A.J. Ouellette's blonde locks are no more as the veteran running back has gone back to his natural brown flow out of his helmet.
“I woke up today and it was dark -- I don’t know what happened,” Ouellette joked. There may have been a hint of superstition for the 29 year-old Ouellette. “I wanted to change some stuff up and bring a little energy to playoffs. My hair was dark when I won the Cup, so bring it back.”
Ouellette was a member of the Toronto Argonauts team that defeated the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 24-23 in the 2022 CFL championship, which was held at Mosaic Stadium. He is using that experience to help his younger teammates prepare for Saturday’s playoff game.
“I shared with my running back room: 'There’s going to be ups and downs. You don’t put your head down if there is one mistake. Keep going, lock in and try to be the energy the team needs.'”
Ouellette, despite missing 10 games this season, ranked No. 10 among Canadian Football League ball carriers in the regular season with 550 yards on 130 carries with three touchdowns. The Ohio University graduate knows what it will take to get the win over B.C. to advance to the West Final.
“A three-phase game together to prove to the league that we can play well, we can play all three phases and we can play all four quarters," Ouellette said.
The Roughriders return to the field on Saturday, November 2 when the Green and White host the B.C. Lions in the West Division Semi-Final. Countdown to Kick-off begins with a chance to watch Justin Dunk and Wes Cates live at 1:30 p.m. on YouTube. Luc Mullinder and I join at 43:30 p.m. with the kick-off to follow at 4:30 p.m. on the Co-operators Roughrider Radio Network.
