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One of the biggest holes that the Saskatchewan Roughriders had to fill coming into the season was the middle linebacker spot after the retirement of Rey Williams and Mike McCullough.

They thought they had their replacement, but that changed during the final preseason game last week.

Chad Kilgore had won the starting middle linebacker spot and looked like a solid addition to the Riders defence. That was until he broke his thumb against Edmonton and went on the six-game injured list.

Now it will be up to third-year Canadian Sam Hurl to fill that void left first byWilliams and McCullough, and now Kilgore.

“I'm prepared, I'm ready to go for this,” said Hurl earlier this week after practice. “I'm ready to step in there and play and dominate.”

The University of Calgary product has been waiting for this opportunity since being drafted by the Riders with the 12th overall pick in the 2012 CFL Draft.

“It's good that they have the confidence in me,” said Hurl. “I'm excited to go out there, it's going to be something new for me, but I'm looking forward to the challenge.”

Hurl was a breakout star during his rookie season, but battled injuries last year. He doesn't feel last year has effected his progress and hopes to hit the ground running during the season opener on Sunday against Hamilton.

“I only played in seven games last year, so I definitely lost some experience there, but I'm not worried about that, I was able to stay in the film room and still learn from Mike McCullough, Rey (Williams), Diamond Ferri, (Craig) Butler and all those guys, so I was still able to mentally prepare myself for this year.”

Hurl said having a veteran like McCullough around for his first two season has played a huge role in him being confident that he can do the job in the middle of the defence.

“He was a great mentor for me, he taught me a lot,” said Hurl. “I can definitely still give Mike a call and we talk quite a bit. He actually called me the moment he heard that I might be getting this opportunity, so he's definitely a guy that I can go to and talk to and get advice from.”

Hurl won't be the only “new” linebacker on the field on Sunday against Hamilton as Brian Peters will be working as the will linebacker spot. He's also looking forward to the opportunity.

“I'm stoked for it,” said Peters. “I went through the practice roster and all that stuff last year and played special (teams), and now I've got a seat at the table and I've very excited about the opportunity and very hungry for the opportunity.”

Peters had two defensive tackles and 16 special teams tackles for the Riders as he played in 11 regular season games after spending the first seven weeks on the practice roster. He was in the lineup throughout the run to the Grey Cup as well.

“I had a good transition year last year,” said Peters. “The will and the mack here are very interchangeable, so a lot of the jobs and responsibilities kind of just come naturally because it's just dropping off certain receivers and finding your gaps.”

Despite the limited experience for the two linebackers that will be in the opening day starting lineup, the Riders are confident that both will be able to fill the roles and help the defence overcome some offseason losses.

“It's going to be a learning process for those guys, we expect some mistakes here or there,” said head coach Corey Chamblin. “We want to make that we sure we keep it simple for them, make sure they know exactly what they're supposed to be doing and play fast.”

The Riders will open the regular season on Sunday with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Mosaic Stadium. Kick-off is at 5:00pm.