Riders’ Sceviour ready to fill in for Philip Blake if called upon

It’s next man up for the Saskatchewan Roughriders on their offensive line.

Offensive guard Philip Blake left Sunday’s 33-30 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. He was shown on the broadcast to be on crutches.

With the Riders returning to practice Wednesday, head coach Corey Mace said it wasn’t good news for the nine-season CFL veteran.

“Unfortunately it’s going to be a longer-term thing,” said Mace, who noted it was a quad injury for the 38-year-old. “We don’t have a timeline yet and are doing a little more looks into what the options are but that won’t be short-term, unfortunately.”

It’s another shot of bad luck for Blake, who was a CFL East division all-star in 2022. Last season, He missed 12 games due to a torn pec.

“Being around Philip before, and with what happened to him last year, if there’s an opportunity for him to come back, that’s his mentality,” Mace said.

The Riders do have an all-star option to turn to in Blake’s absence.

This past offseason, the Riders signed guard Ryan Sceviour to a contract. The Calgary product spent five seasons with his hometown Stampeders, including being named a CFL all-star in 2022.

“It sucks what happened to Phil, I hope it’s not as bad as it looked,” Sceviour said. “I think the guys believe in me as I am in there. Just having the confidence that I have from playing for so long and having an all-star before will help me in the long run.”

The 28-year-old has appeared in both of the team’s games this season as the sixth offensive lineman. He came in for guard Logan Ferland in Week 1 after the starter was ejected for throwing a punch at an Edmonton Elks player.

Then in Week 2, he came into the game when Blake went down with an injury.
“Each person has their role on the team. I am excited – we have a very good offensive line here I feel like. If I have to be the next guy up, that’s how it’s got to be,” Sceviour said.

Sceviour joining the Riders also reunited him with Mace, who was the Calgary defensive line coach from 2016-2021, and offensive coordinator Marc Mueller, who was on the Stamps’ coaching staff from 2014-2023.

Sceviour said both of those guys factored into his decision to come to Saskatchewan.

“Everyone believes in (Mace) and he’s a great guy and a great coach. He’s doing a great job so far and he’s going to do a great job in the future,” Sceviour said. “Marc Mueller was the QB coach in Calgary and he came out here and I wanted to see what he could do as an OC.”

Mace said signing Sceviour was a big get for the team.

“You got a guy who has started a lot of games, won a lot of games and has been an all-star,” Mace said. “Once he settles in, really he’s a starter.”

Sceviour could start his first game of the season at the home opener on Sunday. Kickoff for the game against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats is set for 5 p.m. at the Mosaic Stadium.

Notes: Slotback Shawn Bane Jr. (leg), who also left the game early, was out on the field and listed as limited. Mace said he is trending in the right direction to play this week … Centre Peter Godber (personal), running back AJ Ouellette (leg), defensive back Rolan Milligan (neck), and tackle Jermarcus Hardrick (ankle) were all listed as non-participants.