Drew Willy under centre with the Riders during the Labour Day Classic. (photo courtesy of riderville.com)

The most popular player on a football team is usually the backup quarterback and that appears to be the case with this year's Saskatchewan Roughriders as fans have been calling for the team to "Free Willy" all season.

The Roughriders are back on the practice field on Wednesday at Mosaic Stadium for the first time since extending their winning streak to two games in Winnipeg over the weekend.

A big part of the Riders' 25-24 win over the Blue Bombers was the ability of backup quarterback Drew Willy to come in after Darian Durant went down with a hip flexor injury in the second quarter.

Willy threw for 188 yards and drove the Green & White into position for the game winning field goal when he got the ball with just 28 seconds to play, all the while increasing the calls for the first-year pivot to see the field more often.

Head coach Corey Chamblin says played well in his first extend action, "He's very poised young man and he's a professional.  He came in during crunch time and won the game for us, so I'm proud of him.

"He's so even keel that it's ridiculous," added Chamblin.  "He's one of those quarterbacks that I think he's made to play quarterback to where not a lot bugs him.  He threw an interception, he came off and he was said, 'I got it', so he's a very professional and mature man for his age.

"He leads with his play, he also talks, but just being even keel like that is definitely a blessing that he has, not everybody can handle pressure the way that he does."

Chamblin says that the 25-year-old quarterback has been benefiting from the wealth of experience around him, including: former league Most Outstanding Player Khari Jones, the Riders QB coach, offensive coordinator Bob Dyce, Durant, and 33-year-old third stringer J.T. O'Sullivan.

"That's good experience for him and he's soaking him up, so I look forward to him playing for a while."

Durant is expected to be ready to go for Sunday in Montreal, but the Riders appear to be in good hands if the star can't play.

Click here for more on Saskatchewan's team throughout the season.