The FanDuel Canada Day Weekend continued on Friday night with the Saskatchewan Roughriders (3-1) visiting TD Place Stadium against the Ottawa Redblacks (0-4). Before the game started, the Redblacks made some changes to the lineup as Keelan White was moved to the reserve list, while Ethan Jordan was moved to the active roster, and Cade McDonald was listed as a starter.
In the first quarter, Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris attempted to complete a pass to Kian Schaffer-Baker. Ottawa defensive back Alonzo Addae made contact with Baker, sending the ball up in the air before it was intercepted by A.J. Allen at the 42-yard line. Ottawa quarterback Jake Maier threw three passes for 21 yards, while running back Greg Bell rushed for eight yards to help move the offense to the 15-yard line.
On the next play, Maier avoided pressure by scrambling out of the pocket before throwing the ball to Cade McDonald. McDonald avoided a tackle to score the 15-yard touchdown, giving the Redblacks a 7-0 lead with 9:46 left. The drive took eight plays for 42 yards.
After Saskatchewan’s offense went two-and-out, punter Oscar Chapman’s punt was blocked by Brian Cole II. The ball rolled 12 yards before going out of bounds at the 31-yard line. Ottawa would move the ball seven yards before kicker Brett Lauther made a 31-yard field goal for a 10-0 lead with 6:03 left. Late in the first quarter, Saskatchewan’s offense had the ball on the 35-yard line. They moved the ball to the 35-yard line as the first quarter ended. The Roughriders got off to a slow start with 39 yards on offense.
In the second quarter, Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris threw the ball to receiver Dhel Duncan-Busby to the corner of the endzone for a 13-yard touchdown. It was now 10-7 with 12:29 left to conclude a 10-play drive for 75 yards. On the kickoff, Saskatchewan linebacker Nick Wiebe stripped the ball away from Kalil Pimpleton and recovered it on the 40-yard line.
Ottawa’s defense took a beating when Bennett Williams suffered a right knee injury in a non-contact play and did not return. For the rest of the second quarter, the two teams traded field goals. Saskatchewan kicker Alex Hale made a 21-yard field goal and a 36-yard field goal, while Ottawa kicker Brett Lauther made a 40-yard field goal. The game was tied 13-13 at halftime.
Ottawa’s offense had 96 yards. Jake Maier went 9 of 12 for 68 yards and a touchdown, and wide receiver Cade McDonald made three catches for 25 yards and one touchdown. Saskatchewan’s offense had 164 yards. Trevor Harris went 12 of 21 for 125 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Wide receiver KeeSean Johnson made seven catches for 99 yards, and Dhel Duncan-Busby made two catches for 20 yards and a touchdown.
The turning point of the game came in the third quarter. After Ottawa’s offense went two-and-out, punter Noah Gettman punted the ball 58 yards to Mathew Sexton. Sexton avoided two tackles on his way to scoring a 101-yard punt return touchdown to give the Roughriders a 20-13 lead with 12:56 left.
Late in the third quarter, Ottawa’s offense moved the ball to the six-yard line before taking a time-count penalty of five yards. Kicker Brett Lauther made an 18-yard field goal. The Redblacks trailed the Roughriders 20-16 with 3:49 left.
Saskatchewan had the ball for the final drive of the third quarter. Running back Quali Conley, Trevor Harris, and Tommy Stevens helped the offense move the ball to the 53-yard line. Then, Harris threw two passes for 34 yards, including a 23-yarder to Johnny Johnson III to the 23-yard line. Two plays later, Harris threw the ball right down the middle to KeeSean Johnson for the touchdown. The Roughriders led 27-16 to end the third quarter on an eight-play drive for 70 yards.
In the fourth quarter, Ottawa had the ball on the 30-yard line. Jake Maier threw four straight passes for 79 yards, including a 34-yarder to Eugene Lewis to the one-yard line. Quarterback Bryson Barnes scored the touchdown. They went for a two-point conversion, but did not get it. It was now 27-22 with 10:47 left on an eight-play drive for 80 yards.
Late in the game, Ottawa moved the ball to the 15-yard line. On third down, Barnes was stopped short of the first down. Saskatchewan took the ball and ran out the clock. The Roughriders would hold on to beat the Redblacks 27-22.
Saskatchewan’s offense had 329 yards (243 passing yards, 107 rushing yards, 21 yards lost), 20 first downs, 1 for 2 in the redzone, and the team was penalized two times for seven yards. Quarterback Trevor Harris completed 18 of 31 passes (58%) for 243 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, and one carry for nine yards. Running back Quali Conley had 12 carries for 57 yards.
Wide receiver KeeSean Johnson had a good night with nine catches for 137 yards and one touchdown, while Samuel Emilus made three catches for 46 yards. The defense made 40 tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
Ottawa’s offense had 333 yards (259 passing yards, 79 rushing yards, 5 yards lost), 17 first downs, 2 for 4 in the redzone, and the team was penalized six times for 37 yards. Quarterback Jake Maier completed 23 of 30 passes (76%) for 259 yards and one touchdown. Running back Greg Bell had nine carries for 45 yards, while Daniel Adeboboye had two carries for 15 yards.
Wide receiver Justin Hardy made five catches for 92 yards, while Eugene Lewis made five catches for 65 yards, and Cade McDonald made four catches for 30 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 38 tackles, one interception, and one sack.
Next Thursday, the Ottawa Redblacks visit the Edmonton Elks at 9 pm on TSN and CFL+, while the Saskatchewan Roughriders host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Sunday at 7 pm on TSN, CBS Sports Network, and CFL+.
