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There was some skepticism about the offensive line heading into the season — with second-year CFLer Mark Korte at left tackle completing the all Canadian look. But they didn’t allow a sack Saturday and created some gaping holes for Madu to scamper through. It’s just one week, though. There were mistakes made, things that will need to be patched up as the season goes along.

“I really liked our offensive line in training camp,” said Redblacks coach Rick Campbell. “It is a big deal to be able to run the ball, it slows the defence down and it wears them down.”

“I would say it’s never as good as you think and it’s never as bad as you think,” said MacMillan. “We definitely have a ton of room for improvement. The thing with this group and this O-line specifically is everybody’s on the same page. We’re still getting used to playing with each other, we’re still working on chemistry and all that stuff — that just takes time. We set the bar fairly high, but we have to keep pushing it.

“We’ve all been here for at least two years. I’ve had the chance to be around some good players like SirV (SirVincent Rogers, now in Edmonton) — 2015 stands out as a really good line. Every year you have to figure out an identity; this has a chance to be a unique group, we complement each other and I think we play well as a unit.”

The Saskatchewan Roughriders, who will line up on the other side of the ball in Ottawa’s home-opener Thursday night, will provide a bigger test than the Stampeders defensively. While Calgary has plugged in several new starters after losing some key veterans to free agency, plus Alex Singleton to the NFL, the Roughriders are locked and loaded on that side of the ball. Calgary’s defensive line has A.C. Leonard (who fell out of favour in Ottawa, and was benched for the Grey Cup last season), Charleston Hughes, Micah Johnson and former Redblack Zack Evans. That’s about as good as it gets.