The Saskatchewan Roughriders (9-8) hosted the B.C. Lions (8-8-1) on Saturday night from Mosaic Stadium for the final time of the season. In this game, the winner clinched a home playoff game. The two teams last met in Week 6 with the Lions beating the Roughriders 35-20.
That game was on the minds of the Saskatchewan players and they made sure to not lose to the Lions again. Instead, they did more than beat them, they annihilated them.
First Quarter:
B.C. got the ball to start the game on their 40-yard line. On the second play of the game, quarterback Nathan Rourke’s pass hit the heel of William Stanback and was intercepted by A.J. Allen for a pick-six 48-yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead with 13:34 left of the first quarter.
B.C.’s offense was back out for their second possession of the game starting on their 47-yard line. Quarterback Nathan Rourke completed two passes for 17 yards to reach the Roughriders’ 46-yard line. On third down, B.C. punter Sean Flintoft punted the ball 56 yards into the end zone and out of bounds for a single point. B.C. trailed Saskatchewan 7-1 with 11:42 left.
Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris started their first series of the game by completing three passes for 31 yards. Next, running back A.J. Ouellette rushed for a gain of two yards to reach the Lions’ 37-yard line before kicker Brett Lauther made a 45-yard field goal for a 10-1 lead with 8:28 left of the first quarter.
B.C. started their next drive from their 40-yard line. Running back William Stanback rushed for a gain of five yards, followed by quarterback Nathan Rourke completing a 13-yard pass to Stanley Berryhill III to reach the Roughriders’ 52-yard line.
On the next play, Saskatchewan’s defense put pressure on Rourke with defensive lineman Caleb Sanders sacking Rourke for an 8-yard loss. Then, Nathan Rourke completed a 10-yard pass to William Stanback but they were short of the first down and punted the ball back to Saskatchewan.
Saskatchewan had the ball on their 26-yard line. Running back A.J. Ouellette started the drive with two carries for 16 yards to reach their 40-yard line. Next, quarterback Trevor Harris completed a 10-yard pass to Jerreth Sterns to reach their 52-yard line.
Saskatchewan’s offense continued to march down the field reaching the Lions’ 45-yard line before kicker Brett Lauther made a 53-yard field goal for a 13-1 lead with 29 seconds left.
On the last two plays for B.C., quarterback Nathan Rourke completed two passes for 16 yards to reach the Roughriders’ 54-yard line down 13-1 to end the first quarter.
Saskatchewan had 77 yards on offense (48 yards passing, 29 yards rushing), five first downs, no red zone opportunities, and the team was penalized one time for five yards. Quarterback Trevor Harris completed 5 of 7 passes for 48 yards.
B.C. had 58 yards on offense (56 yards passing, 10 yards rushing, 8 yards lost), three first downs, no red zone opportunities, and no penalties. Quarterback Nathan Rourke completed 6 of 8 passes for 56 yards.
Second Quarter:
In the second quarter, B.C.’s offense continued to march down to the Roughriders’ two-yard line. On the next play, B.C. fullback David Mackie scored a two-yard touchdown and B.C. trailed Saskatchewan 13-8 with 10:37 left of the second quarter to cap off an 11-play drive for 70 yards.
Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris began the next drive by throwing six consecutive passes for 75 yards to reach the Lions’ four-yard line. After two incomplete passes, kicker Brett Lauther made a chip shot 12-yard field goal for a 16-8 lead with 5:44 left before halftime.
B.C.’s offense was back out on the field starting from their 40-yard line. Quarterback Nathan Rourke threw a nine-yard pass to William Stanback, followed by David Mackie’s four-yard run to reach their 53-yard line.
B.C. continued to move the ball up to the Roughriders’ 19-yard line. On 3rd and 2, B.C. fullback David Mackie was met by Saskatchewan defensive lineman Caleb Sanders for a one-yard loss and a turnover on down with 2:23 left before halftime.
Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris completed a short pass to Samuel Emilus for nine yards, followed by running back A.J. Ouellette carrying the ball twice for 7 yards but were short of the first down and punted the ball back to the B.C.’s 32-yard line with 1:21 left.
On the first play for B.C., quarterback Nathan Rourke threw a high pass to Justin McInnis, who was met by Nelson Lokombo with a hit losing the ball in the process and it was recovered by C.J. Reavis on their 49-yard line.
Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris completed two passes for 45 yards plus an offsides penalty by Jonah Tavai placed the ball on the Lions’ 11-yard line. Two plays later, Harris threw a six-yard touchdown pass to Jerreth Sterns for a 23-8 lead with 21 seconds left capping off a five-play drive for 61 yards.
With 15 seconds left, B.C. quarterback Nathan Rourke’s pass was intercepted by C.J. Avery. He returned the interception for 41 yards to reach the Lions’ 10-yard line with three seconds left. Kicker Brett Lauther kicked an 18-yard field goal for a 26-8 lead at halftime.
First Half Stats:
Saskatchewan had 224 yards on offense (183 yards passing, 41 yards rushing), 14 first downs, 1 for 3 in the red zone, and the team was penalized two times for 10 yards. Quarterback Trevor Harris completed 15 of 19 passes (79%) for 183 yards, and one touchdown. Running back A.J. Ouellette had eight carries for 39 yards and two catches for seven yards.
