The Saskatchewan Roughriders (12-4) hosted the Toronto Argonauts (5-12) on Friday night from Mosaic Stadium. The Argonauts started Jarret Doege at quarterback as Nick Arbuckle (Arm) was shut down for the season. Toronto’s linebacker Wynton McManis (Groin) was also shut down for the season.
For Saskatchewan, they were missing a few players, including wide receiver Dohnte Meyers (Ankle), and defensive backs Nelson Lokombo (Ankle), Rolan Milligan Jr. (Foot/Knee), Tevaughn Campbell (Head), and Jaxson Ford (Knee).
First Quarter:
Toronto got the ball to start the game on the 46-yard line. Quarterback Jarret Doege completed a 10-yard pass to Jake Herslow to the 54-yard line. The drive stalled, and punter John Haggerty punted the ball 74 yards. The ball bounced into the endzone before Saskatchewan returner Mario Alford conceded the single point. Toronto led 1-0 with 13:45 left.
Saskatchewan started its first possession on the 40-yard line. Quarterback Trevor Harris began the drive by throwing two passes for 54 yards, including a 50-yarder to Samuel Emilus to the 16-yard line.
After running back A.J. Ouellette rushed for four yards, Harris completed a short pass to Joe Robustelli. He broke a tackle on his way to scoring a 12-yard touchdown. They attempted a two-point conversion, but Joe Robustelli dropped the ball in the end zone. The Roughriders led the Argonauts 6-1 with 10:22 left to cap off a four-play drive for 70 yards.
Later, Toronto quarterback Jarret Doege completed a 10-yard pass to Jake Herslow, and running back Spencer Brown lost a yard as the drive stalled on the 47-yard line. Kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made a 54-yard field goal. The Argonauts trailed the Roughriders 6-4 with 4:41 left.
Late in the first quarter, Toronto’s offense moved the ball to the 42-yard line. The drive stalled, and punter John Haggerty punted the ball 57 yards to Mario Alford. Alford returned it for 14 yards to the 25-yard line to end the first quarter with a 6-4 lead.
Saskatchewan’s offense had 76 yards (66 yards passing, 10 yards rushing), and Toronto’s offense had 67 yards (61 yards passing, 6 yards rushing).
Second Quarter:
In the second quarter, Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris started the drive by throwing four straight passes for 47 yards to the 38-yard line. Running back A.J. Ouellette rushed for three yards, and Harris threw a six-yard pass to Dhel Duncan-Busby to the 29-yard line. Kicker Brett Lauther made a 37-yard field goal for a 9-4 lead with 10:50 left.
Later, Trevor Harris completed three passes for 50 yards, including a 44-yarder to Joe Robustelli. They made it to the 29-yard line before kicker Brett Lauther made a 37-yard field goal to extend their lead to 12-4 with 5:17 left.
Late in the second quarter, Saskatchewan’s offense moved the ball to the 36-yard line before kicker Brett Lauther made a 44-yard field goal for a 15-4 lead. With under a minute left, Toronto backup quarterback Tucker Horn completed four passes for 35 yards to the three-yard line. Kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made a 20-yard field goal. The Argonauts trailed the Roughriders 15-7 at halftime.
First Half Stats:
Saskatchewan’s offense had 236 yards (215 yards passing, 22 yards rushing, 1 yard lost), 8 first downs, 1 for 1 in the redzone, and the team was penalized three times for 35 yards. Quarterback Trevor Harris completed 15 of 18 passes (83%) for 215 yards and one touchdown.
Running back A.J. Ouellette had six carries for 22 yards. Wide receiver Samuel Emilus made five catches for 98 yards, while Joe Robustelli made three catches for 62 yards and one touchdown. The defense made two tackles for loss.
Toronto’s offense had 140 yards (111 yards passing, 29 yards rushing), 6 first downs, 0 for 1 in the redzone, and the team was penalized six times for 68 yards. Quarterback Jarret Doege completed 8 of 11 passes (72%) for 76 yards.
Backup quarterback Tucker Horn completed 4 of 5 passes (80%) for 35 yards. Running back Spencer Brown had eight carries for 29 yards. Wide receiver Dejon Brissett made two catches for 24 yards, while Jake Herslow made two catches for 20 yards.
