Roughriders’ Picton emotional about playing in Grey Cup game

WINNIPEG — Regina’s Mitchell Picton will make his first Grey Cup appearance Sunday for the hometown Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Picton, 30, and fellow Canadian Ajou Ajou were added to the roster Saturday with Dhel Duncan-Busby and Joe Robustelli out due to injury.

“It’s exciting,” said Picton, who will back up starter Ajou Ajou. “We have such a deep receiver room and we’re confident in each and every one those guys.

“To be up this week and be in this game means a lot. Really, I don’t want to make it more than just another football game. I’m going to go out there and execute at a very high level.”

The six-foot-one, 197-pound Picton had 20 catches for 226 yards in 14 games and expects to have many friends and family wearing his No. 81 in the stands.

“When I was drafted by this organization, it was a dream to bring the Grey Cup back to Saskatchewan,” he said. “To have the opportunity to do that is very special.

“Looking back on my journey, this has been my goal the entire time. It’s for our teammates who worked so hard to give ourselves the opportunity to be able to be out there and bring this back to Saskatchewan.”

Picton got emotional when talking about the sacrifices his family has made during his football journey.

“We certainly make sacrifices to play this game but I think about family making sacrifices for us,” he said. “They’re always there, they’ve been all over the country to watch me play football.

“My parents, brother, wife, they’re all special to me. It’s going to be cool. There’s going to be a lot of Picton jerseys, a lot of No. 81 in the stands. That’s something I’m very excited for, thankful for.”

Riders head coach Corey Mace said when Picton’s playing days are over, he could move into coaching.

“He’s super intelligent, he can play every receiver spot, he can play multiple spots on special teams,” Mace said. “He understands tremendously what defences are trying to accomplish.”

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NO AVAILABILITY — The evacuation of Princess Auto Stadium on Saturday caused by a fire alarm going off resulted in the Montreal Alouettes to bypass their final availability following their walkthrough.

The Alouettes reportedly went to their team bus when the alarm went off because it offered a warm place to wait the situation out. Once the alarm was turned off and people were allowed to return, media were told the team had already left.

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HARRIS versus THORPE — Trevor Harris spent two seasons with Montreal (2021-22) before joining the Saskatchewan Roughriders. On Sunday, he’ll face an Alouettes defence led by defensive co-ordinator Noel Thorpe.

But Harris doesn’t believe either he or Thorpe have an advantage on the other heading into Sunday’s Grey Cup game.

“He’s always going to surprise you,” Harris said. “He’s always bring pressure and things you haven’t seen.

“He’ll give you a couple of different looks and he’s always going to gameplan you differently each time … he’ll definitely show me some stuff that we haven’t seen before but we’ll do the same thing.”

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MORE FOOTBALL — It’s been football all week for Harris and so when the Saskatchewan Roughriders quarterback looks to wind down Saturday night, it will be watching more football.

“I know that kind of sounds silly but I’ll go back and watch some (U.S. college ball), go to mass at 5 p.m.,” he said. “It’s time to kind of get away from the (CFL) game so I just casually watch football.

“(Sunday) morning wake up, eat a small breakfast, take a quick nap then get up and it’s go time.”

There might be dinner with family Saturday night. Then again, maybe not.

“I hope so but I’m kind of a little bit bipolar,” Harris said. “Sometimes I want to be left alone.

“Sometimes I’m like, ‘Can I get everybody around me.’ Sometimes I have my wife just hug me and squeeze me really hard. Sometimes I’m like, ‘Hey, I need to be by myself and just take a nap,’ but they get it, they know.”

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CURFEW STILL — The Saskatchewan Roughriders have had a curfew on the road all season and Mace hasn’t changed that during Grey Cup week.

Mace said the team has had a curfew all week and that will continue Saturday night.

“That’s what we do every road game, Mace said. “Oh yeah, there’s curfew, 100 per cent.”

But Mace doesn’t want his players deviating from the practices or rituals they adopted over the course of the season.

“You kind of want them to have whatever routines that they have for themselves to maintain that,” he said. “Yeah, it’s the Grey Cup but (once) the ball is kicked off, you’ve got to play a football game.

“Whatever you have to do to get ready to do that, continue to do that.”

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 15, 2025.