The Saskatchewan Roughriders (2-0) visited Tim Hortons Field on Sunday night to close out Week 2 of the CFL season against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (0-2). This game turned out to be entertaining, especially the second half, and in the end, left Hamilton fans stunned at the result.
First Quarter:
In the first quarter, Hamilton’s offense went on a nine-play drive for 77 yards before kicker Marc Liegghio made a 13-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead with 9:18 left. Later in the first quarter, Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris threw three passes for 41 yards, including a 29-yard pass to Jarreth Sterns before he was tackled down at the Hamilton’s 24-yard line.
On the next play, Harris faked a handoff before throwing a 24-yard touchdown pass to Kian Schaffer-Baker, who fought three Hamilton players to score the touchdown and a 7-3 lead with 3:17 left. The drive went for five plays for 69 yards.
On the final play of the first quarter, Hamilton quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell completed a two-yard pass to Jevoni Robinson before he was taken down at their 50-yard line. The Roughriders led 7-3 at the end of the first quarter. Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris completed 5 of 6 passes for 73 yards, and one touchdown, while Hamilton quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell completed 7 of 10 passes for 67 yards.
Second Quarter:
The second quarter was dominated by Hamilton. On the first play of the second quarter, Hamilton quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell spotted Saskatchewan’s breakdown in coverage finding Steven Dunbar Jr. all alone for a 60-yard touchdown to take a 10-7 lead with 14:22 left.
On defense, Hamilton shut out Saskatchewan’s offense quickly forcing them with a two-and-out. Saskatchewan took several gambles by having quarterback Trevor Harris throw some deep passes but his receivers were unable to make the catches.
Later in the second quarter, Hamilton quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell saw the pocket collapsing and scrambled out of the pocket finding wide receiver Kiondre Smith wide-open for a 38-yard touchdown. The Ticats extended their lead to 17-7 with 5:16 left before halftime.
With 1:24 left, Hamilton kicker Marc Liegghio made a 40-yard field goal extending their lead to 20-7 lead. Saskatchewan had the final 1:19 left in the second period to get a score. However, on the final play, quarterback Trevor Harris’s pass to Mitchell Picton but the pass was incomplete. The Ticats led the Roughriders 20-7 at halftime.
First Half Stats:
Hamilton had 270 yards on offense (248 yards passing, 22 yards rushing). Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell had a good first half completing 16 of 23 (70%) for 248 yards and two touchdowns. Running back James Butler had seven carries for 19 yards and made five catches for 40 yards.
Wide receiver Steven Dunbar Jr. made two catches for 67 yards, and one touchdown, while Kiondre Smith made three catches for 54 yards and one touchdown. Hamilton was penalized four times for 40 yards. Hamilton’s defense made one tackle for loss and two sacks.
Saskatchewan had 142 yards on offense (148 yards passing, three yards rushing, -9 yards lost). Quarterback Trevor Harris completed 12 of 19 passes (63.2%) for 148 yards, and one touchdown. Running back A.J. Ouellette had four carries for three yards and three catches for 21 yards.
Wide receiver Shawn Bane Jr. made four catches for 50 yards, while Jarreth Sterns made two catches for 36 yards, and Kian Schaffer-Baker made two catches for 36 yards, and one touchdown. Saskatchewan was penalized seven times for 75 yards.
Third Quarter:
In the third quarter, Saskatchewan began to make a comeback. Saskatchewan kicker Brett Lauther made a 49-yard field goal cutting Hamilton’s lead down to 20-10 with 12:19 left. Later, Saskatchewan went on a six-play drive for 61 yards resulting in backup quarterback Shea Patterson scoring a one-yard touchdown and the score was now 20-17 with 6:32 left.
Late in the third quarter, Hamilton went on a five-play drive 93 yards ending with quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell throwing a 16-yard touchdown pass in busted coverage to Shemar Bridges for a 27-17 lead with 1:18 left.
On the final play of the third quarter, Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris threw a six-yard pass to A.J. Ouellette, who had a nasty collision with Hamilton defensive back Dexter Lawson Jr. Both guys were shaken up a bit but both did stay in the game. Hamilton led 27-17 at the end of the third quarter.
Fourth Quarter:
In the fourth quarter, Saskatchewan kicker Brett Lauther made a 46-yard field goal and the score was now 27-20 Hamilton with 13:16 left. Later in the fourth quarter, Hamilton went on a five-play drive for 14 yards resulting in kicker Marc Liegghio making a 41-yard field goal for a 30-20 lead with 5:32 left in the game.
The game got exciting in the last four minutes. Saskatchewan running back A.J. Ouellette carried the ball twice for 19 yards, while quarterback Trevor Harris threw three passes for 25 yards before kicker Brett Lauther made a 34-yard field goal and the score was now 30-23 with 3:44 left.
Late in the fourth quarter, Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Kian Scheffer-Baker with three Hamilton players near him, and the game was tied 30-30 with 42 seconds left.
The turning point of this game came when Hamilton quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell’s pass intended for Tim White went off of White’s hands and was intercepted by C.J. Avery at Hamilton’s 37-yard line with 35 seconds left. Saskatchewan running back A.J. Ouellette carried the ball twice for four yards before kicker Brett Lauther kicked a game-winning 43-yard field goal for a 33-30 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
Final Stats:
Saskatchewan had 400 yards on offense (390 yards passing, 33 yards rushing, -23 yards loss). Quarterback Trevor Harris completed 32 of 45 passes (71%) for 390 yards, and two touchdowns. Running back A.J. Ouellette had 11 carries for 32 yards and made four catches for 27 yards.
Wide receiver Jerreth Sterns made six catches for 112 yards, while Kian Scheffer-Baker made seven catches for 109 yards and two touchdowns. Kicker Brett Lauther made four field goals with a long of 49 yards. Saskatchewan was penalized 11 times for 115 yards, and the defense made 35 tackles, 11 tackles on special teams, one interception, and one fumble recovery.
Hamilton had 410 yards on offense (380 yards passing, 30 yard rushing). Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell played a good game completing 27 of 38 passes (71%) for 380 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. Running back James Butler had 12 carries for 27 yards and made five catches for 40 yards.
Wide receiver Kiondre Smith made six catches for 119 yards, and one touchdown, while Steven Dunbar Jr. made three catches for 73 yards and one touchdown, and Shemar Bridges made six catches for 72 yards, and one touchdown.
Kicker Marc Liegghio made three field goals with a long of 41 yards. Hamilton was penalized nine times for 100 yards. Hamilton’s defense made 43 tackles, eight tackles on special teams, and four sacks.
Final Thoughts:
This was a very entertaining game unless you are a Hamilton fan. In the second half, Hamilton scored 10 points in the second half while the Roughriders scored 13 unanswered points to beat Hamilton.
Hamilton quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell looked like his old self out there. He was making smart decisions with the football and was not trying to force throws that otherwise would’ve been interceptions. He will get his chance for revenge next weekend.
For Saskatchewan, what a comeback. This team did not give up on each other when it looked like the game was over. Everyone wearing a Roughriders jersey should be proud of this comeback win but they better be ready for the rematch next weekend.
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats visit the Saskatchewan Roughriders next Sunday at 7 pm on TSN and CBS Sports Network. Subscribe to Fubo to watch all of the 2024 CFL Season. Purchase CFL tickets today on StubHub and Viagogo.
