The Saskatchewan Roughriders (5-1) visited B.C. Place Stadium on Saturday night against the B.C. Lions (3-4) for the second time this year. Saskatchewan got back wide receiver Samuel Emilus, who missed five weeks with a knee injury.
First Quarter:
In the first quarter, Saskatchewan running back A.J. Ouellette rushed for 15 yards to the 45-yard line. Two plays later, quarterback Trevor Harris threw a 10-yard pass to Dohnte Meyers. On the next play, Harris spotted Meyers blowing by two B.C. defenders and threw a deep shot pass to him for a 50-yard touchdown. The Roughriders led 7-0 with 9:39 left to cap off a five-play drive for 80 yards.
On the kickoff, B.C. returner Seven McGee returned the ball for 30 yards before Melique Straker punched the ball out, and it was recovered by Jayden Dalke on the 39-yard line. Running back A.J. Ouellette rushed for two yards to the 37-yard line, and that is as far as they got. Kicker Brett Lauther made a 45-yard field goal. The Roughriders extended their lead to 10-0 with 8:11 left.
B.C. quarterback Nathan Rourke completed a short pass to Keon Hatcher for 11 yards to the 51-yard line. They went two-and-out and punter Carl Meyer punted the ball 65 yards. The ball bounced into the endzone, and Saskatchewan returner Drae McCray conceded the single point. It was now 10-1 with 6:41 left.
Saskatchewan running back A.J. Ouellette had two carries for four yards, and quarterback Trevor Harris completed three passes for 59 yards to the seven-yard line. On the next play, Saskatchewan went with a play action. Harris moved to his right side, drawing B.C. defensive back Jalon Edwards-Cooper toward him. By allowing this, A.J. Oullette was alone and Harris threw the ball to him for the touchdown. Saskatchewan led B.C. 17-1 with 2:33 left to cap off a six-play drive for 70 yards.
Late in the first quarter, B.C.’s offense moved the ball to the 40-yard line. On the next play, Saskatchewan’s defense pressured Rourke. With the pocket quickly collapsing, Rourke escaped to his right side before throwing the ball to Ayden Eberhardt. Eberhardt fought off a couple of Saskatchewan defenders to score the 40-yard touchdown. The Lions trailed the Roughriders 17-8 heading into the second quarter.
Saskatchewan’s offense had 152 yards (126 yards passing, 26 yards rushing), and B.C.’s offense had 85 yards (59 yards passing, 26 yards rushing).
Second Quarter:
In the second quarter, Saskatchewan’s offense moved the ball to the 41-yard line. B.C.’s defense needed to make a play and they did just that. Quarterback Trevor Harris attempted to throw the ball to Samuel Emilus, but B.C. defensive back Ronald Kent Jr. extended his arms to make the interception on the five-yard line with 10:51 left. B.C.’s offense moved the ball to the 48-yard line before punting the ball back to Saskatchewan.
On the second play for Saskatchewan, quarterback Trevor Harris completed a pass to Samuel Emilus. Emilus ran for 66 yards to the 12-yard line. The Roughriders moved the ball to the eight-yard line. On third down, a procedure penalty on Saskatchewan backed them up to the 13-yard line. Kicker Brett Lauther made a 21-yard field goal for a 20-8 lead with 3:50 left.
B.C.’s offense moved the ball to the 35-yard line. A penalty backed them up five yards. Kicker Sean Whyte made a 47-yard field goal. The Lions trailed the Roughriders 20-11 with 1:07 left. Saskatchewan’s offense quickly moved the ball to the 33-yard line. Kicker Brett Lauther made a 41-yard field goal for a 23-11 lead at halftime.
First Half Stats:
Saskatchewan’s offense had 275 yards (234 yards passing, 41 yards rushing), 12 first downs, 1 for 2 in the redzone, and the team was penalized three times for 35 yards. Quarterback Trevor Harris completed 13 of 16 passes (81.3%) for 234 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception.
Running back A.J. Ouellette had eight carries for 36 yards. Wide receiver Samuel Emilus made two catches for 78 yards, and Dohnte Meyers made two catches for 60 yards and one touchdown. The defense made one tackle for loss, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
B.C.’s offense had 148 yards (112 yards passing, 36 yards rushing), 9 first downs, no redzone opportunities, and the team was penalized three times for 30 yards. Quarterback Nathan Rourke completed 9 of 15 passes (60%) for 112 yards and one touchdown.
