REGINA, Saskatchewan &045; In this Canadian city, folks like their Roughrider football a certain way: lots of passing, plenty of offense and a run at the championship.

Corvin Johnson can live with expectations like that.

Late last week the former Alcorn wide receiver signed a free agent deal with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the CFL. Since then he’s reported to camp and will suit up in the Riders’ preseason opener Saturday at home against Edmonton, the team that eliminated them from the playoffs last season.

Johnson is the only player so far from Alcorn’s 2003 team to sign a pro contract. Defensive tackle Bryan Williams attended a tryout camp with the Dallas Cowboys but didn’t sign.

&uot;That’s what I’ve been shooting for my whole life,&uot; said Johnson, a native of Tuskegee, Ala. &uot;I was hoping I could have went to the NFL, but it didn’t work out. I’ve got another chance. There are plenty of people who would love to be in my shoes. I kind of look at it as a blessing.&uot;

Apparently the feeling is mutual with the club. The Riders, who can throw it a ton and can line up as many as six wides, like the acquisition of Johnson, as he is one of 15 receivers competing for nine spots on the roster before the start of the regular season June 15 at Toronto.

The Riders, who are believed to be the only professional team to have both a black head coach and black general manager, like the addition of the 5-11, 180-pound Johnson.

&uot;This is a great signing for our offense,&uot; head coach Danny Barrett said. &uot;We will look for Corvin to add speed and quickness to our club and apply strong pressure on opposing defenses.&uot;

The road to pro football may have been a bumpy one for Johnson, who played last year on The Reservation as a junior but got snubbed by the NCAA for a senior season. Johnson, who transferred to Alcorn from Division II Tuskegee, had played too many games as a true freshman to be granted a red-shirt that season.

Johnson finished his second year with the Braves as the team leader in catches (50), receiving yards (749) and touchdowns (eight) and finished his two-year stint with 1,082 yards rushing and 77 catches for 10 touchdowns.

After going through the NFL draft in April sans interest, Johnson had his agent lineup tryout camps with the Riders and Calgary for a spot in the CFL, which held its six-round draft April 28.

CFL rules allow teams to carry up to 18 Americans, and Johnson’s agent with Athletes Group, LLC tried to find a vacancy.

&uot;I had a workout for (Saskatchewan), and they called me the next day,&uot; Johnson said. &uot;They said they wanted to invite me to camp. I tried out for Calgary, and Calgary wanted to bring me in camp. I chose Saskatchewan because they have an opportunity of making the playoffs. That’s what everybody shoots for &045; that’s extra money into your contract. I probably could have had a better chance of getting playing time with Calgary because they’re kind of in a rebuilding mode.&uot;

The Riders have 15 receivers competing for those nine rosters spots, but they have five returners from last year. That leaves eight players competing for four spots before the start of the regular season.

&uot;Corvin is a threat after catching the ball and is the definition of a playmaker,&uot; said John Holmes, president of Athletes Group LLC. &uot;He’s technically sound, has great hands and is a tremendous athlete.&uot;

Johnson developed into a reliable receiver both years he played for the Braves, particularly his second, when the team lost speedy Kris Peters after the 2002 season. The Braves went to him a bunch early before developing deep threats with freshmen Charlie Spiller and Nate Hughes.

All the while there was Johnson, a sure-handed guy who made plays.

&uot;I’m in the mix of things,&uot; Johnson said. &uot;Things are looking good. I made the first cut. They like the way I catch and catch with my hands, and I’ve got good speed. My downfall is making that transition from college to pro football. Everything is a business.

&uot;They’re not here to be friends or anything like that. They’re not going to play favorites. They’re going to play the best guys. That’s the biggest transition &045; being more professional.&uot;

At the same time Johnson is getting a crash course in life outside of the United States and a different brand of football. CFL rules call for bigger fields, forward motion on offense, a 20-second play clock and 12 men on each side of the ball.

Former Clemson star Nealon Greene is the starting quarterback, and he’s accompanied by former Mississippi Valley star Corey Holmes at running back.

&uot;It’s cold &045; we had snow flurries (Sunday),&uot; Johnson said. &uot;We pass it a lot, and the game speeds up. It’s totally different. It’s really kind of hard making the transition from American football to Canadian. They love football here. Every game will be a sellout crowd, and a majority of them are season tickets. We’ll have a packed house every game.&uot;