Third Quarter:
Saskatchewan linebacker A.J. Allen started the third quarter by sacking Jarret Doege for a three-yard loss. The Argonauts went two-and-out. Saskatchewan’s offense had the ball on the 25-yard line. Toronto’s defense made a play when linebacker Aaron Casey punched the ball out of A.J. Ouellette’s arm and recovered it on the 30-yard line.
Toronto’s offense quickly got on the board when quarterback Jarret Doege threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Dejon Brissett. They attempted a two-point conversion. Doege’s pass intended for Brissett was broken up by Saskatchewan defensive back Benny Sapp III. The Argonauts trailed the Roughriders 15-13 with 11:55 left.
Saskatchewan’s offense had the ball on the 38-yard line. Running back Thomas Bertrand-Hudon started the drive with two carries for 16 yards to the 54-yard line. Hudon would get an extra carry for 10 yards, and Trevor Harris threw two passes for 33 yards to the 13-yard line. On the next play, Harris threw a touchdown pass to Tommy Nield. They attempted to go for a two-point conversion. Harris completed the pass to Joe Robustelli, but he was short of the endzone. The Roughriders led 21-13 with 7:57 left to cap off a six-play drive for 72 yards.
Toronto quarterback Jarret Doege started the next drive by completing two passes for 43 yards to the 45-yard line. The offense moved the ball to the 31-yard line before kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made a 38-yard field goal. Toronto trailed Saskatchewan 21-16 with 3:45 left.
Late in the third quarter, Saskatchewan had the ball on the 40-yard line. Running back A.J. Ouellette led the way with three carries for 19 yards. The offense moved the ball to the 14-yard line to end the third quarter up 21-16.
Fourth Quarter:
Saskatchewan kicker Brett Lauther started the fourth quarter by kicking a 22-yard field goal for a 24-16 lead with 14:47 left. It was Lauther’s fourth field goal of the night.
Toronto quarterback Jarret Doege completed four passes for 36 yards to the 34-yard line before the drive stalled. Kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made a 41-yard field goal. The Argonauts trailed the Roughriders 24-19 with 11:58 left.
For the majority of the fourth quarter, both defenses held their own. Toronto’s defense sacked Trevor Harris twice. They were Branden Dozier and Isaac Darkangelo. For Dozier, it was his fifth sack of the season.
Late in the game, Saskatchewan kicker Brett Lauther made a 22-yard field goal to give them a 27-19 lead with 1:07 left. Saskatchewan’s defense put the game away when A.J. Allen intercepted Jarret Doege’s pass on the 49-yard line. The Roughriders defeated the Argonauts 27-19 to win the West Division.
Final Stats:
Saskatchewan’s offense had 431 yards (340 yards passing, 105 yards rushing, 14 yards lost), 18 first downs, 2 for 4 in the redzone, and the team was penalized seven times for 70 yards. Quarterback Trevor Harris completed 23 of 29 passes (79.3%) for 340 yards and two touchdowns.
Running back A.J. Ouellette had 15 carries for 69 yards and two catches for seven yards. Wide receiver Samuel Emilus made six catches for 142 yards, while Joe Robustelli made five catches for 75 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 35 tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack, one interception, and one turnover on downs. Kicker Brett Lauther had a nice rebound, going 5 for 5 in field goals with a long of 55 yards.
Toronto’s offense had 283 yards (256 yards passing, 30 yards rushing, 3 yards lost), 14 first downs, 0 for 1 in the redzone, and the team was penalized 11 times for 118 yards. Quarterback Jarret Doege completed 20 of 31 passes (64,5%) for 221 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.
Running back Spencer Brown had eight carries for 29 yards. Wide receiver Dejon Brissett made three catches for 54 yards and one touchdown, while Makai Polk made four catches for 55 yards. The defense made 44 tackles, two sacks, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery. Kicker Lirim Hajrullahu was a perfect 4 for 4 in field goals with a long of 54 yards.
Next week, the Saskatchewan Roughriders visit the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Friday at 8 pm on TSN and CFL+. The Toronto Argonauts visit the Calgary Stampeders on Saturday at 7 pm on TSN and CFL+.
