The Saskatchewan Roughriders (7-7-1) hosted the Ottawa Redblacks (8-6-1) on Saturday afternoon from Mosaic Stadium. These two teams met in Week 10 where the game ended in a tie. For the third straight week, Ottawa had a chance to clinch a playoff spot and was once again denied.
First Quarter:
Saskatchewan got the ball to start the game on their 39-yard line. Quarterback Trevor Harris began the game by throwing a 12-yard pass to Kian Schaffer-Baker to their 51-yard line. Former Ottawa running back Ryquell Armstead got two carries for four yards and Harris threw two more passes for 28 yards to reach the Redblacks’ 27-yard line. On third down, Saskatchewan kicker Brett Lauther made a 35-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead with 11:09 left of the first quarter.
Ottawa started its first drive of the game from their 40-yard line. Quarterback Jeremiah Masoli completed a four-yard pass to Khalan Laborn to reach their 44-yard line. The drive stalled afterward and Saskatchewan’s offense was back out on the field on their 19-yard line.
Saskatchewan’s offense started strong on their next drive when quarterback Trevor Harris completed two passes for 19 yards while running back Ryquell Armstead rushed for a gain of six yards to reach their 44-yard line. Quarterback Trevor Harris missed a couple of throws bringing up third down. Saskatchewan punter Adam Korsak punted the ball 42 yards to Ottawa returner Tobias Harris. He ran for six yards before running out of bounds at their 30-yard line.
Ottawa running back Khalan Laborn carried the ball twice for 8 yards, while quarterback Jeremiah Masoli completed five passes for 33 yards to reach the Roughriders’ 39-yard line. On third down, Ottawa kicker Lewis Ward attempted a 46-yard field goal.
He missed it wide right where Saskatchewan returner Mario Alford was waiting for the ball. He turned on the jets for a gain of 74 yards giving Saskatchewan excellent field position on their Redblacks’ 44-yard line with 2:15 left.
Saskatchewan running back Ryquell Armstead had two carries for eight yards, backup quarterback Shea Patterson had one carry for two yards, and quarterback Trevor Harris completed two passes for 17 yards to reach the Redblacks’ 17-yard line as the first quarter ended up 3-0.
Saskatchewan had 96 yards on offense (76 yards passing, 20 yards rushing), 7 first downs, no red zone opportunities, and the team did not get any penalties. Quarterback Trevor Harris completed 7 of 9 passes for 76 yards. Ottawa had 45 yards on offense (37 yards passing, 8 yards rushing), three first downs, no red zone opportunities, and the team did not get any penalties.
Second Quarter:
In the second quarter, Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris threw a four-yard pass to Ryquell Armstead on second down to reach the Redblacks’ 13-yard line. Kicker Brett Lauther made a 21-yard field goal for a 6-0 lead with 13:27 left of the second quarter.
Ottawa quarterback Jeremiah Masoli attempted to complete a long pass to Dominique Rhymes but he underthrew him and Saskatchewan defensive back Rolan Milligan Jr. made the interception on their 17-yard line with 13:12 left.
Saskatchewan running back Ryquell Armstead started the next drive with a three-yard run to reach their 20-yard line. On the next play, quarterback Trevor Harris tried to complete a pass to Shawn Bane Jr. but Ottawa defensive back Monshadrik Hunter went low to avoid a collision and hit Bane Jr.’s right knee. Bane Jr. had to be helped off the field. Saskatchewan punted the ball back to Ottawa with 11:22 left from the Roughriders’ 55-yard line.
Ottawa running back Khalan Laborn started the next drive for a one-yard run to the Roughriders’ 54-yard line. On the next play, Ottawa quarterback Jeremiah Masoli’s pass intended for Justin Hardy was intercepted by Marcus Sayles. Sayles returned the interception for 8 yards before he was tackled on the Roughriders’ 43-yard line.
In the next two series, both teams went two-and-out. Saskatchewan had the ball on the Redblacks’ 51-yard line with 7:01 left before halftime. Quarterback Trevor Harris completed an 18-yard pass to Dhel Duncan-Busby to reach the Redblacks’ 33-yard line. Next, running back Ryquell Armstead rushed for a gain of three yards to the Redblacks’ 30-yard line.
On the next play, quarterback Trevor Harris’s pass for KeeSean Johnson was incomplete but an offsides penalty on Ottawa defensive lineman Kene Onyeka moved the ball to the Redblacks’ 25-yard line. Saskatchewan was unable to get the first down. Kicker Brett Lauther made his third field goal of the afternoon for 33 yards extending Saskatchewan’s lead 9-0 with 4:47 left before halftime.
