Riders Looking to prove they belong against BC
The Saskatchewan Roughriders conclude their exhibition season against the BC Lions with a number of questions – who will be the back-up quarterback, can the defensive secondary stop people, who will line up at running back and defensive line and perhaps unsaid in all of this – are the Riders really able to contend this year?
Each CFL team has been kicking the tires of their team and sounding positive about contending, but while the Saskatchewan Roughriders have improved, it’s not clear any of their western competitors have not. The BC Lions swept the Riders last year and basically crushed the spirit of the Riders in the last game at Mosaic Stadium and then in the regular season finale at BC Place.
Last week the Riders opened with a 25-25 tie, a game they could have won and should have lost. A pleasant surprise was the play of Canadian quarterback Brandon Bridge while Bryan Bennett, the former Bomber quarterback, looked good in training camp but less so under the spotlights.
So while Kevin Glenn will start and maybe go a quarter and a bit, with Bennett and Bridge splitting up the remaining time and perhaps Marquisse Williams seeing some action, the question is whether or not Bennett can rebound and show why he should be the back up quarterback. Bridge is not considered to be a great practice player, but a better gamer when the lights turn on, but for Bridge to solidify a back up spot, he needs to show consistency and if he does against BC, then the spot should be his.