Running back James Butler had seven carries for 23 yards. Wide receiver Ayden Eberhardt made three catches for 56 yards and one touchdown, while Stanley Berryhill III made two catches for 20 yards. The defense made one forced fumble and one interception.
Third Quarter:
Saskatchewan got the ball to start the third quarter from the 44-yard line. Quarterback Trevor Harris completed two passes for 29 yards, and running back A.J. Ouellette had a carry for seven yards to the 30-yard line.
On the next play, Harris spotted Dohnte Meyers wide-open and threw the ball to him for a 30-yard touchdown. B.C. defensive back Robert Carter slipped on the field, allowing Meyers to get wide open. The Roughriders led the Lions 30-11 with 12:16 left to cap off a four-play drive for 66 yards.
A scary scene unfolded for Saskatchewan. Trevor Harris tossed the ball to Ka’Deem Carey for a five-yard run. Carey was hit by Micah Awe and Jalon Edwards-Cooper on his right knee and he immediately grabbed it. A cart came out and trainers helped him off the field.
Saskatchewan’s offense moved the ball to the eight-yard line. Kicker Brett Lauther made his fourth field goal of the night for 16 yards. It was now 33-11 with 4:33 left.
Late in the third quarter, B.C.’s offense moved the ball to the 14-yard line. On third down, quarterback Nathan Rourke found wide receiver Stanley Berryhill III in the corner of the endzone and threw the ball to him for the touchdown.
They went for a two-point conversion. Rourke found a wide-open Stanley Berryhill III to get two points. The Lions trailed the Roughriders 33-19 heading into the fourth quarter to cap off a six-play drive for 70 yards.
Fourth Quarter:
In the fourth quarter, Saskatchewan appeared to have put the game away when Tevaughn Campbell intercepted Nathan Rourke for a 54-yard pick-six touchdown. The touchdown was wiped off the board after Saskatchewan was called for an offside penalty.
Late in the fourth quarter, Saskatchewan defensive back Marcus Sayles intercepted Nathan Rourke. He returned it for 11 yards to the 47-yard line. Saskatchewan’s offense could not put points on the board and punted the ball back to B.C with 1:25 left.
B.C.’s offense moved the ball the ball the four-yard line. On the next play, quarterback Nathan Rourke threw a four-yard touchdown pass to Ayden Eberhardt. James Butler scored the two-point conversions, and the Lions trailed the Roughriders 33-27 with 19 seconds left to cap off an eight-play drive for 89 yards.
B.C. attempted an onside kick, but Saskatchewan wide receiver KeeSean Johnson recovered it to end the game. The Roughriders defeated the Lions 33-27.
Final Stats:
Saskatchewan’s offense had 504 yards on offense (395 yards passing, 111 yards rushing, 2 yards lost), 23 first downs, 1 for 3 in the redzone, and the team was penalized six times for 67 yards. Quarterback Trevor Harris completed 23 of 30 passes (76%) for 395 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.
Running back A.J. Ouellette led the rushers with 15 carries for 72 yards. Wide receiver Dohnte Meyers led the receivers making seven catches for 132 yards and two touchdowns, while Samuel Emilus made two catches for 78 yards. The defense made 32 tackles, one tackle for loss, one sack, one interception, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
B.C. had 373 yards on offense (337 yards passing, 43 yards rushing, 7 yards lost), 23 first downs, 2 for 2 in the redzone, and the team was penalized four times for 35 yards. Quarterback Nathan Rourke completed 27 of 41 passes (65.8%) for 337 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.
Running back James Butler led the rushers with nine carries for 30 yards. Wide receiver Ayden Eberhardt led the receivers making six catches for 105 yards and two touchdowns, while Stanley Berryhill III made six catches for 59 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 45 tackles, one interception, and one forced fumble.
Next week, the Saskatchewan Roughriders host the Edmonton Elks on Friday at 9 pm on TSN and CFL+. The B.C. Lions host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats next Sunday at 7 pm on TSN and CFL+.
