After going coast to coast with his first two starts as the starting quarterback for the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2023, Mason Fine will get a chance to play in the heartland of the country.
On Sunday, when the Roughriders host the Ottawa REDBLACKS at Mosaic Stadium, Fine will get the nod as the team’s starting quarterback.
Facing the undefeated Toronto Argonauts in Halifax, the North Texas product was 27 for 39 for 302 passing yards with two interceptions in Saskatchewan’s 31-13 loss to the Boatmen.
Despite the loss to the Argonauts, Fine believes he is heading in the right direction.
“Overall I did well, you can play, you can make a couple of more throws, better decisions moving forward, I’m just going to keep my head down, keep working, one week better, focus a little more, come out with a little chip on my shoulder, make sure this offence is rolling, and just attack each and every day.”
Head Coach Craig Dickenson said the evidence is in the film on why Fine should remain the team’s starter.
“He made a lot of tough throws under duress, for the most part played a pretty solid game, and got the one pick late. ”
Dickenson continued, “I feel good about Mason this week, I think he’s earned the right to keep playing.”
For the Roughriders to win against the REDBLACKS, they will probably have to score a touchdown. However, they have been struggling to do so in the past two games while Fine has been playing. The only touchdown they’ve scored recently was during the end of Saturday’s Touchdown Atlantic game when Jake Dolegala threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to Shawn Bane Jr.
The 26-year-old ended his day 4/5 for 100 yards with the lone major.
Fine isn’t feeling the pressure of the lack of touchdowns.
“We just got to keep running, obviously you got to put points on the board, that’s what I care about is putting points on the board and no matter how you’re getting it done.”
Even though Dolegala has provided the only touchdown for Saskatchewan over the last two weeks, neither he nor Fine is not about to allow the possible controversy to develop.
Following the touchdown score against the Argos, Fine was quick to offer his congratulations to his quarterback comrade.
“You want to see your guys do well, your friends have success.”
Fine added that last year, he received immediate praise from Cody Fajardo last season when he filled in for him, and he wanted to do the same for Dolegala.
“I knew how much that helped me moving forward, so I wanted to do that exact same thing for Jake, just gives the team confidence that you can go out there and play.”
Practice Notebook
-Newly signed offensive tackle Jordan Tucker attended Wednesday’s practice. Dickenson said the Roughriders wanted to give Tucker another look after suffering an injury during training camp in Saskatoon. According to the head coach of the Riders, Tucker is not expected to contribute to the field for a few weeks
-Wide receiver Brayden Lenius was not at practice to start the week, Dickenson said it wasn’t looking good for Lenius, but they will have more information on Thursday.
-Left tackle Brandon Council (knee) did not participate but watched on the sidelines.
-Wide receiver Mitch Picton (head) and offensive lineman Zack Fry (lower back) also missed practice.
-On the positive side, wide receivers Derel Walker and Juwan Brescacin returned to practice in a limited capacity. Walker saw action in the Roughriders season opener in Edmonton before suffering a knee injury that forced him on the six-game injured list. Brescacin played in Saskatchewan’s first two games of the year before suffering a shoulder injury.
-It appears unlikely that the Roughriders will be reuniting with linebacker Darnell Sankey. Reports indicate that Sankey was released early from his XFL contract, but Dickenson has stated that the team is content with their current linebackers and wishes Sankey well. According to TSN’s Farhan Lalji, Sankey has received offers from two CFL clubs. Sankey had a successful season last year, setting a franchise record for tackles in a single season.
