The B.C. Lions (7-6) hosted the Saskatchewan Roughriders (8-6) on Friday night in their third and final meeting of the regular season. The Roughriders welcomed back running back A.J. Ouellete and wide receiver Kian Schaffer-Baker, who both missed time due to injuries.
In the first quarter, Saskatchewan had the ball on the 12-yard line. Quarterback Trevor Harris threw a short pass to KeeSean Johnson for 27 yards to the 39-yard line. The Roughriders continued to move the ball to the 19-yard line before kicker Dawson Hodge made a 27-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead with 7:13 left.
The Lions had the ball on the 40-yard line. Quarterback Nathan Rourke threw a 56-yard pass to Stanley Berryhill III to the 14-yard line. On the next play, the Lions went with an RPO play. Rourke faked the handoff to Horvath before scrambling to the right side and throwing a 14-yard touchdown pass to Keon Hatcher, giving the Lions a 7-3 lead with 6:10 left on a two-play drive for 70 yards.
Saskatchewan had the ball for the rest of the first quarter. Trevor Harris threw three passes for 23 yards to the 51-yard line. The Roughriders continued to move the ball to the 16-yard line to end the first quarter. Saskatchewan’s offense had 157 yards, and B.C.’s offense had 97 yards.
In the second quarter, Saskatchewan kicker Dawson Hodge made a 31-yard field goal. The Roughriders trailed the Lions 7-6 with 13:50 left. The Lions had the ball on the 40-yard line. Nathan Rourke threw four passes for 38 yards and rushed for 17 yards to lead the offense to the one-yard line. Zander Horvath was set to snap the ball on third down, but a time-count penalty on B.C. moved the ball back five yards. Kicker Sean Whyte made a 14-yard field goal for a 10-6 lead with 7:07 left.
The Roughriders had the ball on the 40-yard line. Trevor Harris threw three passes for 30 yards, while running back A.J. Ouellette had four carries for 26 yards to get them to the 13-yard line. On the next play, Trevor Harris scrambled up the middle before throwing the ball to Dylan Djete, who was all alone to score the 13-yard touchdown, giving the Roughriders a 13-10 lead with 2:10 left on a nine-play drive for 70 yards.
The Lions had the ball on the 39-yard line. Nathan Rourke threw five passes for 52 yards to the 19-yard line. Then, Rourke threw a touchdown pass to Keon Hatcher, giving the Lions a 17-13 lead at halftime on a six-play drive for 71 yards.
B.C.’s offense had 237 yards. Quarterback Nathan Rourke went 13 of 18 for 203 yards, two touchdowns, and two carries for 24 yards. Running back Zander Horvath had two carries for seven yards. Wide receiver Keon Hatcher made three catches for 39 yards and two touchdowns, while Stanley Berryhill III made two catches for 80 yards, and Jevon Cottoy made six catches for 71 yards.
Saskatchewan’s offense had 218 yards. Quarterback Trevor Harris went 12 of 14 for 169 yards and one touchdown. Running back A.J. Ouellette had 10 carries for 48 yards. Wide receiver KeeSean Johnson made six catches for 91 yards, while Dylan Djete made two catches for 25 yards and one touchdown.
In the third quarter, B.C. had the ball on the 18-yard line. On the second play, Rourke threw a 38-yard pass to Justin McInnis to the 52-yard line. The Lions continued to move the ball to the 11-yard line. Then, Rourke got protection from the offensive line, allowing him to find Jevon Cottoy for the touchdown. The Lions led 24-13 with 7:07 left on a seven-play drive for 92 yards.
Saskatchewan had the ball for the rest of the third quarter. They moved the ball to the nine-yard line. On third down, B.C.’s defense stopped Tommy Stevens short of the first down for a turnover on downs to end the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, both teams struggled to move the ball, going for a combined five two-and-outs. The Roughriders had the ball on the 42-yard line. A.J. Ouellette had two carries for 18 yards before kicker Dawson Hodge made a 32-yard field goal. The Roughriders trailed the Lions 24-16 with 4:14 left.
B.C. started its next drive on the 40-yard line. Nathan Rourke threw the ball to Justin McInnis for 59 yards to the 11-yard line. Then, Rourke threw a touchdown pass to Jermaine Jackson for a 31-16 lead with 2:58 left. The Roughriders had the ball on the 47-yard line. They moved the ball to the two-yard line, where A.J. Ouellette scored the touchdown. Tommy Stevens scored the two-point conversion. The Roughriders trailed the Lions 31-24 with 2:03 left on a six-play drive for 47 yards.
B.C. took more time off the clock, leaving the Roughriders with four seconds. The Roughriders tried for one more miracle, but Kian Schaffer-Baker threw the ball out of bounds, and the game was over. The Lions beat the Roughriders 31-24, winning their last seven of eight games, and won the season series.
B.C.’s offense had 439 yards (375 passing yards, 69 rushing yards, 5 yards lost), 21 first downs, 9 of 16 on second down, 4 for 5 in the redzone, and the team was penalized six times for 46 yards. Quarterback Nathan Rourke completed 22 of 28 passes (78.5%) for 375 yards, four touchdowns, and three carries for 37 yards. Running back Zander Horvath had 10 carries for 28 yards.
Wide receiver Justin McInnis made three catches for 111 yards, while Jevon Cottoy made nine catches for 96 yards and one touchdown, and Keon Hatcher made five catches for 66 yards and two touchdowns. The defense made 45 tackles, two tackles for loss, and one turnover on downs. Darnell Sankey made ten tackles.
Saskatchewan’s offense had 383 yards (297 passing yards, 88 rushing yards, 2 yards lost), 23 first downs, 11 of 21 on second down, 2 for 5 in the redzone, and the team was penalized six times for 60 yards. Quarterback Trevor Harris completed 26 of 33 passes (78%) for 297 yards, one touchdown, and one carry for six yards.
Running back A.J. Ouellette had 19 carries for 77 yards and one touchdown. Wide receiver KeeSean Johnson made nine catches for 119 yards, and Dylan Djete made four catches for 37 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 34 tackles, one tackle for loss, and one sack.
Next week, the Saskatchewan Roughriders visit the Calgary Stampeders on Friday at 9:30 pm on TSN and CFL+, while the B.C. Lions visit the Toronto Argonauts on Saturday at 3 pm on TSN and CFL+.
