Saskatchewan Roughriders shut down Lions to secure home playoff game

REGINA — The West Division title will come down to the final week. The Saskatchewan Roughriders added some intrigue to the race for the top seed with a comprehensive 39-8 victory over the BC Lions on Saturday evening, bringing them to within a point of the leading Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Saskatchewan won their fourth straight to guarantee themselves at least second place in the West, as well as a home playoff game. Trevor Harris put together another strong game from inside the pocket, producing a 271-yard performance through the air and throwing for two touchdowns.

Samuel Emilus brought down six of his seven targets to lead Saskatchewan’s receivers with 94 yards. Back in the lineup for the first time since Week 11, running back AJ Ouellette finished with 84 rushing yards on 16 touches.

Nathan Rourke was 15-23, throwing for an even 200 yards, while also being picked off twice. Justin McInnis extended his lead atop the league’s receiving charts with 119 yards on six receptions.

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Two plays after the opening kickoff, a remarkable pick-six by A.J. Allen brought the crowd at Mosaic Stadium to its feet. Allen grabbed onto the football after it bounced off the heel of William Stanback, and ran it into the end zone to give the Roughriders a very early lead.

Things almost went from bad to worse for Rourke on BC’s next drive. He thought he was picked off by Deontai Williams on his third pass attempt of the day but the interception call was reversed after a review by the command centre. The Lions would eventually finish the drive with a rouge to make it 7-1.

Harris and the Riders offence got to work through the air on their first possession of the contest. Saskatchewan’s pivot connected with rookie receiver Dhel Duncan-Busby for a couple of first-down completions before Brett Lauther nailed a 45-yard field goal, putting the home team up 10-1.

The Riders were looking for more on their second drive, this time leaning on the strong running of Ouellette on first downs. An offside penalty committed by Emilus slowed the hosts down in BC territory and it was Lauther who was called on to finish off the drive. He converted his 53-yard attempt to put the Riders up 13-1.

The Lions came roaring back early in the second quarter for their first touchdown of the evening. Rourke and his offence came to life on a 70-yard, 11-play drive and it was David Mackie who got the score with a two-yard run to bring the away team back into the ballgame.

Harris and the Riders responded with a sustained drive of their own on the game’s next drive, searching for their first offensive touchdown. A pass-heavy possession made up of six completions by Harris for 75 yards fell short just outside of the end zone as the hosts settled for another Lauther field goal.

Looking to find some points before the interval, the Lions instead turned the ball over on their last three possessions of the half to see the Riders open up their lead. An aggressive play call in the red zone on third down by BC head coach Rick Campbell resulted in a turnover on downs and on their penultimate possession of the first half, McInnis coughed up the football after taking a hit from Nelson Lokombo. A couple of plays later, Harris made a back shoulder throw to Jerreth Sterns in the end zone to make it 23-8.

Saskatchewan was able to pile on more points off of turnovers in the final seconds of the half after the defence intercepted Rourke for a second time. Lauther made an 18-yard field goal after C.J. Avery‘s pick to make it a 26-8 game at the break.

Looking for a spark to start the second half, an onside kick attempt by the Lions didn’t go to plan, giving the football to Saskatchewan in scoring territory. The Riders would put up three more points through Lauther after Harris took a sack to extend the lead to 29-8.

After a quick two-and-out by the Lions offence, the Riders poured on some more points with their third touchdown of the game. Harris’ eight-yard find to Kian Schaffer-Baker over the middle capped off an eight-play drive to give Saskatchewan a 28-point lead.

Lauther’s sixth field goal of the night gave Saskatchewan a commanding 31-point advantage early in the fourth quarter and from there, both teams realized the result was determined. Both offences turned to backup quarterbacks as Shea Patterson went under centre for the hosts, and Chase Brice entered the game for BC as the game ended 39-8 in favour of Saskatchewan.

The Lions will round out their regular season in Week 20 with a battle at BC Place against the Montreal Alouettes on Saturday, October 19. The Roughriders will be on bye in Week 20 before ending their regular season slate with a home matchup against the Calgary Stampeders on Saturday, October 26.