REGINA 鈥� Big plays, big drives and big games powered the unbeaten Saskatchewan Roughriders to a 37-18 victory Saturday over the B.C. Lions at Mosaic Stadium.
The big plays included three interceptions by the Saskatchewan defence, highlighted by an 89-yard pick six from Tevaughn Campbell on the final play of the first half. The big drives featured a 10-play, 69-yard scoring drive to start the third quarter to give the Riders control of the CFL contest. And the big games included A.J. Ouellette鈥檚 first 100-yard rushing game for the Riders.
鈥淭he totality of the game, that鈥檚 what we鈥檙e talking about as a team,鈥� said Riders head coach Corey Mace. 鈥淭hat play that ended the first half and then the drive to open the second half, that middle six was super important.鈥�
As the first half was winding down with B.C. trailing 9-7, the Lions appeared poised to take the lead. On a first-down play on the Saskatchewan 29-yard line, Lions quarterback Jeremiah Masoli tried to connect with Keon Hatcher on the far sideline. Campbell jumped the route and had clear sailing to the B.C. end zone. The 89-yard return, coming on the final play of the half, put the Riders on top 16-7.
鈥淚t was a see-ball, get-ball play. I saw the ball floating out there and I didn鈥檛 believe it at first. As soon as it touched my hands, I was like, 鈥榚nd zone, end zone, end zone.鈥� I went to the side and saw Masoli running and I said, 鈥楧amn, I鈥檝e got to run this in.鈥� I was just seeing the end zone,鈥� said Campbell.
鈥淚t was a big momentum change. It was definitely good, it sparked morale on the team. Everyone was pumped after it.鈥�
It was quite the turn of events for the Lions, who appeared to have scored on a 44-yard pass from Masoli to Justin McInnis three plays earlier. However, an offside penalty against McInnis negated the touchdown.
The game鈥檚 next turning point came with the drive to start the second half. Ouellette, who finished the game with 139 yards rushing on 23 carries, capped the drive with a nine-yard run around left end for a touchdown, increasing Saskatchewan鈥檚 lead to 22-7.
A prized free-agent signing last year, Ouellette has faced huge expectations in Saskatchewan. He struggled with injuries last season but he鈥檚 been quite productive this season. In his last three games, Ouellette has rushed for 326 and is providing the Riders with the production they鈥檝e expected.
鈥淗e鈥檚 the man. He got the game ball after the game. He's just again, another guy, and you can say it's about so many guys on our team, but another great teammate, another unselfish teammate," said quarterback Jake Maier, who started his first game for the Riders since coming over in a trade from the Calgary Stampeders in the off-season.
"And when those types of guys produce at an all-star level, like he did tonight, it's a beautiful thing to see. It rallies our team. It makes my life easier. It makes our offensive line鈥檚 life easier. And obviously they did a great job as well to make sure that he was getting to the second level. And once you do that with A.J., he's going to make somebody miss and he had a heck of a game.鈥�
Ouellette was presented with the offensive game ball, which he then passed on to his offensive line. Despite his personal success, Ouellette wanted to talk post-game about the team success.
鈥淚 think no matter who's in there, quarterback, receiver or anything, a good running game is going to help everyone. So that's what we pride ourselves on, especially our running back room, our O-line room, on establishing run and then let the playmakers make plays,鈥� said Ouellette.
Both teams had backup quarterbacks under centre on Saturday, with Maier filling in for Trevor Harris (concussion protocol) and Masoli starting his second consecutive game in place of Nathan Rourke (oblique injury).
The victory improves Saskatchewan鈥檚 record to 4-0, while the Lions drop to 1-3.
The Riders sealed the victory with 11 consecutive points in the fourth quarter, After a single from punter Joe Couch, his second of the game, and Brett Lauther鈥檚 fourth field goal, Maier hit Del Duncan-Busby on a 42-yard touchdown pass with 3:16 left in the game to make the scored 34-10 for the Riders.
The fourth quarter scoring was set up by two interceptions from the Saskatchewan defence with Rolan Milligan and Antoine Brooks making the turnovers.
B.C.'s James Butler scored on a four-yard run with 2:09 left in the game. He then scored the ensuing two-point convert to cut the Saskatchewan lead to 34-18. Butler also eclipsed the 100-yard mark, gaining 115 yards on 15 carries.
Lauther, who struggled in the first three games of the season making just four of eight field goals, kicked his fifth field goal of the game with six seconds left. The kick, from 25 yards, made the scored 37-18.
Maier finished 13 of 23 passing for 170 yards and one touchdown, while Masoli completed 16 of 29 passes for 173 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions.
UP NEXT
Lions: Visit the Montreal Alouettes on Saturday, July 5.
Roughriders: Host the Calgary Stampeders on Friday, July 11.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 28, 2025.
Jeff DeDekker, The Canadian Press
