Saskatchewan Roughriders head coach Corey Mace believes that Saturday’s game against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats will feature two starting quarterbacks who will one day end up in the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.
“(I have) incredible amounts of respect (for Trevor Harris and Bo Levi Mitchell) — they’re two future Hall of Famers, in my opinion,” Mace told the media in Regina on Tuesday. “To see them compete at a high level amongst their teammates, it’ll be fun to take in for anybody who’s coming to watch it. Having spent time around both those guys, they’re super competitive, they’re going to do everything possible to push their team forward. Nothing but respect for both guys.”
Mitchell, who is having arguably his best CFL season at the age of 35, is already a lock for the Hall of Fame. The native of Katy, Texas has thrown for 41,879 yards and 247 touchdowns, won two Grey Cups, two Grey Cup Most Valuable Player awards, and two CFL Most Outstanding Player awards. He also recently surpassed Doug Flutie for ninth on the league’s all-time passing list with Matt Dunigan within reach by the end of this season.
The case for Harris isn’t as strong as he didn’t become a full-time starter until later in his CFL career. The 39-year-old is a two-time Grey Cup champion, though he was a backup for both games. He’s also never won CFL Most Outstanding Player or been named All-CFL. His resumé isn’t without accolades, however, as he’s earned two All-East Division selections, one All-West Division selection, and recently crossed the 35,000-yard passing threshold.
Scott Milanovich, the head coach of the Tiger-Cats, mentored Harris during the first four seasons of the passer’s CFL career with the Toronto Argonauts. Earlier this year, he said Harris is “a Grey Cup away” from being a Hall of Fame quarterback, though he clearly holds the veteran in high esteem.
Mace has also been around both quarterbacks, having overlapped with Mitchell as a player and coach in Calgary for nine seasons. He even caught the quarterback’s first-ever touchdown on a play-action pass from the one-yard line against the B.C. Lions.
Harris beat Mitchell the first time these two teams played back in Week 2 as the Roughriders left Steeltown with a 28-23 victory, a margin that would have been significantly wider had Brett Lauther not missed three field goals for Saskatchewan.
With the clubs now clearly established as the top teams in their respective divisions, the hype leading into Saturday’s matchup is palpable. Coming off a dominant 34-6 win over the Montreal Alouettes, the Roughriders are expecting their largest crowd of the season with the game trending toward a possible sellout.
“They’re a good team, we believe we’re a good team. We know it’s going to be a battle, but we’re playing with one extra here and the fans are showing up to this one, so it’s going to be fun,” said Mace. “Last game, to this point, was the closest thing that we’ve looked to the version of what we want to be, and there’s still lots of room to grow.”
The Saskatchewan Roughriders (7-1) will host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (6-3) at Mosaic Stadium on Saturday, August 16 with kickoff slated for 3:00 p.m. EDT. The Tiger-Cats had their six-game winning streak snapped by the B.C. Lions this past week, while the Roughriders were on a bye.
The weather forecast in Regina calls for a high of 25 degrees and sunny conditions. The game will be broadcast on TSN and CTV in Canada, CBS Sports Network in the United States, and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune-in on the Ticats Audio Network in Hamilton and 620 CKRM in Regina.
