CFL Preview - Saskatchewan (7-2) at Winnipeg (6-4) (ET)

GAME NOTES: Facing off against each other for the second time in a week, the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers find themselves lined across from each other this time at Investors Group Field in Manitoba.

Last weekend, these same two squads squared off against each other at Mosaic Stadium where the home team pulled out a 35-30 victory. The win for the Riders was their sixth in a row after losing back-to-back bouts versus Toronto and British Columbia during the first weeks of July.

After being held scoreless in the first quarter, Saskatchewan erupted for 35 points, thanks in large part to running back Anthony Allen who landed in the end zone twice on seven carries, putting up 38 yards overall. Will Ford added another rushing score as the hosts generated 160 yards on the ground.

Quarterback Darian Durant converted 14-of-26 passes for 204 yards and a score, a 59-yard major to Taj Smith in the fourth frame. Also giving Durant some added comfort in the pocket was the return of Weston Dressler who caught three passes for 28 yards.

Dressler was added to the Saskatchewan roster on Aug. 28 after the North Dakota product failed to stay on with the Kansas City Chiefs of the NFL. Dressler was part of the Grey Cup title last season for the Riders and is a two-time CFL All-Star who has 445 catches for 6,559 yards and 43 TDs in his seven-year CFL career.

On the defensive side of the ball, Rick Foley made a major contribution for the Riders as he posted a pair of sacks and recovered a fumble, on his way to being named the CFL Defensive Player of the Week.

Not to be outdone, Winnipeg's Troy Stoudermire picked up the CFL Special Teams Player of the Week honor after returning a punt 64 yards for a TD for the Bombers in the losing effort.

Winnipeg quarterback Drew Willy connected on 15-of-23 passes for 171 yards, and added another 21 yards and a score on his two run plays, but he was picked off once and sacked four times as the Bombers lost for the third time in the last four outings. Now with a record of 6-4, Winnipeg is two points behind both Saskatchewan and Edmonton in the West Division standings, while every team in the league is chasing a streaking Calgary squad which is an impressive 8-1 on the campaign.

In addition to Willy crossing the goal line, running back Nic Grigsby also had a similar experience as he scored on a six-yard run in the first quarter to give the visitors an early advantage.

However, beyond Stoudermire, Willy and Grigsby, the only other player to make a significant impact for the Blue Bombers was kicker Lirim Hajrullahu who converted all three of his field goal tries and finished with 12 points for his side. Unfortunately, Hajrullahu also had a hand in giving the Roughriders a leg up in the scoring column as he conceded in the end zone not once but twice, coming in a span of mere minutes in the second quarter.

Hajrullahu continues to be one of the top scorers in the league with his 92 points, but he also had a hand in helping the Riders into the win column last week.

Grigsby continues to pace the CFL in touchdowns with a total of eight, seven of which have come on the ground, which is a key piece of the team's 26.0 ppg which is second in the league at the moment behind only Calgary (27.9 ppg). Not that far behind is a Saskatchewan group that is producing 25.3 ppg, thanks in part to Ford who has six TDs and Allen with another five.

The scoring opportunities for both Ford and Allen have surely been aided by the fact that Saskatchewan continues to pace the league in turnovers with a plus-14, while Winnipeg struggles in that department with a minus-six after losing possession of 12 fumbles.

As far as the all-time series between the clubs is concerned, the Blue Bombers are ahead of Saskatchewan by a count of 128-99-4 in regular-season matchups dating back to 1936. However, the Riders have now won two straight and seven of the last eight, thanks in part to the victory last week.

Even though the Blue Bombers should be getting a slight edge due to the fact that they are playing at home this week, Saskatchewan is still a favorite, possibly because Dressler is back in uniform for the Riders and should be ready to show that Kansas City made a mistake on giving up on him.