The Saskatchewan Roughriders and Edmonton Elks have been eager to start the 2024 CFL season ever since they finished last year’s campaign by bringing up the rear in the West Division.
The CFL shaved three hours off the waiting game by moving the start time of Saturday’s season opener to 4 p.m. ET to accommodate fans of the Edmonton Oilers. The Roughriders and Elks originally were scheduled to kick off in Edmonton at 7 p.m., one hour before the Oilers will face the Florida Panthers in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final in Sunrise, Fla.
As for matters on the gridiron, the Roughriders finished the 2023 season with a 6-12 record for the second straight year. The lackluster results brought about a change on the sideline, with former Toronto Argonauts defensive coordinator Corey Mace being tabbed as Saskatchewan’s new head coach in November.
Quarterback Trevor Harris will look to show he’s fully healthy after sustaining a tibial plateau fracture of his right knee in Week 6 of last season.
“I knew I’d be back to 100 percent, going back to February,” Harris said. “There were good days and bad days and there were tough times, but I never let those tough moments take over.
Running back AJ Ouellette is a prized addition for Saskatchewan, which completed its second straight undefeated preseason with a 28-27 victory over Edmonton on May 25 at Commonwealth Stadium.
Like the Roughriders, the Elks matched their 2022 record in 2023. Unfortunately for general manager and head coach Chris Jones, that mark was 4-14.
Edmonton summoned former Argonauts quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson from the United States — he played in the USFL in 2023 — to be under center of Jones’ team. The Elks also brought in electric kick/punt returner Javon Leake and boast star running back Kevin Brown (CFL second-best 1,141 rushing yards in 2023). Add in a new-look defense and Jones feels confident in shooting for the moon.
“We want to play well enough to get into the playoffs, play good solid football,” Jones said. “We want to play good football here in front of our fans. And we want to win enough games to win the whole thing.”
