The B.C. Lions (5-5) hosted the Saskatchewan Roughriders (6-4) on Sunday night at B.C. Place Stadium in their first meeting of the season.
B.C. got the ball to start the first quarter at the 34-yard line. Quarterback Nathan Rourke threw three passes for 40 yards to the 36-yard line. The drive stalled, which led to kicker Sean Whyte making a 44-yard field goal to put the Lions up 3-0 with 12:09 left.
Saskatchewan’s offense had the ball on the 40-yard line. Quarterback Trevor Harris threw two passes for 38 yards, while running back Quali Conley had four carries for 20 yards to the 16-yard line. Kicker Alex Hale made a 24-yard field goal, tying the game 3-3 with eight minutes left.
Late in the first quarter, B.C. had the ball on the 45-yard line. Nathan Rourke threw two passes for 32 yards, and rushed for 19 yards before getting sacked by Mike Rose for a two-yard loss at the 16-yard line. Kicker Sean Whyte made a 25-yard field goal, giving the Lions a 6-3 lead with 1:48 left.
Saskatchewan had the ball for the rest of the first quarter. Trevor Harris threw two passes for 24 yards, and Quali Conley rushed for two yards to the 44-yard line to end the first quarter. Saskatchewan’s offense had 85 yards, and B.C.’s offense had 88 yards.
In the second quarter, kicker Alex Hale tied the game 6-6 with a 47-yard field goal with 13:46 left. B.C. running back James Butler began the next drive with a 13-yard run to the 53-yard line. Nathan Rourke threw two passes for 34 yards to the 23-yard line. On the next play, Rourke went to his right side before throwing a touchdown pass to Jevon Cottoy for a 13-6 lead with 11:31 left on a four-play drive for 70 yards.
Later, Saskatchewan’s offense moved the ball to the 27-yard line. On the next play, Harris’s pass intended for KeeSean Johnson was intercepted by T.J. Lee for a 12-yard return to the 12-yard line. B.C. moved the ball to the 40-yard line before the drive stalled.
With under a minute left, Saskatchewan had the ball on the 47-yard line. Trevor Harris completed a 35-yard pass to Johnny Johnson III. As Jackson Findlay attempted to tackle him, Deontai Williams ripped the ball out of Johnson III’s arm for a two-yard run to the 29-yard line that ended the first half with the Lions leading the Roughriders 13-6.
B.C.’s offense had 193 yards. Quarterback Nathan Rourke went 10 of 13 for 157 yards, one touchdown, and one carry for 19 yards. Running back James Butler had two carries for 12 yards, and one catch for 11 yards. Wide receiver Jevon Cottoy made three catches for 56 yards and one touchdown, while Keon Hatcher made four catches for 56 yards.
Saskatchewan’s offense had 206 yards. Trevor Harris went 12 of 18 for 169 yards and one interception. Running back Quali Conley had seven carries for 28 yards. Wide receiver KeeSean Johnson made three catches for 56 yards, and Johnny Johnson III made two catches for 45 yards.
Saskatchewan got the ball to start the third quarter from the 47-yard line. They went two-and-out. On third down, B.C. returner Stanley Berryhill III coughed up the ball, and Nick Wiebe scooped up the ball to score a touchdown. However, a no-yards penalty on Saskatchewan took away six points.
Saskatchewan continued to have bad luck in the third quarter. On the second play, defensive back Jonathan Edouard intercepted Rourke, but an offside penalty gave B.C. the ball back. Nathan Rourke threw four passes for 49 yards to the four-yard line. Then, Rourke got the defense to bite after they pressured him with a pump fake before throwing a touchdown pass to Keon Hatcher for a 20-6 lead with 8:11 left on an eight-play drive for 74 yards.
Saskatchewan had the ball on the 52-yard line. The Roughriders moved the ball to the 26-yard line before Harris’s pass intended for Dylan Dejete was intercepted by Stantley Thomas-Oliver III for four yards to the 25-yard line.
B.C. running back James Butler rushed for two yards, and Nathan Rourke threw two passes for 70 yards, including a 58-yarder to Stanley Berryhill III to the 13-yard line. Saskatchewan defensive back Jaxon Ford was given an unnecessary roughness penalty, and the Lions had the ball on the one-yard line. Zander Horvath leaped over the offensive line to score the touchdown for a 27-6 lead to end the third quarter on a five-play drive for 85 yards.
In the fourth quarter, Nathan Rourke’s pass intended for Jermaine Jackson was intercepted by Jaxon Ford, who returned it for 33 yards to the 37-yard line. Trevor Harris threw four passes for 41 yards to the 32-yard line. Then Harris threw a touchdown pass to Dhel Duncan-Busby. The Roughriders trailed the Lions 27-13 with 11:56 left on a five-play drive for 73 yards.
B.C. had the ball on the 34-yard line. Nathan Rourke threw three passes for 41 yards to the 35-yard line. The Lions continued to move the ball to the 27-yard line before kicker Sean Whyte made a 35-yard field goal for a 30-13 with 7:31 left. Saskatchewan had the ball on the 40-yard line. They moved the ball to the 17-yard line before kicker Alex Hale made a 25-yard field goal. The Roughriders trailed the Lions 30-16 with 3:22 left.
Saskatchewan would get another chance, but were stopped on third down. B.C. ran out the clock to end the game. The Lions beat the Roughriders 30-16 for their fourth straight win, while the Roughriders have lost two straight games.
B.C.’s offense had 414 yards on offense (355 passing yards, 76 rushing yards, 17 yards lost), 22 first downs, 2 for 2 in the redzone, and the team was penalized two times for 20 yards. Quarterback Nathan Rourke completed 22 of 28 passes (78.5%) for 355 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, and one carry for 19 yards. Running back Zander Horvath had 10 carries for 43 yards and one rushing touchdown.
Wide receiver Jevon Cottoy made six catches for 110 yards and one touchdown, while Keon Hatcher made five catches for 60 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 46 tackles, one tackle for loss, three sacks, two interceptions, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
Saskatchewan’s offense had 410 yards (356 passing yards, 69 rushing yards, 15 yards lost), 23 first downs, 0 for 2 in the redzone, and the team was penalized seven times for 72 yards. Quarterback Trevor Harris completed 28 of 42 passes (66%) for 356 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions, and two carries for 20 yards. Running back Quali Conley had eight carries for 33 yards and one catch for 11 yards.
Wide receiver Dhel Duncan-Busby made four catches for 85 yards and one touchdown, while KeeSean Johnson made six catches for 79 yards. The defense made 38 tackles, one tackle for loss, three sacks, and one interception.
Next Saturday, the Saskatchewan Roughriders host the Toronto Argonauts at 7 pm on TSN and CFL+, while the B.C. Lions visit the Ottawa Redblacks on Sunday at 7 pm on TSN, CBS Sports Network, and CFL+.
