Saskatchewan Roughriders whip B.C. Lions 39-8, clinch home playoff game

As the Saskatchewan Roughriders proceed to ascent up the standings of the CFL’s West Division, backmost Trevor Harris is adamant the squad is not looking up astatine the post-season.

The Riders clinched a playoff berth with a 28-25 triumph implicit the Edmonton Elks connected Oct. 5. On Saturday, Saskatchewan secured a location playoff crippled with an awesome 39-8 triumph implicit the B.C. Lions, extending its winning streak to 4 games.

The triumph improves Saskatchewan’s grounds to 9-7-1 and puts the Riders 3 points up of the 8-9-0 Lions for 2nd spot successful the West with 1 regular-season crippled remaining for some squads.

The Riders are besides inactive successful the moving for archetypal spot successful the division.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers presently are successful apical spot with a 10-7-0 record. Both teams person their regular-season finale connected Oct. 26. If the Bombers suffer to the Montreal Alouettes and the Riders decision the Calgary Stampeders, Saskatchewan would gain apical spot.

According to Harris, the Riders aren’t celebrating a lopsided triumph oregon focusing connected a post-season run.

“It’s much conscionable astir going 1-0 this week. Whether you triumph by that galore oregon you triumph by two, that’s the aforesaid magnitude of points successful the triumph column. It’s conscionable astir america making definite we proceed to get better,” said Harris, who finished 25 of 30 passing for 271 yards and 2 touchdowns.

The Riders utilized a tenacious antiaircraft effort to substance the victory. In the archetypal half, the Riders caused 4 turnovers connected 7 B.C. possessions — 2 interceptions, 1 fumble and 1 turnover connected downs.

The Lions finished the crippled with six turnovers arsenic they besides turned the shot implicit connected downs doubly successful the 2nd half.

On the 2nd violative play of the game, Saskatchewan antiaircraft backmost A.J. Allen intercepted B.C.’s Nathan Rourke and returned the shot 45 yards for a touchdown.

It was a bizarre play arsenic Rourke’s walk archetypal deflected disconnected the hands of moving backmost William Stanback, past his bottommost earlier getting tipped by Riders antiaircraft backs Rolan Milligan and Deontai Williams. Allen yet caught the shot and sprinted down the sideline for the touchdown.

“It was a brainsick play. I was talking to A.J. earlier the crippled and I asked him, ‘Are you going to get your archetypal prime today?’ And helium was like, ‘Yeah, I’m going to get maine a pick.’ I was existent blessed for him. That play gave america a batch of momentum and we were connected our mode for the remainder of the game,” said Riders antiaircraft backmost Rolan Milligan.

For Riders caput manager Corey Mace, Allen’s interception and the six turnovers are effect of his players practising what helium preaches.

“I deliberation the shot gods possibly owed america 1 oregon 2 (on the Allen interception), truthful we’ll instrumentality that. It’s conscionable astir being astir the football. It went disconnected a fewer guys and A.J. ended up making a heck of a play,” said Mace.

“You’ve got to beryllium astir the shot for bully things to happen. We’ve been talking astir that for since the archetypal day, truthful to spot it travel to fruition and benignant of validates.”

The biggest momentum plaything occurred precocious successful the 2nd 4th with the Riders holding a 16-8 lead. Safety Nelson Lokombo forced a fumble with 1:22 near successful the quarter, knocking the shot distant from B.C. receiver Justin McInnis. The Riders recovered connected the Saskatchewan 49-yard line.

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Harris past drove the Riders 5 plays down the field, culminating with an eight-yard touchdown walk to Jerreth Sterns with 21 seconds near successful the half.

On the adjacent play from scrimmage, Saskatchewan linebacker C.J. Avery intercepted Rourke, returning the shot 41 yards to the Lions’ 10-yard enactment with 3 seconds near connected the clock. Brett Lauther past kicked an 18-yard tract to summation the Saskatchewan pb to 26-8.

Harris was really acrophobic that his touchdown walk to Sterns near excessively overmuch clip connected the timepiece for the Lions.

“I was really trying to beverage the timepiece down a small spot more, due to the fact that I wanted the clip to beryllium astatine nary by the clip we went into halftime. I felt similar I near them a mates plays determination but fortunately, we’re capable to get an interception and get 3 points astatine the extremity of the half.

“I’m not definite it made the quality successful the game, but it was awesome for america to marque definite that we continued to enactment our ft connected the accelerator.”

The interaction of the turnovers was evident successful the violative numbers astatine the half, which were comparatively adjacent contempt the Riders holding an 18-point lead. In the half, Saskatchewan had 14 archetypal downs and 224 yards of full offence to B.C.’s 11 archetypal downs and 186 yards of full offence.

Kian Schaffer-Baker besides had a touchdown drawback for the Riders portion Lauther finished six-for-six successful tract goals. Running backmost A.J. Ouellette returned to the lineup aft a stint connected the six-game wounded database and gained 84 yards connected 16 carries.

Saskatchewan receiver Samuel Emilus caught six passes for 94 yards to determination him implicit the 1,000-yard people for the 2024 season. Emilus, who had 1,097 yards receiving successful 2023, has 1,064 yards this season.

David Mackie had a two-yard touchdown tally for the Lions. Rourke, who was replaced by Chase Brice successful the 4th quarter, was 15 of 23 for 200 yards with 2 interceptions

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Lions: Host the Montreal Alouettes (11-3-1) connected Saturday, Oct. 19.

Saskatchewan: Bye week, past big the Calgary Stampeders (4-11-1) connected Saturday, Oct. 26.