The B.C. Lions (11-4) hosted the Saskatchewan Roughriders (6-9) on Friday night from B.C. Place Stadium for the third and final meeting of the season. The two teams have beaten each other in their own stadiums and that trend continued on Friday night.
In the first quarter, B.C. quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. completed a 46-yard pass to Jevon Cottoy before he was pushed out of bounds at the Roughriders’ six-yard line. The drive would lead to a Sean Whyte 13-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead with 11:43 left.
Later in the first quarter, Saskatchewan punter Adam Korsak punted the ball 67 yards into the endzone and out of the bounds for a single point. It was now 3-1 Lions with 5:54 left of the first quarter. Late in the first quarter, B.C. kicker Sean Whyte made a 29-yard field goal for a 6-1 lead with 2:20 left.
On the last play of the first quarter, B.C. quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. completed a 23-yard pass to Dominique Rhymes before he was tackled on the Roughriders’ 43-yard line. The Lions led 6-1 at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, B.C. kicker Sean Whyte kicked a 46-yard field goal for a 9-1 lead with 13:28 left. Later in the second quarter, B.C. defensive back Gary Peters made a nice interception but the Lions could not turn it into points. On the second play for Saskatchewan, quarterback Jake Dolegala threw a 20-yard pass to Frankie Hickson before he was tackled on their 35-yard line.
Six plays later, backup quarterback Antonio Pipkin leaped over the offensive line to score a one-yard touchdown which made it 9-8 B.C. with 3:48 left. Next, the two teams would trade field goals. First, B.C. kicker Sean Whyte made a 50-yard field goal for a 12-8 lead with 2:14 left, followed by Saskatchewan kicker Brett Lauther making a 48-yard field goal. It was now 12-11 B.C. with 58 seconds left. Just before halftime, B.C. quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. fired the ball up the middle to Keon Hatcher for a 34-yard touchdown which made it 19-11 at halftime.
B.C. had 245 yards on offense. Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. completed 17 of 24 passes (70.8%) for 276 yards and one touchdown. Running back Taquan Mizzell had four carries for 26 yards and two catches for 13 yards. Wide receiver Keon Hatcher made eight catches for 148 yards, and one touchdown. The Lions’ defense made two sacks and one interception.
Saskatchewan had 168 yards on offense. Quarterback Jake Dolegala completed 12 of 18 passes (66%) for 167 yards, and one interception. Running back Frankie Hickson had five carries for seven yards and two catches for 33 yards. Wide receiver Shawn Bane Jr. made three catches for 49 yards, and the Roughriders’ defense made three sacks.
In the second half, both teams dominated one quarter starting with the Lions. In the third quarter, B.C. quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. took advantage of the Roughriders blown coverage throwing a 71-yard touchdown to Alexander Hollins for a 26-11 lead with 7:04 left. The two would connect again with 35 seconds left this time for a five-yard touchdown. The Lions led 33-11 with one quarter left to play.
In the fourth quarter, Saskatchewan’s offense moved the ball down the field to the Lions’ 24-yard line but kicker Brett Lauther missed a 32-yard field goal wide left. However, he did pick up a single point which made it 33-12 with 12:02 left of the game.
Later, Saskatchewan quarterback Jake Dolegala threw two passes for 29 yards, including a 23-yard pass to Samuel Emilus. The drive would end when Dolegala’s pass was intercepted by T.J. Lee. Luckily, Saskatchewan’s defense stopped them to force a punt.
Late in the fourth quarter, Saskatchewan running back Thomas Bertrand-Hudon scored a two-yard touchdown which made it 33-19 with 1:19 left. Next, the Roughriders recovered an onside kick. They took advantage of it when Thomas Bertrand-Hudon scored another two-yard touchdown. It was now 33-26 with 10 seconds left.
Unfortunately, the Roughriders were not lucky enough to win another onside kick and the Lions went into victory formation. The B.C. Lions defeated the Saskatchewan Roughriders by the final score of 33-26. With the win, the Lions remain tied for first place with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, who go against each other next week and clinched a home playoff game.
B.C. had 503 yards on offense. Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. completed 27 of 36 passes (75%) for 458 yards, three touchdowns, and one carry for 13 yards. Adams eclipsed the 4,000-yard passing mark for the season. Running back Taquan Mizzell had ten carries for 38 yards and four catches for 25 yards.
Wide receiver Keon Hatcher led the receivers with 10 catches for 172 yards and one touchdown. B.C.’s defense made 49 tackles, three sacks, and two interceptions.
Saskatchewan has now lost four consecutive games. However, they still hold the final playoff spot in the West Division. Saskatchewan had 427 yards on offense. Quarterback Jake Dolegala completed 31 of 46 passes (67.4%) for 409 yards, two interceptions, and two carries for four yards.
Running back Frankie Hickson had ten carries for 22 yards and two catches for 33 yards. Wide receiver Kian Schaffer-Baker had nine catches for 104 yards, and the Roughriders’ defense made 42 tackles and four sacks.
Next Friday, the B.C. Lions host the Winnipeg Blue Bombers with first place on the line at 10 pm on CFL+, while the Saskatchewan Roughriders host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Saturday at 7 pm on CFL+. Subscribe to Fubo to watch all of the 2023 CFL Season. Purchase CFL tickets today on StubHub and Viagogo.
