Ottawa @ Saskatchewan preview

Last Meeting ( Jun 21, 2018 ) Saskatchewan 17, Ottawa 40

The Saskatchewan Roughriders look to continue their push to host a playoff game when they welcome the Ottawa Redblacks to Regina on Saturday. The Roughriders have won four straight games, including a 32-27 victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Banjo Bowl, to move into a second-place tie with the Edmonton Eskimos and hope to stay hot by avenging a 40-17 loss to the Redblacks in Week 2.

"We got a bunch of guys who believe in each other and we have some very good athletes who play very hard," Saskatchewan head coach Chris Jones told reporters. "Once we solidify things we feel like we can compete with anybody." Ottawa is left to pick up the pieces following a disappointing 26-14 loss to the BC Lions. The Redblacks have dropped back-to-back games to see their lead over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats disappear at the top of the East Division standings and hope their offence, which has been held to an average of 12.5 points during their skid, gets back on track, as they aim to beat Saskatchewan for the third consecutive time in the regular season. "We have to dig our heels in and get better as it's two weeks of us not executing," Ottawa quarterback Trevor Harris told reporters. "There's no panic but we're 6-5 and we had an opportunity to stretch this thing to 8-3 and we came up with two losses."

TV: 9:30 p.m. ET, TSN

ABOUT THE REDBLACKS (6-5): Harris was limited to 216 yards passing with a touchdown, but threw a pair of interceptions as Ottawa surrendered 17 points off turnovers in the loss to BC. Rookie kicker Lewis Ward kicked a pair of field goals against the Lions to extend his streak of successful conversions to 29 in a row -the fourth-longest streak in CFL history. Ottawa's acquisition of defensive lineman Maxx Forde, who recorded eight tackles, two forced fumbles and a sack in 18 games last season, from the BC Lions was voided after he failed his medical while defensive back Dejaun Butler and linebacker Quentin Gause were released.

ABOUT THE ROUGHRIDERS (7-4): Zach Collaros completed 13-of-24 passes for 173 yards before he was knocked out of the game early in the fourth quarter, but the former Cincinnati Bearcats star cleared the concussion protocol and returned to practice, with the aim of starting Saturday's game. Willie Jefferson (97 yards) and Sam Eguavoen (103) each had pick sixes in the Banjo Bowl to give the Roughriders six interception return touchdowns, matching the franchise record set in 1976. Defensive lineman Charleston Hughes saw his streak of consecutive games with at least one sack end at eight in a row, which is a team record.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Saskatchewan is 5-2 with Collaros as the starter.

2. Harris has thrown more interceptions (three) than touchdowns (two) over his past three games.

3. The Roughriders have intercepted seven passes in their last two contests.

PREDICTION: Roughriders 26, Redblacks 21