Saskatchewan survived a tense rivalry showdown and walked away with a 32-26 overtime victory over Winnipeg in the Labour Day Classic at Mosaic Stadium. The game drew a crowd of 34,352, the largest ever for a CFL contest at the venue, and it delivered a finish worthy of the setting.
A finish decided after regulation expired
Winnipeg appeared to have forced one more chance when Zach Collaros found Dorian Singer for a five-yard touchdown on the final snap of regulation. That score tied the game and sent the matchup into overtime after the Blue Bombers erased the late deficit with no time left on the clock.
Saskatchewan answered first in the extra period. Tommy Stevens powered in from one yard out for his third touchdown of the day and his 15th rushing score of the season, giving the Roughriders the opening edge in overtime. The two-point conversion failed, which left the door open for Winnipeg to respond.
The Roughriders defense slammed that door shut. On third-and-six from the Saskatchewan 31, Winnipeg could not move the chains, and Jameer Thurman finished the stop by bringing down the receiver behind the line to end the game.
Trevor Harris keeps the offense moving
Trevor Harris handled the passing workload for Saskatchewan with a strong all-around performance, completing 23 of 33 passes for 362 yards and a touchdown. He said the offense needed time to settle in, but once it did, the unit began to find its rhythm.
“It’s obviously huge. It’s important for us to get these wins at this point in the year,” Harris said. “We’re down some prominent guys, and so the fact that we’re able to kind of grind through it and get these wins is huge for us. We didn’t start out tremendous offensively but thought we really found a rhythm in the middle of the second quarter on.”
The result improved Saskatchewan to 8-4 and kept the club in second place in the West Division behind Edmonton, which entered the week at 8-3 before its Monday game against Calgary. Winnipeg dropped to 6-6 after the loss.
Injuries create an opening for Dhel Duncan-Busby
With Samuel Emilus and Kian Schaffer-Baker unavailable, Dhel Duncan-Busby stepped into a much bigger role and made the most of it. The third-year receiver caught 10 passes for 140 yards, both career highs, and several of his receptions came on crucial downs late in the fourth quarter.
His season totals now stand at 35 catches for 504 yards. Duncan-Busby said patience paid off because the receiver room was full of talent, and the injuries simply created a moment for someone else to rise.
“I just knew that I had to be patient. Obviously, we have a great receiving corps. We’ve got a lot of different guys and, unfortunately, with all the injuries and stuff like that, people have had to step up, and I’m just glad that today was my time,” Duncan-Busby said.
Saskatchewan also got a lift from its defense, which helped stabilize the game after the offense set the pace. Aubrey Miller Jr., making his first career start at linebacker, said the pressure created by the offense allowed the defense to finish the job.
“The offence set the tone. The offence did that. The offence got us going. They got in the end zone and put points on the board. Only thing we had to do is finish,” Miller said.
Big defensive stands limit Winnipeg’s ground game
Miller joined Derick Roberson and Seyi Oladipo in recording sacks during a defensive effort that consistently slowed Winnipeg’s attack. The Roughriders also contained Brady Oliveira, who entered the matchup with 956 rushing yards but finished with only 28 yards on nine carries.
That kind of control mattered in a game that stayed tight from start to finish. Saskatchewan’s defense did not need to dominate every snap, but it delivered enough pressure and enough tackling efficiency to protect the lead when the game was on the line.
Milestones add extra meaning to the win
Harris also reached a major career benchmark during the second quarter. A 72-yard completion to Daniel Wiebe moved him past Doug Flutie and into 10th place on the CFL’s all-time passing yardage list. He entered the game 127 yards shy of Flutie’s total of 41,355.
Harris said the moment felt fitting because of the people who helped him reach it. He described his career climb as something made possible by teammates, coaches, and steady support over time.
“That’s honestly poetic because it’s the turtle on a fence post sort of a situation where if you see a turtle on a fence post, he didn’t get there on his own. Somebody placed him there, and it’s exactly what this is for me,” Harris said. “I’ve had teammates that have done nothing but support me and love me, and coaches that have done nothing but teach me the game and I’m really grateful for the opportunities that presented themselves.”
Harris now has 41,590 career passing yards, which puts him behind Matt Dunigan’s 43,857 for ninth place. Anthony Calvillo still leads the league with 79,816.
KeeSean Johnson also reached a noteworthy mark by catching four passes for 32 yards, pushing him over 1,000 receiving yards for the second straight season. He now has 81 receptions for 1,022 yards this year, following last season’s 86 catches for 1,159 yards.
Numbers that shaped the scoreboard
Collaros finished 27 of 40 for 279 yards with two touchdown passes, finding Kevens Clercius and Singer for the Winnipeg scores through the air. Quali Conley added a touchdown for Saskatchewan, and Roberson contributed a safety as well.
Special teams had an important hand in the outcome. Winnipeg kicker Sergio Castillo was perfect on all four of his field goal attempts, while Saskatchewan’s Alex Hale connected on only one of three tries.
The teams will meet again on Saturday, September 12, this time in Winnipeg, giving both sides another chance to settle the rivalry soon.