‘Be careful what you wish for’: Riders fire back at Stampeders for desiring 2025 playoff matchup after OT victory

Photo courtesy: Saskatchewan Roughriders

The Saskatchewan Roughriders had a little extra motivation to beat the Calgary Stampeders on Saturday night, courtesy of receiver Jalen Philpot.

In an exclusive interview with 3DownNation this offseason, the Canadian pass catcher stated that the Stampeders wanted to face the eventual Grey Cup champions in the playoffs last year, citing two regular-season victories over the Riders.

It would appear that their opponents took notice, as receiver Kian Schaffer-Baker alluded to the comments following the Riders’ 40-37 win in double overtime.

“If you’re talking about the things you did yesterday, you ain’t done enough today, so we’re not so much worried about what they did in the past. One thing we picked up really big on is Calgary really wanted to play us,” he revealed. “They’ve been wishing and hoping for this moment. They said they wanted to play us in the final last year, but be careful what you wish for, because you don’t want to see that Roughrider green on the other side.”

Calgary defeated the Riders twice in decisive fashion last season — 24-10 at Mosaic Stadium in Week 6 and 32-15 at McMahon Stadium in Week 12. The Stampeders outscored Saskatchewan 56-25 in those head-to-head meetings, providing perhaps the only meaningful blemish to the Riders’ first-place finish and eventual championship run.

The two teams did not meet in the postseason because the Stampeders lost to the B.C. Lions in the Western Semi-Final. Some analysts felt that the result was a lucky break for the Riders, and Calgary clearly had confidence in their ability to record a third victory. Even head coach Corey Mace was aware of that narrative ahead of their first meeting of 2026.

“Yeah, we saw the article,” the reigning CFL Coach of the Year admitted.

“It was something definitely that we talked about. Those guys, they had our number last year, and, truthfully, the way that they won the games was just displeasing, specifically in the physicality department where we hang our hat on. Ultimately, our season ended the way it did; they beat us twice, I guess handshake on that.”

Veteran quarterback Trevor Harris said he was also aware of Philpot’s comments, though he insisted they did not motivate him personally. He was complimentary of the Stampeders, highlighting quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. and defensive coordinator Bob Slowik in particular, but insisted that last year’s sweep was just part of the reality of CFL football.

“You’d have to ask them (if it means more) if they beat Ottawa, because they lost to Ottawa twice last year. It’s cyclical, man,” he explained.

“Styles make fights in this league, and they gave us some troubles, but we made adjustments to what they do, and this is a new year. I’m not going to be stuck on last year, though they beat us twice. We have a cool ring from last year, and we’re trying to build to be the team that can even talk about wanting to get another one this year. Anything outside of that’s really not my focus, but I’m glad that it motivated our guys a little bit.”

Although the 40-year-old pivot downplayed the narrative around the game, he couldn’t resist his own confident shot at Philpot and any other Stampeders with a similar mindset.

“They got their wish today, and if we would have played them the third time (in 2025), they would have went home again,” Harris stated.

For all the Riders’ confidence after the game, the Stampeders did manage to stage a 14-point fourth-quarter comeback in order to push it into overtime. Philpot finished with three catches for 53 yards, though the opposing receiver he motivated had a much greater impact.

Schaffer-Baker amassed a game-high eight receptions for 130 yards and two touchdowns. His final catch came while absorbing a hellacious hit at the one-yard line in the second extra frame, setting up Tommy Stevens for the game-winning touchdown plunge.

While the offseason comments played a role in his performance, the Guelph product gave most of the credit to his teammates.

“That’s a little fuel to the fire, but at the end of the day, we come out here, and we play our brand of football,” he said. “That’s playing together, being a family, winning the bully game, which we’ve got some bullies out there — man, they’re some scary fellas! When we’re all playing like that together, there’s no stopping us.”

The Riders (2-0) will return to action on Friday, June 26, when they host the Toronto Argonauts (1-1). Kickoff at Mosaic Stadium is slated for 9:00 p.m. EDT.

J.C. Abbott is a University of British Columbia graduate and high school football coach. He covers the CFL, B.C. Lions, CFL Draft and the three-down league’s Global initiative.