Roughriders down Redblacks 29-16 to vault over Lions in CFL's West Division

The Saskatchewan Roughriders moved into second place in the CFL's West Division with a 29-16 victory over the Ottawa Redblacks on Saturday.

“I think the last thing you’ll feel from this team is the sense that ‘we’re okay, we’ve won two [games in a row]. There’s none of that. We’re going to push the envelope even harder,” quarterback Trevor Harris told reporters following the game.

The team controls their own destiny if they hope to host a home playoff game come November with three Western opponents remaining on the regular season. 

The Roughriders (7-7-1) reached 15 points and one more than the B.C. Lions (7-8-0) who lost 32-29 in overtime to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Friday.

The Redblacks (8-6-1) rank second in the East Division three points up on the Toronto Argonauts, who were at home to the Montreal Alouettes on Saturday night.

Kicker Brett Lauther led Saskatchewan going 7-for-7 on field goals. The stellar effort from Lauther comes just weeks after he went 3-for-7 in a loss to the Montreal Alouettes and took blame as a main reason for their 27-24 loss back on Aug. 16. But the team did not give up on Lauther, despite Ridernation calling for his dismissal and Saturday’s game proved why they kept the veteran kicker around.

“We got faith in the guys in the room and I love my interactions with fans but I’m not going to listen to everything they’ve said. He’s an incredible kicker for this organization and for a long time. Certainly happy he’s with us. So we counted on him and he did exactly what he was supposed to do. Proud of the guy,” said head coach Corey Mace. 

Thomas Bertrand-Hudon scored the lone touchdown for the Riders on the night when he rushed for 26 yards up the middle into the end zone.

“I just split the gap. I saw a guy coming down pretty hard so I just cut under him. And That was about it,” Bertrand-Hudon said with a smile.

Bertrand-Hudon came into the game in the absence of Ryquell Armstead who was injured in the second half and was seen wearing a sling on his right arm. The team also had a major loss in wide receiver Shawn Bane Jr. who took a hard hit and looked to have injured his knee in the first half. That meant the team had to rely on CFL rookie, Dhel Duncan-Busby even more in the lineup shuffle.

Duncan-Busby went 7-for-7 and 92 yards in his CFL starting debut.

“Honestly, Trevor put it in spots where I could get it and trusted me to get up there. It was a very big [win] especially for confidence. We’re a resilient group. Obviously we had hiccups but everyone was able to step up,” said Duncan-Busby.

Ottawa kicker Lewis Ward produced nine points from his three field goals on four attempts. Kalil Pimpleton caught a touchdown pass for the Redblacks with just under two minutes remaining in the game.

Roughrider quarterback Trevor Harris completed 27 of 36 pass attempts for 315 yards.

Ottawa starter Jeremiah Masoli went 20-for-30 in passing for 210 yards and was intercepted three times.

Ward's two field goals in the fourth quarter narrowed Saskatchewan's lead to 15-9, but the Roughriders regained control with the game's first touchdown.

Harris connected with KeeSean Johnson on a two-point convert to increase the lead to 23-9.

Lauther's sixth field goal added to that lead with four minutes left in the game.

Ottawa responded with its only touchdown when Masoli connected with Pimpleton on an 11-yard scoring pass with 1:56 remaining.

Lauther closed out the contest with his seventh field goal, from 37 yards, with 17 seconds left in the game.

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Both offences struggled in the first half with Saskatchewan picking up 144 yards in total offence to Ottawa's 116.

“Disappointing obviously first half to come up with that many field goals instead of touchdowns. We were able to move the football but just little things allowing us to get off the field when we should be staying on the field and punching it into the endzone,” said Harris. 

Lauther kicked field goals from 35, 33 and 21 yards in the first half, which gave the 'Riders a 9-0 lead before Ward's 37-yarder.

Ward missed a 46-yard field goal attempt late in the first quarter that Saskatchewan's Mario Alford returned 75 yards to the Ottawa 43-yard line.

Alford's return eventually led to Lauther's second field goal of the game.

Masoli had a tough second quarter, tossing interceptions on consecutive possessions.

Rolan Milligan, with his league-leading seventh interception, snared the first. Marcus Sayles, with his fourth pick of the season, produced the second.

Saskatchewan linebacker Adam Auclair also intercepted Masoli in the third quarter.

UP NEXT:

The Roughriders play the Elks on Oct. 5 in Edmonton. The Redblacks have a bye week before an Oct. 14 date with the Alouettes.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 28, 2024.