Ottawa quarterback Jeremiah Masoli threw three passes for 40 yards, including a 30-yard pass to Justin Hardy. He also rushed for one yard plus an offsides penalty on Saskatchewan’s Amari Henderson placed the ball on the Roughriders’ 25-yard line.
Ottawa running back Khalan Laborn rushed for a gain of five yards but the drive stalled when Masoli was sacked by Caleb Sanders for a 10-yard loss backing them up to the Roughriders’ 30-yard line. Kicker Lewis Ward made a 37-yard field goal and the Redblacks trailed the Roughriders 9-3 with 1:53 left before halftime.
For the rest of the second quarter, Saskatchewan’s offense had 12 yards and the Ottawa had 26 yards to close out the first half. Saskatchewan led Ottawa 9-3 at halftime.
First Half Stats:
Saskatchewan had 144 yards on offense (108 yards passing, 40 yards rushing, 4 yards lost), 9 first downs, 0 for 1 in the red zone, and the team was penalized one time for five yards. Quarterback Trevor Harris completed 11 of 17 passes (65%) for 108 yards, and one carry for eight yards. Running back Ryquell Armstead had eight carries for 26 yards and made two catches for six yards.
Wide receiver KeeSean Johnson made two catches for 30 yards, and Dhel Duncan-Busby made two catches for 26 yards. Saskatchewan’s defense made one sack, one tackle for loss, and two interceptions.
Ottawa had 116 yards on offense (102 yards passing, 24 yards rushing, 10 yards lost), 7 first downs, 0 for 1 in the red zone, and the team was penalized two times for 10 yards. Quarterback Jeremiah Masoli completed 13 of 16 passes (81.3%) for 102 yards and two interceptions. Running back Khalan Laborn had three carries for 49 yards and made two catches for 22 yards.
Wide receiver Justin Hardy made three catches for 49 yards, while Jaelon Acklin made four catches for 26 yards, and Ottawa’s defense made one sack.
Third Quarter:
Ottawa got the ball to start the third quarter from their 34-yard line. Running back Khalan Laborn gained two yards before the drive stalled. Saskatchewan’s offense started their first possession of the second half from their 48-yard line with 13:25 left.
During the drive, Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris completed four passes for 29 yards, and running back Ryquell Armstead had two carries for six yards to reach the Redblacks’ 28-yard line. On second down, Saskatchewan was called for a procedure penalty, followed by Trevor Harris’s incomplete pass intended for Colton Hunchak. Kicker Brett Lauther made a 41-yard field goal for a 12-3 lead with 9:38 left of the third quarter.
Ottawa quarterback Jeremiah Masoli started the next drive by completing a 9-yard pass to Khalan Laborn. Laborn would also get a carry for one-yard and backup quarterback Dustin Crum had one carry for four yards before the drive stalled on their 54-yard line.
Saskatchewan returner Mario Alford returned a 48-yard punt from Ottawa punter Richie Leone for a 7-yard return running out of bounds to their 15-yard line. On second down, quarterback Trevor Harris was sacked by Lorenzo Mauldin IV for an 8-yard loss backing them up to their 10-yard line. Ottawa returner Tobias Harris returned a 55-yard punt from Saskatchewan punter Adam Korsak for a gain of 8 yards to reach their 55-yard line with 5:14 left of the third quarter.
Quarterback Jeremiah Masoli continued to not make good decisions with the football. On the second play, Masoli’s pass intended for Kalil Pimpleton was intercepted by Adam Auclair at the Roughriders’ 27-yard line. Pimpleton was nowhere near the football when Auclair made the interception.
Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris completed three straight passes for 44 yards to reach the Redblacks’ 39-yard line. He also rushed for a gain of two yards and threw a six-yard pass to Dhel Duncan-Busby. After not getting the first down, kicker Brett Lauther made a 39-yard field goal for a 15-3 lead with 1:20 left of the third quarter. It was Lauther’s fifth goal of the afternoon.
Ottawa’s offense got the ball for the remainder of the third quarter. Quarterback Jeremiah Masoli threw a 27-yard pass to Dominique Rhymes but it was wiped out when Rhymes called for offensive pass interference. On the next, Saskatchewan defensive lineman Anthony Lanier II was called for unnecessary roughness giving Ottawa an automatic first down on the Roughriders’ 44-yard line.
Masoli would complete a 5-yard pass to Kalil Pimpleton and on the final play of the third quarter, Masoli was sacked by Habakkuk Baldonado for a six-yard loss. Ottawa trailed Saskatchewan 15-3.
Fourth Quarter:
In the fourth quarter, Ottawa kicker Lewis Ward made a 53-yard field goal and the Redblacks trailed the Roughriders 15-6 with 14:36 left.
Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris threw two passes for 18 yards before the drive stalled. Ottawa got the ball back on their 20-yard line. Masoli threw a short pass to Justin Hardy. He broke a couple of tackles for a gain of 41 yards to reach the Roughriders’ 49-yard line.
Ottawa got an additional 15 yards on a facemask penalty by Saskatchewan defensive back Marcus Sayles. Two plays later, Masoli threw the ball right between the numbers of Keaton Bruggeling, who could not make the catch. Kicker Lewis Ward came in to kick a 26-yard field goal and the Redblacks trailed the Roughriders 15-9 with 11:20 left of the game.
Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris threw four straight passes for 54 yards, with two of them to Samuel Emilus to reach the Redblacks’ 26-yard line. On the next play, Harris handed the ball off to Thomas Bertrand-Hudon, who made a nice cutback on his way to scoring a 26-yard touchdown. They successfully made a two-point conversion for a 23-9 lead with 7:58 left of the game to cap off a six-play drive for 70 yards.
Ottawa went two-and-out on their drive and Saskatchewan took over from their 23-yard line with 6:32 left of the game. Running back Thomas Bertrand-Hudon rushed up the middle for a four-yard gain. Next, quarterback Trevor Harris threw a 53-yard pass to KeeSean Johnson to reach the Redblacks’ 30-yard line.
Running back Thomas Bertrand-Hudon got two more carries for 24 yards but the drive stalled after Trevor Harris was sacked by Aidan John. Kicker Brett Lauther made a 23-yard field goal for a 26-9 lead with 3:46 left of the game.
Ottawa running back Khalan Laborn and quarterback Jeremiah Masoli combined with two carries logging 23 yards to reach the Roughriders’ 47-yard line. Next, Masoli threw four straight passes for 36 yards moving the ball up to the Roughriders’ 11-yard line. Then, Masoli threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Kalil Pimpleton and the Redblacks trailed the Roughriders 26-15 with 1:56 left of the game.
They attempted an onside kick but Lewis Ward kicked the ball out of bounds giving the Roughriders great field position on Ottawa’s 43-yard line. Saskatchewan went with the running game led by running back Thomas Bertrand-Hudon with four carries for 15 yards and backup quarterback Shea Patterson gained one yard. Kicker Brett Lauther made a 35-yard field goal for a 29-16 lead with 17 seconds left.
In the final seconds, tensions brewed when Saskatchewan defensive back Deontai Williams slammed Ottawa wide receiver Kalil Pimpleton’s head causing pushing and shoving. Once the players were separated, Williams was disqualified from the game. Saskatchewan defeated Ottawa 29-16. With the loss, Ottawa does not clinch a playoff spot and the Montreal Alouettes won the Eastern Division and will host the Eastern Final.
Final Stats:
Saskatchewan had 415 yards on offense (315 yards passing, 121 yards rushing, 21 yards lost), 23 first downs, 0 and 2 from the red zone, and the team was penalized 9 times for 115 yards. Quarterback Trevor Harris completed 27 of 36 passes (75%) for 315 yards. Running back Ryquell Armstead had 10 carries for 32 yards, and made three catches for 14 yards, while Thomas Bertrand-Hudon had 9 carries for 72 yards, and one touchdown.
Wide receiver KeeSean Johnson made six catches for 101 yards, and Dhel Duncan-Busby made seven catches for 92 yards. Kicker Brett Lauther made seven field goals with a long of 41 yards. Saskatchewan’s defense made 37 tackles, one tackle for loss, two sacks, three interceptions, and eight tackles on special teams.
Ottawa had 316 yards on offense (278 yards passing, 54 yards rushing, 16 yards lost), 19 first downs, 1 for 3 in the red zone, and the team was penalized six times for 60 yards. Quarterback Jeremiah Masoli completed 26 of 36 passes (72%) for 278 yards, one touchdown, three interceptions, and one carry for 8 yards. Running back Khalan Laborn had 8 carries for 42 yards and made six catches for 41 yards.
Wide receiver Justin Hardy made five catches for 111 yards, while Kalil Pimpleton made six catches for 45 yards and one touchdown. Kicker Lewis Ward made 3 of 4 field goals with a long of 53 yards. Ottawa’s defense made 55 tackles, one tackle for loss, three sacks, and six tackles on special teams.
Next Saturday, the Saskatchewan Roughriders visit the Edmonton Elks at 7 pm on TSN and CFL+, while the Ottawa Redblacks are on a bye week. Subscribe to Fubo to watch all of the 2024 CFL Season. Purchase CFL tickets today on StubHub and Viagogo.
