Saskatchewan Roughriders don’t flinch, turn out lights on Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 61st Labour Day Classic

Photo: Tanner Piper/3DownNation. All rights reserved.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders didn’t flinch in the 61st Labour Day Classic and beat the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 32-26 in overtime.

The Green and White improved to 8-4 and sent the Blue and Gold to 6-6 at a sold-out Mosaic Stadium with 34,352 fans on hand to watch the game live, a new record.

Thurm time

Closing time could now be known as ‘Thurm Time’ in Saskatchewan after team captain Jameer Thurman turned the lights out on Winnipeg.

With Zach Collaros staring third-and-six in the face to keep the game alive in OT, defensive coordinator Joshua Bell called a six-man rush and left Thurman in coverage. That pressure forced Collaros to find his hot route, Tim White crossing the field, and No. 6 ensured he was taken down to the turf.

The 31-year-old quietly, as is his nature, leads the Riders with 66 tackles through 12 regular season games. His stop on White was his biggest to date in 2026.

DDB breakout in LDC

Trevor Harris said leading into the 2026 CFL season he was a “big believer” in Dhel Duncan-Busby. That belief paid dividends in the Labour Day Classic. The 26-year-old had a fourth-quarter for the ages.

After four receptions for 44 yards in the first three quarters, Duncan-Busby turned it up with five catches for 89 yards in the final frame. He started the last 15 minutes with a 22-yard deep out route grab, and 15 yards were added due to an Evan Holm facemask penalty.

Later, the six-foot-one, 207-pound target ran a slick sluggo pattern — slant and go — to beat Ridge Texada on the left side for a 32-yard gain. Two snaps after that, the Vancouver native tracked down a fade ball along the right sideline, hauling it in over his outside shoulder for a 26-yard gain.

Those couple plays set up a Tommy Stevens touchdown, which extended the lead from one to seven. In the process, Duncan-Busby set single-game career highs with 10 receptions for 148 yards. The 2024 third-round CFL Draft pick produced the first 100-yard receiving game in his career.

Safety swing

Saskatchewan’s defence started the scoring on Sunday night.

As Collaros was backed up in his own end with around five minutes on the clock in the first quarter, Derick Roberson beat left tackle Stanley Bryant with an inside move, James Vaughters bull rushed right tackle Jarell Broxton, and Canadian Jaxon Ford sliced past star running back Brady Oliveira from his weak-side linebacker spot, as the Roughriders collapsed the pocket for a sack in the end zone and a safety.

Roberson was credited with the QB takedown, but it was a multi-pronged effort as the Roughriders’ defence put the team on the scoreboard and gave the ball to the offence all in one play.

Ford being used as a weak-side linebacker was particularly noteworthy after struggling at safety, sitting out last week with an ankle injury, and returning to the lineup in Week 14. It’s worth keeping an eye on where he’s used on defence moving forward.

Monster Miller

Aubrey Miller Jr. saw his first CFL start come after Josh Woods went down with an ankle injury in Week 13. My, oh my, what a performance.

The 27-year-old weak-side linebacker made his presence felt by flattening White as he was trying to fight for extra yards in the first quarter. It was a tone-setting hit and put the six-foot-two, 225-pounder’s physicality on full display. He did not stop there, finishing with two defensive tackles, one special teams stop, one sack and one pass knockdown.

Miller Jr. started his CFL career in Edmonton as a special teamer, recording 12 tackles in 12 games in 2024. After coming to Saskatchewan in 2025, he’s been working behind the scenes to earn and be ready for his opportunity. That preparation was evident at Mosaic Stadium on Sunday night.

The man who Corey Mace calls ‘The Serial Killer’ nearly had a game-changing play. In the third quarter, Miller Jr. caused a Collaros fumble in the pocket. That football was recovered by defensive lineman Aaron Patrick, but it was not to be, as the referees flagged him for a horse-collar tackle.

Stevens package evolves

Offensive coordinator Marc Mueller showed what else he has in his Tommy Stevens package.

Stevens drew Winnipeg offside on third-and-one with less than 20 seconds left in the first half. Then came his personalized drive in the fourth quarter; over nine snaps, he was on the field for six.

First play in the fourth quarter, Stevens started in shotgun with Harris briefly lined up as a tight wideout on the right; Duncan-Busby and KeeSean Johnson were in the left slot spots. Harris motioned into shotgun, Stevens moved to right slot, Johnson ran a corner from the left slot, and Duncan-Busby caught a deep out route for 22 yards.

Stevens finished the drive with a surge to break the plane to give the Riders a 20-16 lead. He added a three-yard run off the right side, keyed by a Johnson block, to notch his second major in the game later in the fourth, then plunged in for his third on the first series in overtime. ‘Stone Cold Stevens’ has a league-leading 15 rushing touchdowns.

Hale-ing boos 

Alex Hale should be thankful Saskatchewan came out with a win because the boos came out for him in the Labour Day Classic.

Hale went one-for-three in the game, missing wide right from 46 yards to end the second quarter and wide left from 47 yards in the third quarter. Those misses leave him with 24-of-32 three-point attempts made in his rookie CFL season, 75 percent. That’s the third-lowest make rate among qualified three-down league kickers.

If his five missed points would have cost the Roughriders a win in the Labour Day Classic, Hale might have received the Paul McCallum lawn treatment.

Dink and Dunks

– Trevor Harris passed for 362 yards; his 72-yard catch-and-run completion to Daniel Wiebe moved him into the top 10 on the CFL’s all-time passing yards list, past Doug Flutie with 41,590.

– Harris noted on the 620 CKRM post-game show that Winnipeg rotated coverage towards his No. 1 target, KeeSean Johnson.

– Quali Conley proved he’s ready for the biggest CFL stage in the regular season. He produced 59 rushing yards on 13 carries and two catches for 42 yards with one major. His fit in the offence has been almost seamless.

– D’Sean Mimbs: put the football in your outside arm.

– Multiple fans called in to the 620 CKRM post-game show to voice displeasure with the roughing the passer call on James Vaughters very late in the fourth quarter. Vaughters appeared to contact Collaros’ helmet, which drew the flag. To some it may seem soft, but by the letter of the rule, it’s a penalty. Mace challenged and the call on the field was upheld. Would Riders fans ask for the same treatment if the situation was reversed and Harris was tapped late?

– Caleb Sanders has flown under the radar in 2026, but you should pay attention to him. He stuffed Oliveira on second-and-two in the first quarter for a one-yard loss. He has 13 defensive tackles and four sacks in 12 games.

– Seyi Oladipo looks comfortable at strong-side linebacker. He notched six defensive tackles, one sack, and one pass knockdown in the end zone on a seam pass to Dorian Singer. Jonathan Edouard nearly intercepted the ball off his tip. So far, so good for him as a starter.

– In the fourth quarter, Jonathan Edouard made a pass breakup in the end zone as Collaros was looking for White running a hook route. It was well-timed by the National cover man and held Winnipeg to a field goal.

– James Letcher Jr. was spotted by TSN cameras eating candy on the sideline during the game.