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LIVE BLOG: Western Semi-Final Saskatchewan Roughriders at B.C. Lions

By Randy Palmer Oct 31, 2026 | 12:23 PM

4:41 p.m.
Riders miss two tackles when Rourke is basically standing still, and then another when he gets downfield. Utterly embarrassing. Lions are up to the Riders 34.

4:36 p.m.
Now the Riders offence is getting predictable, as they keep throwing swing passes and the Lions stuff them immediately. An incompletion over the middle later, the Riders punt, B.C. ball on their own 25 at the end of the third quarter. Whole lot is going to have to change and quick if the Riders are going to pull this out.

4:34 p.m.
Sexton has a great return, and this time no penalties. Riders on the B.C. 51 to start this drive.

4:33 p.m.
Seriously, folks. Literally every issue that plagued the Riders defence in their late-season skid is coming to bear here in the second half. Giving up massive plays for touchdowns, missing tackle after tackle after tackle… if they lose, it's on them as much as it is the Lions doing anything.

4:31 p.m.
Touchdown Lions. Cottoy catches a pass over the middle for the walk-in touchdown. Six plays, 70 yards 27-23 B.C. with 1:33 to go in the third quarter.

4:30 p.m.
McInnis catches a short pass and the Riders miss three tackles, up to the Riders 13.

4:29 p.m.
A blitz and two missed tackles on a short pass and Horvath gets the first down up to the Riders 26.

4:27 p.m.
Rourke avoids the rush and rolls outside and finds Hatcher for 32 yards up to the Riders 38.

4:26 p.m.
And the drive stalls there after another first down run is stopped at the line and a short pass is stopped short of the first down. Lauther hits a 33-yard field goal for his fifth of the night. 23-20 Saskatchewan with 5:36 to play, but the late season issues of being unable to finish drives with majors is starting to loom large.

4:22 p.m.
For all the talk of the Riders being able to run at will all game, that's sure drying up quick as the game progresses. Saskatchewan stuffed on back-to-back first down runs, but DDB comes up big with a catch over the middle up to the B.C. 33

4:17 p.m.
Touchdown Lions. Riders bring a huge blitz and Rourke finds Cottoy with a quick pass for a 70-yard touchdown pass and run. Saskatchewan just can't stop the big plays, and now they're in trouble. 20-20 with 9:42 left in the third quarter.

4:11 p.m.
Harris sacked for a loss of six yards, and Mace challenges for roughing the passer. It's marginal at best, and the replay centre agrees. Riders lose their timeout, Lauther has a 34 yard field goal. Right down the middle, 23-13 Saskatchewan with 10:23 to play in the third quarter. 

4:09 p.m.
A holding penalty pushes the Riders back to the 20, but AJ gets 10 back on a screen on the next play.

4:08 p.m.
Quick pass to DDB and he fights for the first down into the red zone at the 20.

4:06 p.m.
Catch by Emilus and the Riders are up to the Lions 32.

4:04 p.m.
Riders get the ball to start the second half and thanks to a facemask penalty on the tackle on Sexton they start on the B.C. 50.

3:46 p.m.
Absolutely fantastic start by the Riders, and if not for two big plays by B.C. and that final minute drive, this is a completely different game. Going to be interesting to see what happens in the second half — and which teams adjustments will be superior.

3:45 p.m.
Riders finally get a stop and Whyte has a 48-yard field goal attempt. It's good. 17-13 Saskatchewan at halftime.

3:43 p.m.
Three complete passes and Lions are up to the Riders 51, and a drop on the next play by Hatcher is dropped. Quite the final minute collapse here by Saskatchewan. 

3:42 p.m.
Riders get up to their 45 and are punting. B.C. ball on the 28 with 50 seconds remaining in the half.

3:37 p.m.
Ooof. Campbell blasts Hatcher on a second down pass and the Lions are punting. Riders ball on their own 26. No damage from that pick. 2:03 left in the half.

3:35 p.m.
Butler has a 15-yard run to get up to midfield with 2:34 remaining in the half.

3:34 p.m.
Interception Lions. Carter snares a pass intended for Emilus and B.C. gets the ball back on their own 40.

3:31 p.m.
Short run and catch by KeeSean and the Riders are over midfield to the B.C. 51 at the three-minute warning.

3:29 p.m.
And one pass to KeeSean and they're up to their own 43.

3:26 p.m.
Riders get the ball on their own nine after another special teams holding penalty.

3:23 p.m.
Touchdown Lions. And there it is, you knew it was coming. Rourke avoids a pair of tackles while scrambling and Berryhill gets wide open and walks into the end zone. Two plays, 70 yards, 17-10 with 4:38 to play in the first half.

