The Saskatchewan Roughriders (4-0) hosted the B.C. Lions from Mosaic Stadium on Saturday night. It was the battle of the backup quarterbacks as Jake Maier got the start for Saskatchewan, and Jeremiah Masoli made his second start for the Lions.
First Quarter:
Saskatchewan got the ball to start the game. Saskatchewan running back A.J. Ouellette had three carries for 32 yards leading the offense to B.C.’s 21-yard line. A procedure penalty on Saskatchewan backed them up five yards. Kicker Brett Lauther made a 34-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead with 8:58 left.
B.C.’s offense was a non-factor in the first quarter. Late in the first quarter, Saskatchewan quarterback Jake Maier threw the ball high where wide receiver Joe Robustelli made the catch to keep both feet inbounds for 34 yards, and no one around him.
Had Maier thrown a better pass to Robustelli, it would’ve been a touchdown. Instead, kicker Brett Lauther made a 48-yard field goal for a 6-0 lead heading into the second quarter. Saskatchewan had 130 yards on offense (65 yards passing, 65 yards rushing), while B.C. had 26 yards on offense (19 yards passing, 7 yards rushing).
Second Quarter:
In the second quarter, Saskatchewan linebacker C.J. Reavis stripped James Butler of the football, and it was recovered by Lake Korte-Moore on their 53-yard line. The offense could not take advantage of it, going two-and-out.
After a quiet first quarter, B.C.’s offense finally moved the football. Running back James Butler led the way with three carries for 53 yards, plus quarterback Jeremiah Masoli threw two passes for 29 yards to Saskatchewan’s 15-yard line. On the next play, Masoli threw a quick strike to Keon Hatcher for a 15-yard touchdown. The Lions led the Roughriders 7-6 with 10:19 left to cap off a six-play drive for 97 yards.
Later in the second quarter, Saskatchewan kicker Brett Lauther made a 45-yard field goal to put them back up 9-7 with 1:01 left before halftime. With 32 seconds left, B.C. quarterback Jeremiah Masoli threw a 36-yard touchdown pass to Justin McInnis.
However, the touchdown was called back on an offside penalty. Three plays later, Masoli’s pass was intercepted by Tevaughn Campbell for an 87-yard pick-six touchdown. It was now 16-7 at halftime.
First Half Stats:
Saskatchewan had 147 yards on offense (65 yards passing, 91 yards rushing, 9 yards lost), 8 first downs, no redzone opportunities, and the team was penalized five times for 66 yards. Quarterback Jake Maier completed 5 of 10 passes (50%) for 65 yards.
Running back A.J. Ouellette had nine carries for 79 yards. Wide receiver Joe Robustelli made one catch for 34 yards, and KeeSean Johnson made two catches for 22 yards. The defense made one interception, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
B.C. had 196 yards on offense (97 yards passing, 99 yards rushing), 11 first downs, 1 for 1 in the redzone, and the team was penalized nine times for 70 yards. Quarterback Jeremiah Masoli completed 9 of 16 passes (56.3%) for 97 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and one carry for seven yards.
Running back James Butler had 11 carries for 92 yards, and wide receiver Keon Hatcher made two catches for 26 yards, and one touchdown. The defense made one tackle for loss, and three sacks.
Third Quarter:
Saskatchewan got the ball to start the third quarter. The offense moved the ball up to B.C.’s nine-yard line, where running back A.J. Ouellette rushed to his left to score the touchdown. Saskatchewan now led 22-7 with 7:09 left to cap off a 10-play drive for 69 yards in over seven minutes.
Late in the third quarter, Saskatchewan punter Joe Couch punted the ball 77 yards into the endzone, where B.C. returner Phillip Brooks III conceded the single point. It was now 23-7 with 3:31 left.
B.C. quarterback Jeremiah Masoli threw four passes for 67 yards to get them to Saskatchewan’s three-yard line. Running back James Butler rushed for two yards to the one-yard, but a procedure penalty on B.C. backed them five yards and stalled the drive. Kicker Sean Whyte made a 13-yard field goal, and B.C. trailed Saskatchewan 23-10 heading into the fourth quarter.
Fourth Quarter:
In the fourth quarter, Saskatchewan punter Joe Couch punted the ball 74 yards into the endzone, where Phillip Brooks III conceded another single point. It was now 24-10 with 13:50 left.
Saskatchewan’s defense took over. With 6:31 left, B.C. quarterback Jeremiah Masoli’s pass was tipped by A.J. Allen and intercepted by Rolan Milligan Jr. for a 41-yard return to B.C.’s 11-yard line. Running back A.J. Ouellette had two carries for eight yards, followed by kicker Brett Lauther making an 11-yard field goal for a 27-10 lead with 4:34 left.
Next, B.C. quarterback Jeremiah Masoli’s pass was intercepted by Antoine Brooks Jr. on B.C.’s 44-yard line. After running back A.J. Oullette rushed for two yards, quarterback Jake Maier threw a pass right into the hands of Dhel Duncan-Busby for a 42-yard touchdown. It was now 34-10 with 2:52 left to cap off a two-play drive for 44 yards. The Roughriders scored 17 points off of turnovers.
B.C. replaced Masoli with Chase Brice. The offense gained 30 yards plus two Saskatchewan penalties placed the ball on Saskatchewan’s three-yard line. Running back James Butler rushed up the middle for the touchdown. They got the two-point conversion and it was now 34-18 with 2:09 left to cap off a six-play drive for 49 yards.
B.C. tried the onside kick but Saskatchewan recovered it on B.C.’s 48-yard line. Tommy Stevens was now in at quarterback for Saskatchewan. They moved the ball up to B.C.’s 17-yard line. Kicker Brett Lauther made his fifth field goal of the night for 25 yards, and the Saskatchewan Roughriders defeated the B.C. Lions by the final score of 37-18. For the second season in a row, Saskatchewan starts the season 4-0.
Final Stats:
Saskatchewan had 349 yards on offense (170 yards passing, 188 yards rushing, 9 yards lost), 19 first downs, 1 for 3 in the redzone, and the team was penalized 10 times for 136 yards. Quarterback Jake Maier completed 13 of 23 passes (57%) for 170 yards, and one touchdown.
Running back A.J. Ouellette had 23 carries for 139 yards, and one touchdown. Wide receiver KeeSean Johnson led the receivers making four catches for 53 yards, while Dhel Duncan-Busby made two catches for 40 yards, and one touchdown. The defense made 32 tackles, one tackle for loss, three interceptions, one touchdown, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
B.C. had 332 yards on offense (202 yards passing, 130 yards rushing), 18 first downs, 2 for 3 in the redzone, and the team was penalized 14 times for 125 yards. Quarterback Jeremiah Masoli completed 16 of 29 passes (55.2%) for 173 yards, one touchdown, three interceptions, and one carry for seven yards.
Backup quarterback Chase Brice completed 3 of 4 passes (75%) for 29 yards. Running back James Butler had 17 carries for 123 yards, one touchdown, and four catches for 26 yards. Wide receiver Ayden Eberhardt led the receivers making four catches for 65 yards, while Keon Hatcher made three catches for 44 yards, and one touchdown. The defense made 49 tackles, two tackles for loss, and three sacks.
Next week, the B.C. Lions visit the Montreal Alouettes on Friday at 7 pm on TSN/CTV, CBS Sports Network, and CFL+. The Saskatchewan Roughriders are on a bye week.
