Roughriders use strong second half to top Lions in Western Semi-Final

REGINA — 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 semifinal.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 2, 2024.