Calgary Stampeders at Saskatchewan Roughriders
New Mosaic Stadium
Saturday, July 28
Kickoff: 7:00 p.m. MT
Radio: 770 CHQR, Sirius XM 167
TV: TSN, ESPN +

Time to show who’s the best in the West.

The 5-0 Stampeders are on the road this week, taking on the 3-2 Saskatchewan Roughriders at Mosaic Stadium Saturday (5 p.m., TSN).

It’ll be a hostile environment for the Red & White, as it always is in Regina, with the Riders looking to hand them their first loss of the season.

“There’s an opportunity here to go on the road and beat a team that’s playing really well,” said head coach Dave Dickenson. “Obviously home games you’re favoured, and when you’re on the road people usually give you everything you can handle.

“We know we’re going to be in for a major challenge, we’re ready to face that. Hopefully we play well.”

The Stamps are coming off of a 25-8 victory over the Montreal Alouettes at McMahon Stadium last Saturday, which closed up a streak of five straight Eastern match-ups.

And while the Stamps sit undefeated, Saturday’s tilt kicks off the first of six divisional games – a big test for the squad.

“Ultimately you have to beat the West in order to get to where you want to go get to,” Dickenson said. “But we do try to take it week-by-week. I don’t put any more importance on it, even though a win against the West will get you further in the standings, because you’re burying an opponent.”

And not just any opponent either, as there’s no shortage of bad blood between the two teams. For the Stamps, there’s always a little extra motivation to beat them at home.

“In that stadium it’s tough to communicate the way you want to, especially when you get down towards the green zone,” explained quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell. “But we’ve always been on the mindset to go out there and quiet their crowd. Do whatever we can to get up on these guys and not let them back in the game.

“They don’t like us, and we don’t particularly like them.”

Feelings aside, the Stamps face a tough task against a dynamic Riders’ defence, and a team hungry to make their two game win-streak three.

“It’s Chris Jones, so you can get an array of anything (from them),” Mitchell said. “The guy likes to create defences to take away what you’re good at.

“They’re all good at playing with their eyes, they’re all moving around. Even as far as D-linemen…you’ll see a D-lineman make a tackle 30 yards down the field, which you don’t see from any other team.”

Saturday’s meeting also marks the first time the Stamps will face a pair of former teammates in running back Jerome Messam, and D-lineman Charleston Hughes.

But Mitchell’s not worried about playing some familiar faces.

“It’ll be like every day at practice for the last six years.”

Additions to this week’s 46-man roster are Folarin Orimolade and Julan Lynch. The subtractions will be Cordarro Law and Eric Mezzalira.