in the season, as Argos fans get their first look of New Mosaic stadium. Their second meeting will take place on October 7 at BMO Field.

Next: Argonauts: Nail biting finish at BMO

Did we miss anything? Is there another note you want to make for this match up? Let us know in the comments below. Kickoff is at 6:30 pm EST/4:30 pm CST, on TSN 4 and TSN 1050 radio.