Saskatoon Hilltops suffer rare season opening loss in Winnipeg

WATCH: The Saskatoon Hilltops face Winnipeg on Sunday, bringing Roughriders experience to the field.

The Saskatoon Hilltops rarely find themselves on the wrong side of the scoreboard.

But on Sunday, the Toppers dropped their season opener 31 - 11 to the Winnipeg Rifles in the Manitoba capital.

The Rifles controlled much of game, with quarterback Riley Element passing for 215 yards and three touchdowns, while the defence had two interceptions and a forced fumble.

Jarome Penner and Jalen McDonald each had touchdown receptions, while Kaiden Banfield notched one major on the ground for Winnipeg.

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Meanwhile, the Hilltops struggled to find their footing on both sides of the ball, being held to only 170 yards net offence, while committing 127 yards in penalties.

The Rifles struck early and often, controlling the clock and field position, and taking a 27-4 lead into the locker room at half time.

The Hilltops were unable to muster a comeback in the second half, as their normally high-powered running game was held mostly in check, gaining 121 yards on the ground.

Corbin Ebben ran for 43 yards while David Collins notched 61 in a spirited effort against a tough Winnipeg defence.

Isaiah Valldererruten led the way receiving for Saskatoon, with two catches for 43 yards and a touchdown.

Hayden McMahon saw the bulk of the action as quarterback for the Hilltops, throwing for 81 yards and one touchdown with one interception.

It’s the Hilltops first regular season loss since 2022, which was also the last season they lost to the Winnipeg Rifles.

The last time the Hilltops lost their season opener was in 2014 when they fell to the Regina Thunder at Mosaic Stadium.

Saskatoon will try and get things back on track this weekend when they return home to SMF Field on Sunday to face the Edmonton Huskies, a team also hoping to rebound.

The Huskies dropped their opener 37-16 to the Regina Thunder on the weekend.

Kickoff for the Hilltops home opener is 1:00PM on Sunday at SMF field.