The Saskatchewan Roughriders (5-5) hosted the B.C. Lions (7-3) on Sunday night from Mosaic Stadium to close out Week 11 of the CFL season. This was the second meeting of the season between these two teams. They met in Week 7 at B.C. Place where the Lions won the game 19-9.
B.C. was heavily favored to win this game and like the Michael Jordan meme “…and I took that personally.” The Roughriders took it personally to play smash-mouth football with big hits and taking no prisoners. This was an exciting game that came down to the wire and the Roughriders looked like a different team on the field than we’ve seen them play the previous nine weeks.
In the first quarter, Saskatchewan quarterback Jake Dolegala completed a 16-yard pass to Samuel Emilus. Then, Dolegala completed a short middle pass to Kian Schaffer-Baker for a 15-yard touchdown for a 7-0 lead with 12:52 left.
Later in the first quarter, B.C. quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. threw a 28-yard pass to Alexander Hollins to the Roughriders’ 36-yard line. Two plays later, the two would connect again for 11 yards at the 25-yard line. They were able to get to the Roughriders’ seven-yard line before Sean Whyte made a 14-yard field goal which made it 7-3 Saskatchewan with 3:36 left.
B.C. had the ball with a minute left in the first quarter. The Roughriders’ defense did not allow the Lions to get away and Vernon Adams Jr. was taken down by Miles Brown which forced third down. B.C. punter Stefan Flintoft punted the ball for 71 yards toward Mario Alford and he returned it for seven yards as the first quarter ended with the Roughriders up 7-3.
In the second quarter, B.C.’s offense took the lead. Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. completed a 29-yard deep to Lucky Whitehead. On the next play, Adams dropped back to throw a 46-yard touchdown to a wide-open Alexander Hollins that put the Lions up 10-7 with 9:18 left.
B.C.’s lead did not last long. Saskatchewan quarterback Jake Dolegala threw a 46-yard pass to Samuel Emilus before getting tackled on the Lions’ 30-yard line. Three plays later, running back Jamal Morrow made a nice cut to his left side before running in for an 8-yard touchdown to take a 14-10 lead with 4:28 left.
On the kickoff, B.C. returner Terry Williams took a couple of big hits before T.J. Brunson nailed him which caused a fumble and the Roughriders recovered it. In addition, the Lions were called for an unnecessary roughness penalty and the Roughriders were going to begin the drive on the Lions’ 21-yard line. Two plays later, Jake Dolegala found Jerreth Sterns for an 18-yard touchdown. It was now 21-10 Saskatchewan with 3:10 left before halftime.
The Roughriders’ defense continued to punish the Lions on offense. On the second play, Vernon Adams Jr. took off for a gain of 11 yards before getting hit by Derrick Moncrief and Adams was down holding his right knee. Adams would briefly come out of the game but did return.
On second down, Adams dropped back to throw the ball to Alexander Hollins but it was intercepted by Jeremy Clark for a return of 8 yards.
The Roughriders took advantage of the turnover when kicker Brett Lauther made a 53-yard field goal for a 24-10 lead with 45 seconds left. Just before halftime, B.C. kicker Sean Whyte made a 42-yard field which made it 24-13 at halftime.
Saskatchewan had 187 yards on offense. Quarterback Jake Dolegala had a strong first half completing 11 of 15 passes (73.3%) for 161 yards, two touchdowns, and one carry for two yards. Running back Jamal Morrow had seven carries for 27 yards, and one touchdown, and wide receiver Samuel Emilus had two catches for 62 yards, and Jerreth Sterns had three catches for 43 yards, and one touchdown. The Roughriders’ defense had three sacks.
B.C. had 214 yards on offense. Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. completed 13 of 20 passes (65%) for 200 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and two carries for 24 yards. Running back Taquan Mizzell had four carries for nine yards, and wide receiver Alexanders Hollins had four catches for 100 yards and one touchdown. The Lions had trouble with the penalties getting called seven times for 50 yards.
Early in the third quarter, both defenses did not allow either offense to make big plays. However, the Roughriders continued to add to their lead later in the third quarter. Saskatchewan running back Jamal Morrow broke out for a gain of 14 yards to their 48-yard line.
