LIVESTREAM PPV: CFL – BC Lions @Saskatchewan Roughriders, Sat. Oct. 27, 5p (7p ET, 1a Oct. 28 CET)
REGINA — The BC Lions and Saskatchewan Roughriders will look to better their playoff positions when they square off at new Mosaic Stadium in Week 20.
Both teams have already punched their ticket to the post-season. The Riders still have a shot of placing first in the West while the Lions can finish as high as second. A win or tie for the Riders would clinch the season series with the Lions and earn them a home playoff date.
The Leos have looked strong down the stretch having won three straight games heading into their tilt in Riderville. The Orange and Black improved on their impressive home record by topping the Edmonton Eskimos 42-32 last week at BC Place. DeVier Posey scored a a trio of touchdowns to go along with a game high 113 yards on five catches. Travis Lulay threw for 251 yards with four majors and two interceptions.
“Confidence is riding high,” running back Tyrell Sutton told BCLions.com. “We understand that it could be a road playoff for us. So at the same time, we understand that these last two games are as close to playoff games as we are going to get… We have to go in there and take care of business.”
After struggling to start the season, the Lions have looked like a different team in recent week, specifically on defence. In their first eight games of the year, BC allowed 25.3 points per game and 388 net yards. They were 3-5 during that span.
The Lions defence has arguably been the toughest squad in the league to play against during the back half of the season. The Leos have given up 21.8 points per game and just 288 net yards in their last eight games, improving their record to 6-2 during that period.
“We’ve already clinched playoffs but this is another big game for us,” said defensive back Anthony Orange. “We’ve been having some success on defence. We’re just trying to repeat and keep snowballing and keep peaking at the right time.”
While the Lions have bolstered many aspects of their game since the beginning of the season, their record on the road still haunts them. BC’s 2-6 away record is less than ideal for a team that will likely be on the road in the post-season.
Yet for the Lions, a home playoff game is still possible. They need to defeat the Riders by at least four points on Saturday, then be victorious in the finale against the Calgary Stampeders in order to claim second place in the division.
Picking up a victory in hostile Rider territory would definitely send a message to the rest of the league entering the playoffs.
The Riders are also riding high entering their matchup with the Lions after beating the league-leading Calgary Stampeders 29-24 last week. Quarterback Zach Collaros went 24-for-35 with 352 passing yards in the win, earning him Shaw CFL Top Performer of the Week honours. Nick Marshall and Tre Mason each scored a rushing major while Brett Lauther was a perfect five-for-five on field goal attempts.
The Riders were able to rumble for 140 yards on the ground, making both their pass and rush game hard to defend.
The victory kept the Riders in the hunt for top spot in the West Division.
“It was a total team effort,” Collaros told Riderville.com after the game. “The offensive line did a great job all night. Any time you can run for over 100 yards against a team like Calgary you know they’re doing their job and doing it well….Guys made plays when the ball was in the air and when you do that, you usually gain yards and score points.”
The Riders handed the Lions their only home loss of the year to date back in Week 11, narrowly edging their divisional opponents 24-21.
Riders head coach Chris Jones acknowledged that the Lions are a much different team this time around.
“The biggest thing that I see is that they are playing with more of a belief system,” said Jones. “They seem to be playing a lot faster, having more fun, that type of thing. That’s what makes them dangerous.”
Defensive lineman Charleston Hughes will be back in the lineup on Saturday after serving a one game suspension. The league leader in sacks has apologized for his actions in an off-field incident and says he is looking forward to getting back on the field.
“Right now the focus is on football for the rest of the team and myself,” said Hughes. “We’re really just trying to concentrate on developing what we’ve got going on.”
Receiver Naaman Roosevelt will also be back in the lineup for the Riders. Roosevelt has been missing from action since suffering an injury in Week 15.
By The Numbers:
2 – Straight victories for the Riders against the Lions, breaking a previous BC seven-game win streak. The Lions have not lost a season series to the Riders since 2013.
15 – League leading sacks for Riders defensive lineman Charleston Hughes
21 – League leading interceptions this season by the BC Lions
66 – Receiving yards needed by Bryan Burnham to reach the 1000-yard mark this season.
All eyes will be on Collaros during Saturday’s tilt at new Mosaic Stadium.
The quarterback temporarily silenced his critics last week, but his consistency has been called into question all year.
The 30-year-old was pulled a week earlier in the team’s 31-0 loss to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. His 9-13 touchdown to interception ratio is concerning on paper. However, Collaros continues to find a way to pull out victories and has an impressive 9-4 record during his time in Saskatchewan.
Collars is a perfect 3-0 in head-to-head matchups versus veteran Travis Lulay, giving him the edge in the quarterback matchup.
Can Collaros string together two impressive games? Or can the Lions keep on rolling on the road?
– With files from BCLions.com/Riderville.com
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LIVE STREAM PPV: CFL – BC Lions @Saskatchewan Roughriders, Sat. Oct. 27, 5p (7p ET, 1a Oct. 28 CET)
