REGINA -- The Saskatchewan Roughriders will have a home game in the Canadian Football League playoffs, and if things go their way in the final week of the regular season, first place in the West Division isn’t out of the question.
The Roughriders defence forced six turnovers, including four in the first quarter, as Saskatchewan went on to a 39-8 victory over the B.C. Lions on Saturday night at Mosaic Stadium.
Saskatchewan improved to 9-7-1 with the win and officially clinched at least second place in the West. Both they and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers have byes next week, but with a Riders win over Calgary and Winnipeg loss in Montreal on Saturday, Oct. 26, Saskatchewan will finish first in the division and automatically advance to the West Final.
The Reaction
Needless to say, Roughriders head coach Corey Mace was exceptionally happy with the win, in no small part due to the fact his troops will now be able to take the field in a playoff game in front of their own rabid supporters.
“It means so much just for our fan base,” he said on the CKRM Rider Radio post-game show.
“We know competitively what it means to us to have that fan base going crazy, specifically when the defence is on the field, the competitive advantage for us is next level. I would argue that this is the best fan base in the league, so I’m just incredibly happy for us to be able to do what we do and be able to defend our turf and have our fans there firsthand. I’m really pleased with that.”
As for how the game played out, Mace felt it was one of the most connected of the season, with all three phases of the game contributing at different points and taking advantage of the opportunities created.
“That was the first time I thought we played three phases of complimentary football,” he said. “Just all the little things, the details stuff we talked about, I was really pleased. As a staff, we preached it all week, so I’m really happy with the fellas out there, and if we can accomplish this each week, the game should look more and more like that.”
Of course, it was the defence that attracted the most attention even with the 39 points going up on the board. The six turnovers boosted Saskatchewan’s league-leading turnover ratio to plus-25, more than 15 points better than the second-best team in the CFL.
That kind of performance has essentially become a team philosophy, Mace explained, and will continue to be key going forward.
“I think it’s just muscle memory, getting it done throughout the week of practice, and we just talk about it all the time,” Mace said. “Obsession for possession, man, and it’s not just the defence. You talk about the turnover ratio, the offence is doing a pretty good job of taking care of it as well. So obsession for possession.”
The contest also marked the first game back for standout running back A.J. Oullette, who had missed the previous six games as he recovered from a hip injury. He lived up to his pedigree and was effective any time the Riders needed him to be, finishing with 16 carries for 84 yards to anchor the ground game.
“I was really keeping an eye on how he looked physically and I thought he looked great,” Mace said. “We’re really pleased to have him out there and I know he’s happy as ever.”
The Game
The Roughriders couldn’t have asked for a better start to the game, and it was a bizarre play that made it happen.
Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke sent a short pass to the sideline for William Stanbeck, but the B.C. running back would bobble the ball and have it juggle around right into the hands of Saskatchewan’s A.J. Allen. He’d rumble 48 yards all the way into the Lions’ end zone for the game’s first touchdown only 1:01 into the proceedings.
B.C. got on the board on their next possession, thanks to a 56-yard punt into the end zone by Stefan Flintoft for a single point.
The Riders came right back down with a 45-yard field goal by Brett Lauther on their next series, making it a 10-1 game with 6:28 gone.
Lauther struck again with a minute left in the first quarter, capping off a 10-play drive with a 53-yard field goal.Oullette had a couple of big carries to extend the drive as the Riders aimed to establish their ground game.
Rourke put together a solid drive of his own on the next B.C. trip down the field, taking 11 plays to cover 70 yards before Sean Whyte ran in from two yards out for the Lions’ first major to cut the lead to 13-8.
Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris had an immediate response, throwing together an eight-play, 66-yard drive that ended with a 12-yard Lauther field goal with 5:44 to play in the half.
The Roughriders defence came up huge on B.C.’s next three possessions, first stuffing Lions running back David Mackie on a third-and-two from the Saskatchewan 20 to get a crucial turnover on downs.
Nelson Lokombo then forced a fumble on a catch by B.C.’s Justin McInnis, leading to C.J. Reavis recovering the ball at the Riders 33 with 1:21 to play in the half.
Harris promptly engineered a five-play drive for Saskatchewan’s second major, with Jerreth Sterns hauling in a six-yard pass for the touchdown. Samuel Emilus had the big play in the drive with a 37-yard catch down the sideline to get Saskatchewan into the red zone.
Reavis then struck again as time ran down in the half, picking off Rourke and getting the ball down to the B.C. 10-yard line with three seconds remaining. A Lauther chip shot later, and the Riders had a 26-8 lead at the half.
B.C. attempted an onside kick to open the second half, giving the Roughriders great field position, and they’d march the ball down to the Lions 14 before Lauther kicked a 22-yarder for his fifth field goal of the game.
Saskatchewan then made it a 36-8 game with 6:13 to play in the third quarter when Kian Schaffer-Baker finished off a nine-play, 65-yard drive by hauling in a pass in traffic in the B.C. end zone.
The points continued to add up for the Riders in the first minute of the fourth quarter, with Lauther hitting from 43 yards as his impressive day continued.
That would mark the end of scoring in the contest, and Saskatchewan had their 31-point win.
The Stats
As one might expect, Harris once again had solid numbers, completing 25 of 30 passes for 271 yards and two majors while also continuing his streak of interception-free games.
Emilus led the receiving corps with six catches for 94 yards, while Ouellette had 16 carries for 84 yards to anchor the ground game.
Saskatchewan finished with 369 total yards offence.
Rourke was 15-for-23 for 200 yards, while replacement Chase Brice was 9-for-14 for 92 yards.
McInnis caught six catches for 119 yards, and the Riders defence stifled the Lions running game, holding Stanback to only 35 yards on eight carries.
B.C. recorded 334 yards of offence.
