2:31 p.m.
Some bad news for anyone looking to get a last minute ticket at the gate: the Roughriders announced this morning that the game is officially sold out!
2:19 p.m.
The Roughriders have had nothing but luck all season long when it comes to the weather, but that changes today. It's going to be a chilly one, folks, but admittedly not as bad as it could be in early November.
Temperature at kick-off is expected to be around -8 C, with a slight breeze dropping the windchill to -11 C. Fortunately, there's no snow in the forecast, but it will be mainly cloudy.
2:17 p.m.
You can catch all the pregame action on the Riders Broadcast Network and SportsCage.com. Teagan Witko, Justin Dunk and Wes Cates will have all the news and insights, with Dave Thomas and Luc Mullinder bringing you the game call at 5:30 p.m.!
2:15 p.m.
It’s time.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders. The B.C. Lions. The Canadian Football League. The Western Final. Mosaic Stadium.
Let the madness begin.
The Roughriders finished the regular season with a 12-6 record and in first place overall in the CFL, receiving a bye through to the West Final in the process. As a result, they had the last week off and a chance to rest, repair and rejuvenate for the biggest game of the season thus far.
The Lions ended up going through an absolute battle in the Western Semifinal, putting together a drive in the final 30 seconds before Sean Whyte kicked the game-winning field goal on the final play of the game. They come into the FInal with some question marks on their roster, as we’ll look at below.
The Roughriders hold a 2-1 lead in the season series, though only the second game of the three meetings between the teams could be considered a match-up of their rosters.
Saskatchewan took a 37-18 win at home on June 28, but standout quarterback Nathan Rourke was battling injury and didn’t see action in the contest.
The teams then met on July 19 in B.C., and the Riders roared out to a big lead before the Lions closed ground in the second half, with Saskatchewan holding on for a 33-27 win.
The final meeting came a couple weeks ago on Oct. 25, and thanks to the Riders having locked down their Western Final spot, their starters played sparingly after the first quarter. B.C., on the other hand, was playing for playoff position, and they’d pull out a 27-21 victory.
Saskatchewan’s depth chart: The extra week of rest proved to be an absolute boon for the Riders, as they were able to see no less than 12 players return to the line-up from their season finale. Some had been resting against the Lions, but a handful came off of lengthy injuries to get back on the roster.
Trevor Harris gets the start at quarterback and is coming of arguably the best season of his career. He completed 348 of 473 passes for 4,549 yards, 24 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Harris finished second in the CFL in quarterback efficiency with a 110.7 rating.
Running back A.J, Ouellette also had a career year and finished second in CFL rushing with 248 carries for 1,222 yards and eight touchdowns. Dohnte Meyers leads the receiving corps, returning to the line-up after missing the last three games. He had 65 catches for 1,056 yards and team-best eight touchdowns. The Riders will be without fellow 1,000-yard receiver KeeSean Johnson as he recovers from a knee injury.
Linebacker A.J. Allen leads the defence with 91 tackles, including four sacks, to go along with four interceptions. Defensive end Malik Carney led the sack attack with eight, while Tevaughn Campbell was tops with six interceptions, tied for first in the CFL.
B.C.’s depth chart: Nathan Rourke continued to do Nathan Rourke things all season long, and ended up with another incredible season. He completed 352 of 500 passes for 5,290 yards, 31 touchdowns and 16 interceptions, with his 112.2 efficiency sitting at the top of the CFL.
A major question heading into the contest is the ground game. Running back James Butler suffered an ankle injury in the season finale against the Riders and saw limited production in the Western Semifinal. He’s a game time decision today.
If he can go, Butler will be dangerous, as he ran 229 times for 1213 yards, third in the CFL just behind Ouellette. He also racked up 11 majors, tied for tops in the CFL.
Keon Hatcher and Justin McInnis give B.C. a lethal one-two punch at receiver. Hatcher led the CFL with 102 catches for 1,688 yards and also had nine touchdowns; McInnis was third in the CFL with 76 catches for 1,256 yard and seven majors.
Middle linebacker Micah Awe led all CFL tacklers with 117 while defensive end Mathieu Betts was tops in the league with 15 sacks. Robert Carter Jr. is their top ball hawk with five interceptions, sixth best in the CFL.