Wide receiver Samuel Emilus made five catches for 77 yards, while Jerreth Sterns made four catches for 42 yards and one touchdown. Saskatchewan’s defense made one tackle for loss, one sack, and four turnovers including two interceptions, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
B.C. had 186 yards on offense (154 yards passing, 40 yards rushing, 8 yards lost), 11 first downs, 1 for 2 in the red zone, and the team was penalized one time for five yards. Quarterback Nathan Rourke completed 13 of 18 passes (72%) for 154 yards and two interceptions. Running back William Stanback had six carries for 32 yards and three catches for 30 yards.
Wide receiver Justin McInnis made three catches for 53 yards, while Stanley Berryhill III made three catches for 29 yards. B.C.’s defense made 25 tackles.
Third Quarter:
Saskatchewan got the ball to start the second half from the Lions’ 41-yard line. Running back A.J. Ouellette began the drive by running for seven yards to reach the Lions’ 34-yard line. Next, quarterback Trevor Harris completed an 8-yard pass to Jerreth Sterns, followed by another carry from Ouellette for 18 yards to reach the Lions’ 8-yard line. After two failed attempts to get into the end zone, kicker Brett Lauther made a 22-yard field goal for a 29-8 lead with 11:39 left.
The B.C. Lions went two-and-out on their first possession of the second half, and Saskatchewan took over from their 37-yard line. Saskatchewan running back A.J. Ouellette started the drive with a six-yard run to reach their 43-yard line. On the next play, quarterback Trevor Harris’s pass intended for Kian Schaffer-Baker was incomplete but a defensive pass interference penalty on Ronald Kent Jr. placed the ball on the Lions’ 49-yard line.
They continued to march down the field up to the Lions’ 8-yard line before quarterback Trevor Harris threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to Kian Schaffer-Baker for a 36-8 lead with 6:10 left of the third quarter capping off an eight-play drive for 73 yards.
B.C. quarterback Nathan Rourke started the next drive with a five-yard run, followed by two straight completions for 46 yards to reach the Roughriders’ 22-yard line. On third down, Rourke’s pass intended for Ayden Eberhardt was incomplete and Saskatchewan took over on their 17-yard line with 3:42 left of the third quarter.
Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris completed five passes for 47 yards, and running back Thomas Bertrand-Hudon rushed for a gain of three yards to reach the Lions’ 34-yard line to end the third quarter up 36-8.
Fourth Quarter:
In the fourth quarter, Saskatchewan kicker Brett Lauther made a 43-yard field goal for a 39-8 lead with 13:56 left of the game. With the game out of reach, Chase Brice was the new quarterback for the B.C. Lions. On the second play, he completed a 7-yard pass to Ayden Eberhardt to reach their 45-yard line short of the first down.
Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris made one more appearance in the game completing an 11-yard pass to KeeSean Johnson, and running back A.J. Ouellette had two carries for three yards to reach the Lions’ 49-yard line. Shea Patterson was the new quarterback for Saskatchewan. His pass intended for KeeSean Johnson was incomplete forcing third down with 9:48 left of the game.
B.C. quarterback Chase Brice was making the most of his opportunity on the next drive by completing five passes for 65 yards to reach the Roughriders’ 38-yard line. That was all he would get as the Lions went three-and-out afterward.
For the rest of this game, both teams made more substitutions. Both teams did not do much the rest of the way and the Saskatchewan Roughriders defeated the B.C. Lions 39-8 to clinch a home playoff game. The win also gives them a chance to clinch a bye in the Western Final.
Final Stats:
Saskatchewan had 369 yards on offense (271 yards passing, 104 yards rushing, 6 yards lost), 25 first downs, 2 for 5 in the red zone, and the team was penalized two times for 10 yards. Quarterback Trevor Harris completed 25 of 30 passes (83%) for 271 yards, and two touchdowns. Running back A.J. Ouellette had 16 carries for 84 yards and two catches for seven yards.
Wide receiver Samuel Emilus made six catches for 94 yards, while Jerreth Sterns made six catches for 60 yards, and one touchdown. Saskatchewan kicker Brett Lauther made 6 of 6 field goals with a long of 53 yards. Saskatchewan’s defense made 39 tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack, two interceptions, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, three turnovers on downs, and made eight tackles on special teams.
B.C. had 334 yards on offense (292 yards passing, 50 yards rushing, 8 yards lost), 19 first downs, 1 for 2 in the red zone, and the team was penalized four times for 53 yards. Quarterback Nathan Rourke completed 15 of 23 passes (65.2%) for 200 yards, two interceptions, and one carry for five yards, while Chase Brice completed 9 of 14 passes (64.3%) for 92 yards.
Running back William Stanback had eight carries for 35 yards, and David Mackie had four carries for eight yards and one touchdown. Wide receiver Justin McInnis made six catches for 119 yards, while Ayden Eberhardt made four catches for 44 yards. B.C.’s defense made 48 tackles, one tackle for loss, one sack, and five tackles on special teams.
Next week, the B.C. Lions host the Montreal Alouettes on Saturday at 7 pm on TSN and CFL+, while the Saskatchewan Roughriders are on a bye. Subscribe to Fubo to watch all of the 2024 CFL Season. Purchase CFL tickets today on StubHub.
