The Saskatchewan Roughriders (8-1) hosted the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (6-4) on Saturday afternoon from Mosaic Stadium. The Roughriders did not have wide receivers Mario Alford (hip) and Shawn Bane Jr. (knee) again. This was a matchup of two first-place teams.
First Quarter:
Hamilton’s offense started on the 43-yard line. Running back Greg Bell made one catch for 18 yards. On the next play, Bo Levi Mitchell’s pass intended for Kenny Lawler was incomplete. However, a defensive pass interference penalty on Saskatchewan gave them 24 yards on the 24-yard line.
Greg Bell had two carries for 17 yards, and Bo Levi Mitchell rushed for four yards to the four-yard line. On third down, kicker Marc Liegghio made an 11-yard field goal to put the Tiger-Cats up 3-0 with 10:17 left.
Later, Saskatchewan’s offense moved the ball to the 48-yard line. On the next play, quarterback Trevor Harris’s pass intended for KeeSean Johnson was intercepted by Destin Talbert on the 41-yard line.
Hamilton quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell threw two passes for 38 yards, and running back Greg Bell rushed for 12 yards to the 19-yard line. On the next play, Mitchell was sacked by Mike Rose for a four-yard loss, stalling the drive. Kicker Marc Liegghio made a 21-yard field goal. Hamilton extended their lead to 6-0 with 5:07 left.
Saskatchewan’s offense started on the 52-yard line. Running back A.J. Ouellette had two carries for eight yards, and quarterback Trevor Harris threw four passes for 42 yards to the 20-yard line. The drive stalled, and kicker Brett Lauther missed a 28-yard field goal wide right. The ball sailed out of bounds for a single point. It was now 6-1 with 29 seconds.
Hamilton quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell rushed for five yards to the 45-yard line to end the first quarter. They faced third down to begin the second quarter leading 6-1.
Hamilton’s offense had 100 yards (66 yards passing, 38 yards rushing, 4 yards lost), and Saskatchewan’s offense had 76 yards (59 yards passing, 17 yards rushing).
Second Quarter:
In the second quarter, Saskatchewan’s offense was on the 52-yard line. Quarterback Trevor Harris threw a pass to Dohnte Meyers for a 58-yard touchdown. Meyers made a double move on Hamilton defensive back Jonthan Moxey to get wide open for the touchdown. A.J. Ouellette scored the two-point conversion, and the Roughriders led the Tiger-Cats 9-6 with 10:24 left.
For the majority of the second quarter, it was all defense. Hamilton defensive lineman Philip Ossai sacked Trevor Harris, and Saskatchewan defensive linemen Micah Johnson and Caleb Sanders sacked Mitchell.
Late in the second quarter, Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris’s pass was intended for Joe Robustelli. However, the Roughriders challenged the play for defensive pass interference and won. The ball was placed on the 46-yard line.
Running backs A.J. Ouellette rushed for 17 yards, and Mario Anderson rushed for three yards to the 26-yard line. On the next play, Harris threw the ball right into the hands of Tommy Nield for the touchdown. The Roughriders extended their lead to 16-6 with 1:05 left.
With nine seconds left and on third down, Saskatchewan defensive lineman Shane Ray sacked Bo Levi Mitchell for a 16-yard loss on the 51-yard line. Saskatchewan kicker Brett Lauther made a 59-yard field goal, and the Roughriders led the Tiger-Cats 19-6 at halftime.
First Half Stats:
Saskatchewan’s offense had 182 yards (147 yards passing, 40 yards rushing, 5 yards lost), 8 first downs, no redzone opportunities, and the team was penalized three times for 44 yards. Quarterback Trevor Harris completed 8 of 12 passes (66%) for 147 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception.
Running back A.J. Ouellette had seven carries for 37 yards. Wide receiver Dhonte Meyers made three catches for 76 yards, one touchdown, while Tommy Nield made two catches for 30 yards, and one touchdown. The Defense made four sacks.
