Roughriders advance to West Division final with 28-19 win over B.C. Lions

In their first Canadian Football League playoff game at home since 2021, the Saskatchewan Roughriders defeated the B.C. Lions 28-19 on Saturday in the West Division semi-final.

“Had a good time out there. That’s what it’s supposed to be out there, to be fun. I felt like we were loose going into the game and obviously left some stuff out there," quarterback, Trevor Harris told reporters.

"Could have been better, but playoffs are about survive and advance and we did that."

The Riders will now travel to Winnipeg to take on the first-place Blue Bombers in the West Division final on Nov. 9. The winner of that game advances to the Grey Cup on Nov. 17 in Vancouver.

"The job is not finished. We’ve won one game in playoffs so this is far from what we’re wanting to accomplish but we needed to get this one tonight," said Harris.

Holding a 20-19 lead in the fourth quarter, the Riders made it a nine-point game when Jerreth Sterns grabbed a 13-yard scoring pass from Trevor Harris with 3:30 gone in the frame. A two-point convert, with Harris connecting with KeeSean Johnson, made the score 28-19 for Saskatchewan.

The Riders sealed the victory with interceptions on consecutive B.C. possessions. Safety Nelson Lokombo grabbed his first CFL interception with four minutes remaining and defensive back Rolan Milligan Jr. slammed the door with a pick in the Saskatchewan end zone with 47 seconds left in the game.

"It feels great to get the win in front of Rider Nation and then to get my first pick means a lot. I’ve been through a lot so glad to have been in that position to be able to make a play," Lokombo shared.

"I was amped up today, I don’t really know what it was but just to be able to close the game out and get to the next round it’s amazing. I’m proud of my guys for fighting the whole game," Milligan added.

A 17-yard field goal by Sean White one minute into the fourth quarter had cut the Riders lead to 20-19.

Whyte narrowed the Saskatchewan lead to 20-16 with a 36-yard field goal with 5:38 left in the third quarter. He had a chance to cut the lead further minutes later but his 38-yard attempt hit the right upright for a miss.

It was a rare miss for Whyte, who made 50 of 53 field goal attempts during the regular season with a consecutive made streak of 47 in a row.

But the wind played a major role for both sides in Saturday’s matchup.

"It was crazy," Mace exclaimed. "Looking at the pre-game we were thinking about what to do if we won the toss. Everyone was telling us that the wind should die down by the fourth quarter but I don’t know, I might be a weather guy after my coaching career, because you could be 100 per cent wrong."

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A.J. Ouellette put the Riders up 20-13 at the 9:38 mark of the third quarter with his second touchdown of the game. The Saskatchewan running back took a handoff deep in the backfield, swept to the left and cut through the line. He broke one tackle and then rumbled to the end zone untouched.

The Lions got off on the right foot with a touchdown on their opening possession of the game. Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. completed four of five passes for 85 yards on the seven-play drive which culminated in a 56-yard touchdown pass to Jevon Cottoy.

Cottoy took a short pass on the left seam and sprinted between two Saskatchewan defensive backs en route to the end zone. Whyte, who made 36 of 38 converts during the regular season, missed the point after attempt.

The Riders took a 13-6 lead on two field goals by Brett Lauther and a one-yard touchdown run by Ouellette.

"I asked A.J. how he was feeling before the previous B.C. game and he said 'I’m feeling good. They didn’t pay me to come here and run in June and July. They did so I could run in October and November.' I was like this guy’s freakin’ ready," Harris said with a smirk when asked about Ouellette’s strong run game performance.

Lions receiver Justin McInnis, who led the CFL in receiving with 1,469 yards on 92 receptions, had a slow start and didn't make his first catch of the game until the 2:35 mark of the second quarter. McInnis, who hauled in 14 passes for 243 yards in a 35-20 victory over the Riders on July 13, followed up with an 11-yard touchdown reception with 38 seconds left in the first half to tie the game at 13-13.

"They got a score right before half. I’ve been on teams where that takes the wind out of the sails. Honestly even with a tie game, but the guys rallied together. We challenged those guys to stand up and steal the possession back and they did," Mace said.

Now the team will turn the page to Winnipeg and the West-Final.

“I think it’s the matchup everybody that follows the West really wants to see is Winnipeg/Sask. They’ve been the big dogs for the last five years. I think it’s only right that we go to Princess Auto Stadium and play there," Harris explained.

"They’ve earned it so let’s tee it up and let’s go play ball."

-With files from The Canadian Press