Saskatchewan Roughriders could play Trevor Harris despite playoff clinch

Photo courtesy: Saskatchewan Roughriders.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders will be on the road for the first round of the CFL playoffs regardless of whether or not they win this week, though it appears franchise quarterback Trevor Harris could play either way.

The 40-year-old did not practice on Tuesday, as he was given a rest day. Head coach Corey Mace indicated that he currently plans to play the veteran quarterback against the Edmonton Elks on Saturday, though he’s not ready to fully commit to a decision.

“As of today, it’s a rest day. Now, if I sleep and think on it, potentially it could be a rest week,” Mace told the media in Regina on Tuesday.

“Trevor, that’s a tough guy to tell, ‘You’re not going to play.’ We’ll see how it goes, but ultimately we’ve got faith in all four quarterbacks to be able to do something for us to help us win.”

If Harris does not play, Jack Coan would likely take over under centre. The 27-year-old native of Sayville, N.Y. has attempted only two throws this season, completing both for 15 yards.

The six-foot-three, 218-pound passer has been with Saskatchewan for three seasons, and Mace believes he’s done well learning from Harris.

“(Coan)’s been in Trev’s [sic] hip pocket ever since he came here. He‘s one of the guys that are first people in the building every morning,” said Mace.

“He takes incredibly good care of his body. He’s down there crushing film with Trev and the other quarterbacks early in the morning ’til late in the evening, and he’s been nothing but professional in his time with us.”

The Roughriders would finish third in the West Division with a win this week, which would mean visiting the B.C. Lions in the West Semi-Final. With a loss, the team would finish fourth, and visit the Toronto Argonauts in the East Semi-Final as the CFL’s crossover team.

Mace claimed he does not have a preference between the two, other than staying out west might make the logistics easier.

“In realness, no, it doesn’t matter,” he said. “I think just for our order of operation, staying west would benefit us and how we operate, but ultimately, the goal is to win this game, which would keep us in the west, so let’s just go win a game.”

The Roughriders punched their ticket to the playoffs with a win over the Montreal Alouettes last week. Montreal rested offensive stars Davis Alexander, Tyson Philpot, and Tyler Snead, yet Saskatchewan still needed a late touchdown from KeeSean Johnson to secure a 16-12 win.

When asked how he plans to balance his desire to rest his players while ensuring they still develop, Mace hinted that he could be leaning towards fielding a veteran-laden roster this week.

“There’s only one way to get better at playing football, and that’s playing football, so we’re planning to play football.”

The Saskatchewan Roughriders (9-8) will host the Edmonton Elks (13-4) at Mosaic Stadium on Saturday, October 24 with kickoff scheduled for 3:00 p.m. ET. The Elks are coming off a win over Winnipeg that clinched first place in the West Division, while Saskatchewan secured a playoff spot with a win over Montreal.

The game will be broadcast on TSN and RDS2 in Canada and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune-in on 880 CHED in Edmonton and 620 CKRM in Regina.