REGINA — As the Saskatchewan Roughriders continue to climb up the standings of the CFL’s West Division, quarterback Trevor Harris is adamant the team is not looking ahead at the post-season.
The Riders clinched a playoff berth with a 28-25 victory over the Edmonton Elks on Oct. 5. On Saturday, Saskatchewan secured a home playoff game with an impressive 39-8 victory over the B.C. Lions, extending its winning streak to four games.
The victory improves Saskatchewan’s record to 9-7-1 and puts the Riders three points ahead of the 8-9-0 Lions for second place in the West with one regular-season game remaining for both squads.
The Riders are also still in the running for first place in the division. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers currently are in top spot with a 10-7-0 record. Both teams have their regular-season finale on Oct. 26. If the Bombers lose to the Montreal Alouettes and the Riders defeat the Calgary Stampeders, Saskatchewan would earn top spot.
According to Harris, the Riders aren’t celebrating a lopsided victory or focusing on a post-season run.
“It’s more just about going 1-0 this week. Whether you win by that many or you win by two, that's the same amount of points in the win column. It's just about us making sure we continue to get better," said Harris, who finished 25 of 30 passing for 271 yards and two touchdowns.
"This is not like our arrival. We haven't done anything. We haven't accomplished what we want to yet. We're on our way there but we’ve just got to continue to make sure we're keep climbing this mountain."
The Riders used a tenacious defensive effort to fuel the victory. In the first half, the Riders caused four turnovers on seven B.C. possessions — two interceptions, one fumble and one turnover on downs. The Lions finished the game with six turnovers as they also turned the ball over on downs twice in the second half.
On the second offensive play of the game, Saskatchewan defensive back A.J. Allen intercepted B.C.’s Nathan Rourke and returned the ball 45 yards for a touchdown. It was a bizarre play as Rourke’s pass first deflected off the hands of running back William Stanback, then his heel before getting tipped by Riders defensive backs Rolan Milligan and Deontai Williams. Allen finally caught the ball and sprinted down the sideline for the touchdown.
“It was a crazy play. I was talking to A.J. before the game and I asked him, ‘Are you going to get your first pick today?’ And he was like, 'Yeah, I’m going to get me a pick.’ I was real happy for him. That play gave us a lot of momentum and we were on our way for the rest of the game,” said Riders defensive back Rolan Milligan.
For Riders head coach Corey Mace, Allen’s interception and the six turnovers are result of his players practising what he preaches.
“I think the football gods maybe owed us one or two (on the Allen interception), so we'll take that. It’s just about being around the football. It went off a few guys and A.J. ended up making a heck of a play," said Mace.
"You’ve got to be around the football for good things to happen. We've been talking about that for since the first day, so to see it come to fruition and kind of validates.”
The biggest momentum swing occurred late in the second quarter with the Riders holding a 16-8 lead. Safety Nelson Lokombo forced a fumble with 1:22 left in the quarter, knocking the ball away from B.C. receiver Justin McInnis. The Riders recovered on the Saskatchewan 49-yard line.
Harris then drove the Riders five plays down the field, culminating with an eight-yard touchdown pass to Jerreth Sterns with 21 seconds left in the half.
On the next play from scrimmage, Saskatchewan linebacker C.J. Avery intercepted Rourke, returning the ball 41 yards to the Lions’ 10-yard line with three seconds left on the clock. Brett Lauther then kicked an 18-yard field to increase the Saskatchewan lead to 26-8.
Harris was actually concerned that his touchdown pass to Sterns left too much time on the clock for the Lions.
“I was actually trying to milk the clock down a little bit more, because I wanted the time to be at none by the time we went into halftime. I felt like I left them a couple plays there but fortunately, we're able to get an interception and get three points at the end of the half.
"I'm not sure it made the difference in the game, but it was awesome for us to make sure that we continued to put our foot on the accelerator."
The impact of the turnovers was evident in the offensive numbers at the half, which were relatively equal despite the Riders holding an 18-point lead. In the half, Saskatchewan had 14 first downs and 224 yards of total offence to B.C.’s 11 first downs and 186 yards of total offence.
Kian Schaffer-Baker also had a touchdown catch for the Riders while Lauther finished six-for-six in field goals. Running back A.J. Ouellette returned to the lineup after a stint on the six-game injury list and gained 84 yards on 16 carries.
Saskatchewan receiver Samuel Emilus caught six passes for 94 yards to move him over the 1,000-yard mark for the 2024 season. Emilus, who had 1,097 yards receiving in 2023, has 1,064 yards this season.
David Mackie had a two-yard touchdown run for the Lions. Rourke, who was replaced by Chase Brice in the fourth quarter, was 15 of 23 for 200 yards with two interceptions
UP NEXT
Lions: Host the Montreal Alouettes (11-3-1) on Saturday, Oct. 19.
Saskatchewan: Bye week, then host the Calgary Stampeders (4-11-1) on Saturday, Oct. 26.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 12, 2024.
Jeff DeDekker, The Canadian Press
