The B.C. Lions (5-1) hosted the Saskatchewan Roughriders (3-3) on Saturday night from B.C. Place for their first meeting of the season. This was the 202nd all-time meeting between these teams. The Roughriders lead the all-time series 103-94-4.
For the Lions, they were looking to beat Saskatchewan at home. The last time the Lions beat the Roughriders at B.C. Place was on August 5, 2017, in a 30-15 win.
In the first quarter, it was a defensive battle. B.C. quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. injured his left leg and was taken down by Pete Robinson. Adams did not return to the game and Dane Evans was the new Lions quarterback.
Later in the game, the Roughriders’ defense pinned the Lions on their four-yard line. Then, Demarcus Christmas sacked Dane Evans in the endzone for a safety but a roughing the passer penalty on Christmas moved the ball to the Lions’ 19-yard line.
It was a bad call as Evans tried to duck from Christmas and Christmas’s arm hit Evans’s head. Head Coach Craig Dickenson challenged the play but the call stood.
On the fourth play, Evans completed a short pass to Keon Hatcher for 27 yards. Then, the Roughriders blitzed Evans as he dropped back to throw the ball up in the air to Alexander Hollins for a 27-yard touchdown. It was 7-0 with 45 seconds left.
Before the first quarter ended, Saskatchewan quarterback Mason Fine threw a short pass to Samuel Emilus for 18 yards. The Roughriders started the second quarter on their 53-yard line trailing 7-0.
The Roughriders moved the ball to the Lions’ 49-yard line before punting the ball. Adam Korsak punted the ball for 16 yards to Marcus Sayles. However, Sayles lost the ball when he was tackled by Evan Johnson and Saskatchewan recovered the ball. They turned the turnover into points when Brett Lauther made a 26-yard field goal. It was now 7-3 Lions with 11:20 left.
For the rest of the second quarter, B.C. quarterback Dane Evans was sacked twice by Demarcus Christmas and Miles Brown. Both offenses were moving the ball down the field but penalties killed their drives. The Lions led the Roughriders 7-3 at halftime.
Before the injury, B.C. quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. completed 1 of 2 passes (50%) for eight yards, and one carry for one yard. The Lions had 88 yards on offense. Quarterback Dane Evans completed 4 of 9 passes (44.4%) for 97 yards, one touchdown, and one carry for five yards.
The running game was ineffective with Shaun Shivers carrying the ball four times for seven yards. Wide receivers Keon Hatcher and Alexander Hollins combined for two catches logging 80 yards, and one touchdown. The Lions fumbled the ball twice and were penalized three times for 21 yards.
Saskatchewan had 133 yards on offense. Quarterback Mason Fine was doing a nice job completing 18 of 22 passes (81.8%) for 133 yards, and running back Jamal Morrow had five carries for four yards and two catches for eight yards. Wide receivers Kendall Watson, Shawn Bane Jr., and Tevin Jones combined for 13 catches logging 91 yards. The Roughriders were penalized six times for 66 yards, and the defense had four sacks.
In the third quarter, B.C. quarterback Dane Evans tried to throw the ball to Alexander Hollins but it was intercepted by a leaping Amari Henderson on the Lions’ 52-yard line. It was Henderson’s first career interception. The Roughriders took advantage of the turnover when Brett Lauther made a 44-yard field goal. It was now 7-6 Lions with 9:56 left.
On the Lions’ next drive, Shaun Shivers rushed the ball for two yards before Dane Evans threw three passes for 44 yards on the Roughriders’ 24-yard line. The drive stalled and Sean Whyte kicked a 31-yard field goal which made it 10-6 with 7:02 left.
Late in the third quarter, B.C. running back Shaun Shivers found some room that the blockers created before taking off for a 20-yard touchdown. However, a holding penalty on B.C.’s Jevon Cottoy wiped out the touchdown. The Lions led 10-6 after three quarters.
In the fourth quarter, the Lions settled for a Sean Whyte 42-yard field goal that made it 13-6 with 13:27 left. It was Whyte’s third field goal of the night. Then, the Lions’ defense took advantage of two Saskatchewan turnovers. First, Mason Fine attempted a pass to Samuel Emilus but he overthrew the ball and Gary Peters intercepted it on their 46-yard line. The turnover would lead to a Sean Whyte 33-yard field goal for a 16-6 lead with 9:13 left.
The second turnover happened on the next Saskatchewan drive. Mason Fine faked a handoff before throwing the ball in the air and Jalon Edwards-Cooper was there for the interception. However, the Lions could not add more points.
Late in the game, Saskatchewan punter Adam Korsak punted the ball for 45 yards toward Terry Williams. Williams fumbled the ball after being hit and the Roughriders recovered it. Saskatchewan quarterback Mason Fine threw three passes for 65 yards. They failed to convert second down and Brett Lauther kicked a 14-yard field goal. It was 16-9 Lions with 1:53 left.
The Roughriders tried an onside kick but B.C. recovered it. Running back Shaun Shivers had two carries for three yards before Sean Whyte put the game away with a 42-yard field goal for a 19-9 lead with 1:06 left.
Saskatchewan had the ball for the final drive of the game. Mason Fine threw three passes for 27 yards but he was sacked twice by Mathieu Betts which ended the game. The Lions defeated the Roughriders by the final score of 19-9.
The Lions’ defense did a good job in this game. They took advantage of Fine’s miscues and stepped up when the offense turned the ball over three times. B.C. allowed 278 yards, with 53 tackles, three sacks, and two interceptions. The Lions have got to do a better job with penalties. They were penalized seven times for 56 yards.
B.C. quarterback Dane Evans was not bad. He did make some good throws in the game but there were some throws I’m sure he would like to have back that might have added more points on the board. He completed 16 of 25 passes (64%) for 219 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and two carries for 12 yards.
While the running game was not effective, Shaun Shivers continues to show that he can lead the team. He finished the night with ten carries for 21 yards. Wide receivers Alexander Hollins and Keon Hatcher combined for seven catches for 130 yards, and one touchdown.
The question now is how many games will quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. miss. This offense took a hit with him out of the game and it’s up to Evans to keep the momentum going. If Adams is forced to miss some games, expect the Lions to sign a quarterback this week.
For the Roughriders, quarterback Mason Fine did not play a bad game. He completed 32 of 41 passes (78%) for 284 yards and two interceptions. He needs to be better at seeing the field. Fine took a gamble several times that resulted in interceptions. Coach Dickerson needs to adjust the playbook that fits Fine’s system. This game was a learning experience for him and let’s see how he plays next week in Toronto.
Running back Jamal Morrow had 12 carries for 11 yards, and wide receivers Tevin Jones and Shawn Bayne Jr. combined for 17 catches for 149 yards.
Both receivers were finding ways to get open and came back for the football when Fine was in trouble. You don’t see that taught in football anymore. Saskatchewan’s defense allowed 231 yards, with 36 tackles, five sacks, one interception, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery. The Roughriders, like the Lions, need to work on not committing penalties. However, they cleaned that up in the second half not getting the flag thrown at them.
Next week, the Saskatchewan Roughriders play the Toronto Argonauts on Saturday at 4 pm on CBS Sports Network, followed by the B.C. Lions against the Edmonton Elks at 7 pm also on CBS Sports Network. Subscribe to Fubo to watch all of the 2023 CFL Season. Purchase CFL tickets today on StubHub and Viagogo.
