The Saskatchewan Roughriders tried a new tactic at Wednesday’s practice as they pumped ‘crowd noise’ through the stadium speakers while the defence was on the field to prepare for this week’s sold out Labour Day Classic against Winnipeg.

“This is the first [practice] for me [with crowd noise for the defence]. I think everybody’s expecting this place to be electric and we’re looking forward to it. So I’d rather be something the offence has to deal with [during the game] so I’m cool with it,” said defensive lineman Micah Johnson.

Head coach Corey Mace said this is a good chance for the offence to be able to communicate and execute their plays.

“There’s a lot of communication that happens on the defensive side of the ball and we’re anticipating Ridernation to be out here, going crazy, [while the] opposing offence is on the field. So it just allows us to really kind of tap in and get practice at that,” he explained.

The sold out home crowd has the team excited no matter how loud it could be when the defence is trying to stop the Bombers.

“It makes it challenging but, you know, to have that home crowd is something we’d rather deal with,” Johnson said with a smile. “Your communication right before the snap just has to be crisp. Linebackers have to get calls out there a little earlier, a little louder.”

Johnson has been an important piece of the Riders’ defence this season as he leads the league in sacks with six. He shared that his stats are a confidence booster as the team looks to take down Bombers’ quarterback, Zach Collaros.

“It helps out a lot just going up against the guy, knowing the type of competitor he is, the games he’s won. It seems like the more clutch the moment gets, the better Zach plays. But it just motivates us to be more disruptive,” Johnson said.

The highly anticipated rivalry matchup is known to be a pivotal point in the season for the two teams and the stakes are even higher as the Riders and Bombers fight for first place in the West Division. It is ironic considering Saskatchewan began the year 4-0 and Winnipeg was the opposite at 0-4.

“I think it’s a good refresher for us. We can really build on this and just really feel like we have a fresh start. Guys are really motivated this second half, and we need to be better than we were. We need to treat it like we did the first five, six games of the year,” said offensive lineman, Logan Ferland.

The last time the Riders won was against Winnipeg back in Week 7. A win on Sunday would mean they clinch the season series which could be key with the tight playoff race in the West Division.

“I think every week is key and we have to start fast and finish fast. Things have flip flopped [between us two teams since the start of the season]. But we always knew they were a good team and we never underestimated anybody,” said wide receiver KeeSean Johnson.

Kickoff for the 59th Labour Day Classic is 5 p.m. at Mosaic Stadium.