The Saskatchewan Roughriders are aiming to give Zach Collaros his first home playoff loss with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
The veteran QB has a 3-0 record when playing postseason football as the starter in the Manitoba capital, three straight wins in West Final's at Princess Auto Stadium.
"Tall task -- we have to be on it to go in there and come out with a win," head coach Corey Mace said.
Collaros has not played well in those victories. He completed 17-of-21 passes for 229 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions in a win against Saskatchewan in 2021. The six-foot-one, 218-pound QB completed 14-of-20 passes for 178 yards with one touchdown and one interception and completed 14-of-21 passes for 158 yards in two successive wins against the B.C. Lions.
"You have to get after the guy and try to force him into some bad throws. Our d-line has done a decent job trying to get him off the spot and make him feel uncomfortable," Mace said referring to the three regular season meetings between the prairie rivals in 2024. "You also have access to the blitz game. The backend needs to make it tough on him for his reads. There's not a ton he hasn't seen, he's played a lot of football."
The 36-year-old completed 20-of-31 passes for 266 yards with no touchdowns and one interception in a Week 7 loss to the Riders 19-9. No. 8 completed 12-of-18 passes for 218 yards with one touchdown and one interception then was knocked out of the Labour Day Classic due to a helmet-to-helmet hit from Miles Brown near halftime. One week later, Collaros completed 24-of-31 passes for 231 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions.
He has a 2-1 win-loss record against Mace and the Roughriders this season while also being the last QB to lead the Riders to a win in Winnipeg, 32-27 during the Labour Day Rematch in 2018 wearing Green and White. The Riders have lost eight straight games on the road against the team's most hated rival. Despite the win streak, Collaros respects Saskatchewan, especially the defence.
"A lot of challenges: they're very fast, they're very, very good up front, they can get to the quarterback just bringing four, they do a great job in their zone drops, they mix in what zones they're playing. They have tremendous speed," Collaros said.
"They're fast, they play very physical, they do a really good job pursuing the football. That's why they've been able to generate so many turnovers this year. The way they pursue the football and get to the quarterback makes it difficult for teams and that leads to turnovers."
The Roughriders travel to Winnipeg to take on the Blue Bombers in the West Final on Saturday. Countdown to Kick-off begins with Justin Dunk and Wes Cates at 2:30 p.m. Luc Mullinder and I join at 4:30 p.m. with the kick-off to follow at 5:30 p.m. on the Co-operators Roughrider Radio Network.
