Trevor Harris had one extra pass completion on Saturday night.

In the locker room after the Saskatchewan Roughriders 21-13 win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Banjo Bowl, the quarterback presented the offensive game ball -- normally given to offensive players -- to offensive coordinator Marc Mueller.

"He's just done a tremendous job leading us all year," said Harris, who completed 18 of 31 passes in the actual Week 14 game before the postgame toss. "We're very, very lucky to have him.

"The detail that he goes into, his prep every week, he could get a game ball every week. And so, I just thought it was time."

When it was thrown to him in the visitor's locker room inside Princess Auto Stadium, Mueller secured the reception with two hands, even though he was caught off guard.

"I don't think I've ever got one," said Mueller, who was a coach with the Calgary Stampeders from 2014 to 2023 before being hired by the Riders. "When I was up in Calgary, the staff would get one every once in a while, but I don't remember actually getting one.

"So that was pretty cool. It was nice to them. It should go to the players; they're the guys that are out there. But it's nice of Trevor to try to be nice to me.

"It was something I wasn't expecting and, you know, I don't necessarily think I deserve. I think one of the guys that actually is getting hit out there should get that.

"But it was a group effort and I think that shows that the whole group was into it. I enjoy being one of the leaders of that group."

While it was his first game ball as an offensive coordinator, what about as a quarterback with the University of Regina Rams during his playing days?

"I might have stole one, but that'd be about it," smirked Mueller. "We didn't have game balls.

"We only had so many balls for the whole year, so I don't think I was able to steal one."

After calling for Harris to execute a quick kick in Saskatchewan's win two weeks ago in the Labour Day Classic, Mueller dialed up another game-changing play call in the fourth quarter of Saturday's Banjo Bowl.

With nine minutes left and the Riders up 15-13, Saskatchewan's offence fielded the ball from the one-yard line after a missed field goal return blunder from Mario Alford.

And on the first play from the shadows of the uprights, Harris found Joe Robustelli up the sideline for a 48-yard gain which led to a collective sigh of relief from those rooting for the visitors.

"We had been running the ball on first down, trying to just kind of move the line of scrimmage a bit," said Mueller. "And we were backed up on the one.

"And I thought we would either get a chance for a big one or an outlet. Joe ran a great route and set it up on that guy and he did a good job, and Trevor made a really good throw and we protected him.

"It was just one of those things where (we've) kind of been working toward it throughout the game, it just happened to be at that moment."

While Harris said he was "excited" when he heard the play call, he wasn't surprised considering Mueller's ability to read a game.

"He made the right call at the right time," said Harris, whose team will host the Montreal Alouettes on Saturday at 5 p.m. in Week 15. "There's a lot of times the great O-coordinators have that gut feeling of when to call things.

"It's one of those moments in a game where if it doesn't work out, it's like, 'What are you doing?' It's easy to be prisoner of the moment and say great call, but I think it would have been a great call regardless.

"And I think that's what makes him great is, he always tells me before game, there's no string attached to the ball; something his grandfather used to tell him.

"And so I guess there's no string attached to that play call sheet, so just let 'er fly."

And Mueller, the grandson of CFL legend Ron Lancaster, lives by those words which were passed down to him by Lancaster and former fellow quarterback Danny McManus, who are both among the CFL's best quarterbacks all-time despite also being the top two leaders in all-time interceptions thrown.

"He was the ultimate gambler," Mueller said of his grandfather. "The key thing with quarterbacking that I was taught, and hopefully that we're living by here, is that once you catch the ball, there's no thinking -- you react.

"You've thought up until that time, and whatever your decision was at that time was the best decision. And whether it's really good or really bad, you learn, and then you try to make the best decision again, because you can't pull it back."

And that confidence that the quarterback and offensive coordinator have in each other is a big reason that the Roughriders have one of the strongest offences in the CFL and are off to a 10-2 start this year.

"It's easy to call plays when you have Trevor, because you know that no matter what happens, he'll make it the best it could possibly be," said Mueller, 36.

"He's always had a calm demeanour (and) an ability to laugh at himself," added Harris, 39, who is in his second season working with Mueller. "He makes football fun. He's hyper intelligent and he was willing to listen to me from the experience I've had from through the years.

"He's been very open and allowing me to kind of be myself within the structure of this offence and put his foot down in certain areas.

"We've grown together and he's helped me grow a lot as a player. And so, I can only hope that I've helped him a little bit along the way.

The Roughriders held a walk through on Tuesday as they returned to practice from the Banjo Bowl and a few starters were listed on the injury report.

Cornerbacks Tevaughn Campbell (head) and Marcus Sayles (leg) along with linebacker C.J. Reavis (leg) and fullback Albert Awachie (hand) were all non-participants after suiting up on Saturday while defensive backs Jaxon Ford (knee) and Nelson Lokombo (ankle), who missed last week, were also both not practising.

Campbell, Reavis and Awachie all finished the game for the Riders while Sayles, who was spectating Tuesday's walk through, left the game in the third quarter with an injury.

"(Sayles) is day-to-day," said Roughriders head coach Corey Mace. "That guy heals funny, man. He's like Wolverine. I don't understand. There's been weeks where I thought there was no shot, and then miraculously, he's good.

"I'm not counting that guy out until game day."

Meanwhile receiver Samuel Emilus, who is working his way back into the lineup from a knee injury, was limited.

The Roughriders will hold full practices Wednesday and Thursday before another walk through on Friday prior to Saturday's game.