Hamilton’s offense had 163 yards (131 yards passing, 68 yards rushing, 36 yards lost), 12 first downs, 0 for 2 in the redzone, and the team was penalized five times for 64 yards. Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell completed 10 of 14 passes (71.4%) for 131 yards and three carries for 16 yards.
Running back Greg Bell had nine carries for 50 yards and four catches for 47 yards. Wide receiver Kenny Lawler made two catches for 38 yards, and Jevoni Robinson made two catches for 30 yards. The defense made one sack and one interception.
Third Quarter:
In the third quarter, Hamilton had the ball on the 40-yard line. On the second play, quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell’s pass intended for Shemar Bridges was short and intercepted by Tevaughn Campbell on the 40-yard line. Hamilton challenged for roughing the passer but lost the challenge.
Saskatchewan’s offense moved the ball to the 34-yard line before the drive stalled. Kicker Brett Lauther missed a 42-yard field goal wide right. Hamilton returner Quavian White took a knee in the endzone to give up the single point. The Roughriders led the Tiger-Cats 20-6 with 9:53 left.
Later, Hamilton’s offense moved the ball to the 22-yard line. On the next play, quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell’s pass was intercepted in the endzone by Rolan Milligan Jr. He returned it for 20 yards to the 20-yard line.
Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris threw five passes for 35 yards, and running back A.J. Ouellette had three carries for 15 yards, leading the offense to the 15-yard line. On the next play, Harris found Joe Robustelli wide-open for the touchdown.
They went for a two-point conversion, but did not get it. The Roughriders led the Tiger-Cats 26-6 with 31 seconds left to cap off an 11-play drive for 90 yards. Hamilton quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell threw two passes for 18 yards to end the third quarter.
Fourth Quarter:
Hamilton’s offense moved the ball to the 26-yard line. Saskatchewan linebacker A.J. Allen sacked Mitchell for a nine-yard loss. It was Saskatchewan’s fifth sack of the afternoon. Kicker Marc Liegghio made a 38-yard field goal. The Tiger-Cats trailed the Roughriders 26-9 with 11:46 left.
Saskatchewan’s offense was on the 55-yard line. Trevor Harris threw one pass for 16 yards, and A.J. Ouellette had two carries for 16 yards to the 38-yard line. The drive stalled, and kicker Brett Lauther missed a 46-yard field goal.
Late in the game, Trevor Harris was taken out of the game for concussion protocol. Jake Maier and Tommy Stevens finished the game. The offense moved the ball to the six-yard line before kicker Brett Lauther made a 14-yard field goal. The Roughriders defeated the Tiger-Cats 29-9.
Final Stats:
Saskatchewan’s offense had 402 yards (300 yards passing, 107 yards rushing, 5 yards lost), 20 first downs, 1 for 2 in the redzone, and the team was penalized five times for 64 yards. Quarterback Trevor Harris completed 19 of 25 passes (76%) for 268 yards, three touchdowns, one interception, and one carry for nine yards.
Running back A.J. Ouellette had 17 carries for 84 yards. Wide receiver Dohnte Meyers made three catches for 76 yards and one touchdown, while Tommy Nield made four catches for 39 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 41 tackles, two forced fumbles, six sacks, and two interceptions.
Hamilton’s offense had 255 yards (206 yards passing, 96 yards rushing, 47 yards lost), 18 first downs, 0 for 2 in the redzone, and the team was penalized seven times for 79 yards. Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell completed 16 of 31 passes (51.6%) for 201 yards, two interceptions, and four carries for 26 yards.
Running back Greg Bell had 10 carries for 55 yards and five catches for 52 yards. Wide receiver Kenny Lawler made three catches for 62 yards, and Shemar Bridges made four catches for 35 yards. The defense made 45 tackles, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, one sack, and one interception.
Next week, the Saskatchewan Roughriders visit the Calgary Stampeders on Saturday at 7 pm on TSN and CFL+. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are on a bye week.
