Rider Broadcast Network Colour Analyst, Luc Mullinder, shares his keys to the game before every Saskatchewan Roughriders game. Luc’s keys to the game are for the KFC Game Day special: $4.95 for a Big Crunch and $7.
Here are Luc’s keys for Sunday’s game against Winnipeg in Labour Day Classic 60.
As exciting as this game is to be a player and to be a fan involved in the game, it's funny how the foundation of success in the Labour Day Classic will always be the same in my mind when it comes to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Saskatchewan Roughriders.
That's the first key: You have to stop the run in this game. These are two offences whose success is heavily based on whether they're successful on first down. Using the run to get into that second and second five and six range.
More importantly, when you look at the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, they’ve got one of the best backs in the Canadian Football League, Brady Olivera. They want to run the football. Zach Collaros wants to be in those second and four to five downs more than any other year he's had. You’ve got to get him off the spot.
Again, this game comes down to stopping the run. These are the best defences in the Canadian Football League at doing that, and that's where it's going to start.
The second key here today is that you have to know the Demski downs. Nick Demski has had one of the best skill sets in the CFL for a really long time. I remember when he got drafted. I was watching film, and I was looking at a guy who will kill you in so many different ways.
That’s what he's gonna bring, but more importantly, he's the security and safety blanket for Collaros in the important possessions. So if this game is getting close and you have those really important sets, you know, in the first, second, and third quarters, where there are those important momentum-shifting drives that need to continue, they will go to Nick Demski. Collaros will look for Nick Demski, so you have to understand as a defence what the Demski downs are and when they're probably going to be focusing on him.
The third key, and I think we saw it in Calgary, is that the Saskatchewan Roughriders weren't able to flip the field in any way in the return game. You're looking at Trey Vaval in the Winnipeg Blue Bombers locker room, as a young guy who's a threat on special teams, but we got Super Mario back, and I think that the winner of that is going to really help out his team.
Trey Vaval versus Super Mario. It's going to be great to see Super Mario back, and hopefully, he can get those possessions starting more advanced than since he left.
So, stopping the run is the first and biggest key. Knowing that and understanding when they're going to go to Nick Demski and winning the battle between Vaval and Super Mario are the three keys.
