The Saskatchewan Roughriders (2-0) visited McMahon Stadium on Saturday night to close out Week 3 of the CFL season against the Calgary Stampeders (0-2) in their first meeting of the season. This was the 178th all-time meeting between these two teams. Saskatchewan had lost the last three regular-season meetings until tonight.
Saskatchewan got the ball to start the game on the 33-yard line. On the second play, Trevor Harris threw a 38-yard pass to KeeSean Johnson to the 21-yard line. They continued to move the ball to the 19-yard line before kicker Alex Hale made a 27-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead with 12:04 left. Late in the first quarter, Saskatchewan moved the ball to the 15-yard line. They led 3-0 to end the first quarter.
Saskatchewan dominated the first quarter with 137 yards on offense, led by Trevor Harris throwing for 114 yards. Calgary’s offense had three possessions, resulting in all punts. They only had eight yards in the first quarter.
In the second quarter, A.J. Ouellette rushed for 13 yards to the two-yard line. On the next play, quarterback Tommy Stevens ran outside to score the touchdown. The Roughriders extended their lead to 10-0 with 13:51 left to cap off a seven-play drive for 80 yards.
When Saskatchewan got the ball back, Calgary’s defense got it back when defensive lineman Clarence Hicks forced the ball out, and linebacker Marquel Lee recovered it on the 14-yard line. Running back Dedrick Mills rushed for 13 yards to the one-yard line. On the next play, quarterback Quincy Vaughn scored the touchdown. The Stampeders trailed the Roughriders 10-7 with 7:32 left.
Saskatchewan returner James Letcher Jr. gave the Roughriders great field position at the 36-yard line. A.J. Ouellette had two carries for 11 yards, and Trevor Harris threw a 10-yard pass to KeeSean Johnson at the 53-yard line. On the next play, Harris threw a 53-yard touchdown pass to Kian Schaffer-Baker for a 17-7 lead with 4:36 left to cap off a four-play drive for 74 yards.
Late in the second quarter, Saskatchewan moved the ball to the four-yard line, where Trevor Harris threw a touchdown pass to Kian Schaffer-Baker. Kicker Alex Hale missed the extra point. It was now 23-7 with 13 seconds left to cap off an 11-play drive for 76 yards.
On the kickoff, Calgary failed to get the live ball, and it was recovered by Kerfalla Exume at the 43-yard line. The Roughriders moved the ball five yards. Kicker Alex Hale missed a 47-yard field goal. Calgary returner Tyreik McAllister returned the missed field goal for a 120-yard touchdown. The Stampeders trailed the Roughriders 23-14 at halftime.
Saskatchewan’s offense had 316 yards. Trevor Harris completed 13 of 18 passes for 234 yards and two touchdowns, and wide receiver Kian Schaffer-Baker made four catches for 72 yards and two touchdowns. Calgary’s offense had 52 yards. Vernon Adams Jr. completed 4 of 8 passes for 20 yards, and running back Dedrick Mills had four carries for 23 yards.
In the third quarter, Calgary quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. began the drive by throwing two passes for 17 yards to the 53-yard line. They continued to move the ball to the 14-yard line before kicker Jude McAtamney made a 22-yard field goal. The Stampeders trailed the Roughriders 23-17.
On the second play for Saskatchewan, Trevor Harris threw a 33-yard pass to Kian Schaffer-Baker to the 35-yard line. Saskatchewan moved the ball to the three-yard line. On the next play, Trevor Harris threw a touchdown pass to KeeSean Johnson. They went for a two-point conversion and got it thanks to A.J. Ouellette running right up the middle to score the two points.
It was now 31-17 with 4:39 left that capped off a nine-play drive for 82 yards. On the last play of the third quarter, Calgary quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. threw a 24-yard pass to Dejon Brissett to the 54-yard line.
In the fourth quarter, Adams Jr. threw a 25-yard pass to Erik Brooks to the 29-yard line. On the next play, running back Tyreik McAllister rushed for 14 yards. A horse collar tackle penalty on Saskatchewan moved the ball to the one-yard line. Quarterback Quincy Vaughn came in to score the touchdown. The Stampeders trailed the Roughriders 31-24 with 13:35 left to cap off a four-play drive for 78 yards.
Calgary was building momentum in the fourth quarter. Late in the fourth quarter, Calgary had the ball on the 22-yard line. They moved the ball to the 12-yard line. On the next play, Vernon Adams Jr. escaped the pressure before throwing a touchdown pass to Tevin Jones. The game was tied 34-34 heading to overtime. The drive took nine plays for 82 yards.
In overtime, Calgary kicker Jude McAtamney made a 17-yard field goal and a 24-yard field goal, while Saskatchewan kicker Alex Hale made a 38-yard field goal. The Roughriders were trailing the Stampeders 37-34. They moved the ball to the one-yard line, where Tommy Stevens put the game away with a touchdown. The Roughriders beat the Stampeders 40-37.
Saskatchewan’s offense had 454 yards (349 passing yards, 117 rushing yards, 12 yards lost), 25 first downs, 4 for 4 in the redzone, and the team was penalized seven times for 49 yards. Quarterback Trevor Harris completed 23 of 36 passes (63.8%) for 349 yards and three touchdowns. Running back A.J. Ouellette had 18 carries for 84 yards.
Wide receiver Kian Schaffer-Baker made eight catches for 130 yards and two touchdowns, while KeeSean Johnson made four catches for 58 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 43 tackles, one tackle for loss, and one sack.
Calgary’s offense had 377 yards (254 passing yards, 129 rushing yards, 6 yards lost), 22 first downs, 3 for 6 in the redzone, and the team was penalized 10 times for 100 yards. Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. completed 20 of 30 passes (66%) for 254 yards, one touchdown, and three carries for nine yards. Running back Dedrick Mills had 15 carries for 103 yards.
Wide receiver Erik Brooks made six catches for 64 yards, while Tevin Jones made three catches for 31 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 46 tackles, two sacks, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
Next Friday, the Saskatchewan Roughriders host the Toronto Argonauts at 9 pm on TSN, CFL+, and CBS Sports Network, while the Calgary Stampeders visit the B.C. Lions on Saturday at 7 pm on TSN, CFL+, and CBS Sports Network.
