Running back A.J. Ouellette was back working with the starting offence as the returned to practice on Tuesday.
“Felt good, felt smooth, felt like I never left,” said Ouellette, who has missed the last six games with a hip injury. This season, the 29-year-old Ouellette — who was one of Saskatchewan’s prized this off-season — has been limited to seven games. In his absence, Frankie Hickson made seven starts for the Riders with the other two going to Ryquell Armstead.
Thomas Bertrand-Hudon has also gotten carries as the primary backup. “We’ve got dogs,” said Ouellette, who has racked up 466 rushing yards this season in seven starts. “It sucks that there’s only one running back on the field at a time.
“It doesn’t matter who is out there, they’re going to get the job done.” With the Riders set to host the B.C.
Lions at Mosaic Stadium on Saturday (5 p.m., TSN) in Week 19 of the CFL season, there’s a chance Ouellette could make his return to the lineup.
“I’m going to do what they ask me to do,” he said. While Hickson started Saskatchewan’s game on Saturday against the Edmonton Elks — which clinched a playoff spot for the Green and White — the Riders also have Armstead, who had a 207-yard performance in Week 16 before going down with a shoulder injury the following week. Armstead returned to practice Tuesday in limited fashion and while Ouellette got most of the first-team carries during the workout, head coach Corey Mace didn’t reveal who .