REGINA — There is no clear favourite in Saturday’s CFL West Division semifinal between the Saskatchewan Roughriders and B.C. Lions, especially given their unusual regular-season series that had both teams recording lopsided victories.
In their first matchup of the season on July 13 in Vancouver, the Lions (9-9) trounced the Riders 35-20. When the Lions travelled to Regina on Oct. 13, the Riders (9-8-1) returned the favour with a 39-9 victory.
When the teams step onto the field at Mosaic Stadium, Riders head coach Corey Mace is expecting to face a motivated Lions squad.
“I’m expecting the best version of them. We talked about that as a team, that stats and records haven’t got anything to do with what's about to get started here," he said.
"Everybody's on a clean slate. You're going to get everybody's best roster. These guys are coming off a bye week and I'm certain that their coaches and their players have been putting in the extra work, so we expect the best version of them, just like we expect the best version of us. So, it's going to be a hell of a game."
The two regular-season games had some distinct differences. In the B.C. victory, the Riders played were missing starting quarterback Trevor Harris with a knee injury. Lions quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. had a monster game, completing 24 of 42 passes for 451 yard while receive Justin McInnis hauled in 14 passes for 243 yards.
In Saskatchewan’s win, Harris was at the helm while the Lions were under the direction of Nathan Rourke, who replaced Adams as the starter. While Rourke struggled, completing 15 of 23 passes for 200 yards with two interceptions, Harris was outstanding, totalling 271 yards and two touchdowns on 25 of 30 passes.
The Lions were also forced into six turnovers by the Riders, including a 48-yard interception return for a touchdown by linebacker A.J. Allen on B.C.’s second offensive play of the game.
Saskatchewan topped the CFL with a plus-26 turnover ratio in 2024, its best ratio since the Riders set their franchise record of plus-27 in 1994. The Riders forced a CFL-best 49 opponent giveaways this season.
For B.C. head coach Rick Campbell, ball security will be vital in Saturday’s game.
“We need to do a good job. We talked about walking the walk, of not just talking about it in practice, of making sure we're securing the ball on offence and making sure on defence were we're trying to get the ball out," he said. "And obviously, Saskatchewan is really good at it, but in any playoff game turnovers are going to be a big factor in it so it’s definitely a point of emphasis for us."
While Campbell was preaching ball protection, Adams, who made 10 stars and finished the season with 16 touchdowns passes and nine interceptions, remains committed to playing his attacking style.
“I’m going to play my game. I can't play timid and not take any shots," he said. "If I have a turnover, I hope my defence will go out there, have my back and get one right back. If they get scored on, we need to have their back and go score and match that. If we're both down, special teams need to show up for us, for both for both sides."
Riders defensive lineman Micah Johnson isn’t surprised that Adams is planning to play aggressively.
“I wouldn't expect VA to do it any other way," Johnson said. "You know, that's him. He's going to attack. He's aggressive with the ball. He believes in his receivers. He'll hang in the pocket and take a hit to deliver the ball downfield. He can manoeuvre around the pocket to extend plays to get the long ball.
"We know that's his DNA. But I'm confident with the whole back end, guys been picking stuff off all year. If that's how they’re going to play, we can play it like that."
The Riders have made one significant change on offence, adding Ryquell Armstead who will join A.J. Ouellette in the backfield. Expectations are high for Ouellette, one of Saskatchewan’s off-season signings, and Armstead, acquired from the Ottawa Redblacks on Sept. 16.
“Since bringing Q in, we knew could be an option for us, either later in the season or the pushing the playoffs. Unfortunately, there are some guys that won’t be able to play this week so we could bring both of them on the roster, but we feel having the option of both those guys on the roster this week players into our favour,” said Mace.
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B.C. LIONS (9-9-0) AT SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS (9-8-1)
Saturday at Mosaic Stadium
HIGH-FLYING RECEIVERS: McInnis led the CFL in receiving yards in 2024, totalling 1,469 yards on 92 receptions. Saskatchewan’s Samuel Emilus eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark for the second time in his career, collecting 1,064 yards on 74 catches. He had 1,097 yards on 70 receptions in 2023.
BATTLE OF THE KICKERS: Sean White of the Lions, who was selected as the West Division nominee for Most Outstanding Special Teams player in 2024, made 50 of 53 field goal attempts with a consecutive streak of 47 in a row. Saskatchewan’s Brett Lauther had his first 200-plus point season in 2024, finishing with 201 points on 39 field goals and three singles. He is a perfect 22-of-22 in the last six games.
FREQUENT PARTICIPANT: The Riders have been active in the West semifinal over the past 22 years. Saturday’s game will be their 15th appearance in the West semifinal since 2002. In the previous 14 appearances, the Riders have an 8-6- record.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published November 1, 2024.
Jeff DeDekker, The Canadian Press