Four plays later, quarterback Jake Dolegala threw a deep pass that looked like it was going to be intercepted by Marcus Sayles but Samuel Emilus made a leaping catch to score a 37-yard touchdown which made it 31-13 with 4:16 left.
Late in the third quarter, Saskatchewan quarterback Jake Dolegala took off for a gain of 12 yards to the Lions’ 42-yard line. The Roughriders did not get a first down and faced third down to begin the fourth quarter up 31-13.
Saskatchewan punted the ball to begin the fourth quarter. The Lions began to chip away at Saskatchewan’s lead. Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. completed five passes for 79 yards. Then, Adams dropped a beautiful pass into the hands of Keon Hatcher for an 11-yard touchdown and the Lions went for a two-point conversion but did not get it. It was now 31-20 with 9:50 left.
After the Lions’ defense forced a two-and-out, the Lions had another opportunity to get closer to Saskatchewan. Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. completed a 22-yard pass to Keon Hatcher on their 32-yard line. On the next play, Adams dropped back to throw a deep pass which was caught by Lucky Whitehead for a 78-yard touchdown. They tried another two-point conversion but did not get it. It was now 31-26 Roughriders with 6:07 left.
With under three minutes left in the game, the Lions were unable to get a first down and Sean Whyte made a 30-yard field goal which made it 31-29 with 2:09 left. When the Roughriders went back on offense, they worked the clock but the Lions started to burn their timeouts which was a blessing for them because Saskatchewan had to punt the ball again.
The Lions got the ball with 1:14 left in the game. Facing third down, Anthony Lanier II sacked Adams on the Lions’ 24-yard line. Saskatchewan kicker Brett Lauther kicked a 27-yard field goal for a 34-29 lead with five seconds left.
The Lions had one more shot. Adams completed a pass to Jevon Cottoy and tried to kick the ball down the field but the Roughriders got the football and the game was over. The Roughriders defeated the Lions by the final score of 34-29.
Saskatchewan had 319 yards on offense. Quarterback Jake Dolegala had a solid game completing 18 of 29 passes (62%) for 239 yards, three touchdowns, and four carries for 27 yards. I was impressed with his mobility to get out of the pocket to make a play.
The Lions’ defense did not know what to do and he did a good job keeping them guessing the entire game. I hope he can keep this performance up because more teams will study him and the coaches need to change it up before their next game to keep their opponents guessing. If they can do that, the Roughriders could make noise in the West Division.
Running back Jamal Morrow had 16 carries for 59 yards, and one touchdown, Wide receivers Samuel Emilus, Jerreth Sterns, and Kian Schaffer-Baker combined with 11 catches logging 185 yards, and three touchdowns. Saskatchewan’s defense had 39 tackles, five sacks, one interception, two forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries.
The B.C. Lions had 465 yards on offense. Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. is a warrior dealing with the injuries he’s dealt with this year and still managing to put together a good game. He completed 26 of 41 passes (63.4%) for 455 yards, three touchdowns, one interception, and two carries for 24 yards.
With Adams’s injury, the Lions should consider having Dominique Davis take snaps with the first-string offense during practice in case Adams’s injury is worse and can’t play the next game. Davis is a veteran quarterback and I don’t think the Lions will miss a beat on offense.
The Lions’ running game was not effective with Taquan Mizzell getting seven carries for 15 yards. When it comes to the running game, the Lions need to get Shaun Shivers involved again. He provided a spark in the running game and they did well with him in there. The Lions were pass-heavy in this game and Saskatchewan’s defense was ready for some of the plays.
Wide receivers Lucky Whitehead, Keon Hatcher, and Alexander Hollins combined with 18 catches for 377 yards and three touchdowns. The receiving core gave the Roughriders’ secondary a hard time keeping up with them. They have a ton of speed and are fun to watch. B.C.’s defense had 39 tackles, one sack, and one fumble recovery.
Next week, the Saskatchewan Roughriders are on a bye week, but the B.C. Lions host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats next Saturday at 7 pm on CFL+. Subscribe to Fubo to watch all of the 2023 CFL Season. Purchase CFL tickets today on StubHub and Viagogo.
