Penton: Harris, Ouellette key to Riders’ Cup victory
By Bruce Penton
Now, just like the rabid fan base that lives and dies with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, Canadian Football League fans across the land are green — with envy.
The Riders, who last won a Grey Cup 12 years ago when they blasted Hamilton Tiger-Cats 45-23 in front of their boisterous fans in Regina, finally broke their championship drought Nov. 16 by beating the Montreal Alouettes 25-17.
To make it even sweeter for Gang Green, the Riders displayed their championship chops on the turf at Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg, scene of so many battles against their arch rivals, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
While the Bomber faithful were still drowning their sorrows after a semi-final loss to Montreal, the Riders — boosted by an enormous showing of support from Saskatchewan fans who made the relatively short trek down the Trans-Canada Highway — upended Montreal with an offensive combination that worked throughout the 2025 season: The running of A.J. Ouellette (83 yards, one TD) and the accurate (85 per cent) arm of the game’s MVP, quarterback Trevor Harris.
The Roughriders, who, going into the game, had a record of 4-13 in their Grey Cup appearances, know all about Grey Cup droughts. They won their first title in 1966 and then waited 23 years for the next one, the famous 43-40 win over Hamilton on Dave Ridgway’s late field goal. Another 18 years would pass before the Riders again drank champagne, in 2007, when they beat the Blue Bombers 23-19. The Riders were champs again only six years later, when they beat Hamilton in Regina, but the past 12 years have been dry, despite seven winning seasons. In three of those years, the Riders lost in the West final to Winnipeg, making this year’s victory in the Manitoba capital so much more meaningful.
Ouellette, an Ohio native who was never drafted, joined the Riders in 2024 as a free agent after four seasons with Toronto Argonauts. His final year in Toronto was his best, with 1,009 rushing yards and an all-star selection. But that paled in comparison to his 2025 season in Saskatchewan. He rushed for 1,222 yards to finish second in the CFL behind only Dedrick Mills of Calgary. He also caught 45 passes and finished the season with nine touchdowns.
“I’ve always kind of played with a chip on my shoulder,” says Ouellette. “Always been the small guy in the huddle.”
Ouellette said he lacked confidence early his pro career. He was cut from two NFL teams, Cleveland and New Orleans, but started building belief in himself when he joined the Argonauts. He’s certainly no stranger to the Grey Cup game, having scored two touchdowns in the Argos’ 24-23 victory over the Bombers in 2022. It proved that he belonged in the league, said Ouellette.
And where was that 2022 game when Ouellette’s two TDs powered the Argos to victory? At Mosaic Stadium in Regina, of all places. Rider Nation may not have been cheering loudly for Ouellette that day, but they were sure full-throated in Winnipeg this year when he helped bring the Grey Cup back to Regina.
Comedy guy Brad Dickson of Omaha: “Today I began my new online Spanish course. I have a few weeks to learn the language so I can understand the lyrics during the Super Bowl halftime show.”
Vancouver comedy guy Torben Rolfsen: “The Dodgers held their World Series parade in Toronto because half their team was afraid of getting ICE’d.”
Rolfsen again: “Ernie Clement admitted he bought his glove on e-Bay, as opposed to Bo Bichette, who got his on Craigslist.”
Janice Hough of leftcoastsportsbabe.com: “After winning the Cy Young, Pittsburgh Pirates winner Paul Skenes is denying media reports he wants to be traded to the NY Yankees. So he wants to stay with Pirates long enough to sign a billion dollar different deal with the Dodgers?”
Greg Cote of the Miami Herald: “Tom Brady cloned his dog: Is the Super Bowl legend-turned-Raiders part owner and mediocre broadcaster quirky, eccentric or just plain weird?”
Another Rolfsen offering: “Tom Brady cloned his dog? What’s next? Gisele?”
Cote again: “Let us acknowledge and then ignore the NBA Cup, the league’s ‘in-season tournament’ that somehow has survived to its third year despite being thoroughly unnecessary.”
Columnist Norman Chad, on the Washington-Miami NFL game in Spain: “Madrid asked for NFL excitement, and instead they’re getting two 3–7 teams trying to remember what competent football looks like. Truly a gift from America.”
Jack Finarelli on his sportscurmudgeon.com site, on the weather in Winnipeg on Grey Cup Sunday: “The weather forecast for kickoff time in Winnipeg calls for the temperature to be 28 F and dropping. Anyone who can watch that game with a cold watermelon rind on his head for three hours deserves my support.”
Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun: “Super-agent Scott Boras is singing the Blue Jays praises rather publicly. Boras has about a billion dollars in free agents available this winter. He wants some of that Blue Jays money.”
Another one from Simmons: “(Alexander Mogilny) did his Hall of Fame speech on video from Russia. He looked like he was taken hostage and asking for his release.”
Care to comment? Email brucepenton2003@yahoo.ca