3:22 p.m.
B.C. starts from their own 40 to start their next drive.

3:20 p.m.
TOUCHDOWN ROUGHRIDERS! Guess what, it's Tommy Time, and Steven just blasts through up the middle for the major! Two point convert is good, catch by Emilus. Six plays, 49 yards, 17-3 Saskatchewan with six minutes to go in the half.

3:18 p.m.
KSB has a first down catch to the Lions four.

3:17 p.m.
Emilus has a diving catch to get up to the Lions 23 to the Lions 30 and the Riders go quick, AJ takes a flip pass and goes for 12 yards to the BC 18

3:14 p.m.
Oh my goodness! B.C. goes for it on third and a long third down and the defence comes up with the massive stuff! Ford with another third down stop! Riders ball on the B.C. 49 with 9:48 to play in the half.

3:09 p.m.
Drive stalls there, Lauther has a 55-yard field goal attempt and it would have been good from 65. 9-3 Saskatchewan with 11:20 to play in the first half.

3:07 p.m.
TBH gets free for an 11-yard run up to the B.C. 48.

3:06 p.m.
Horvath is stuffed and the pocket collapses on Rourke on second down, incomplete pass. Lions are punting from their end zone. Sexton has a nice return up to the BC 40, but a penalty sets them up at midfield.

3:01 p.m.
Nice punt by Chapman, great coverage and Lions are on their 12 to start their next drive at the beginning of the second quarter. 6-3 Saskatchewan.

2:59 p.m.
Saskatchewan gets up to midfield and are punting from the B.C. 54. Bigger note, Peters is one of only six DBs dressed today and he's in the injury tent.

2:57 p.m.
Riders get a little greedy on the run and Emilus is stuffed for a three-yard loss to the Riders 49. 1:19 left in the quarter.

2:54 p.m.
Riders stuff the next run and break up a pass, Whyte has a 26 yard field goal. It's good, 6-3 Saskatchewan with 2:41 left in the quarter. 

2:52 p.m.
Man, missed tackles. Horvath is dead to rights in the backfield, but he gets free and runs for 40 yards to the Riders 17.

2:50 p.m.
Oh well. Riders jump offside, Rourke airs it out on the free play and Fields gets the pick, but it comes back.

2:48 p.m.
It's way early, but if the predictions are true and the Riders can run the ball like they are right now, things are going to look awful good for the Green and White…

2:47 p.m.
Emilus nearly makes a circus catch on second down, but just can't quite haul it in. Lauther has a 26 yard field goal, it's right down the middle 6-0 Saskatchewan with 6:04 left in the first quarter. Need touchdowns, but points are good.

2:46 p.m.
AJ runs for four and Riders are in the red zone at the 18

2:44 p.m.
AJ has an 11 yard run, TBH has a nine yard run, Stevens a one yard run and Riders are at the Lions 22.

2:43 p.m.
Nice hard-nosed run by TBH ends in a facemask penalty, Riders are over midfield to the Lions 47.

2:41 p.m.
Bit of a LOL return as Sexton runs about 30 yards to gain two on the return, Riders ball on the Lions 36.

2:40 p.m.
Hoollly cow. Short run, and the next play sees the pressure get home for a huge sack by Baldonado! Sack for a loss of seven yards and B.C. punts from their 33.

2:37 p.m.
A short run and incomplete pass and it's a 55-yard field goal try for Lauther. It's good! 3-0 Saskatchewan with 12:58 to go in the first quarter.

2:36 p.m.
Ahhh! Fumble and Riders recover on the opening play! Butler has a short catch and looks to be wrapped up, but breaks free, but the ball is stripped and Thurman recovers! Riders ball on the B.C. 47.

2:32 p.m.
Kickoff is up and Lions get the ball on their own 35 to get things started.

2:28 p.m.
Coin toss is in the books, B.C. wins and elects to get the ball first, it's game time!

2:21 p.m.
Teams are on the field and we're moments away from kickoff!

2:20 p.m.
Here are Luc's Three Keys to the Game for Saskatchewan:

1- Turnovers. They’re season-defining at this point — just look at the Eastern Semi-Final — and that’s going to be a big one today, especially in a potential track-meet game. Win the turnover battle and your odds of winning go up dramatically.

2 – Second half adjustments will be critical. B.C. appeared to do a better job in the final meeting, and it halted Saskatchewan’s momentum, so figure out how to better combat the Lions after halftime.

3 – Gut check time. You gotta remember who the (heck) you are. You are the reigning, defending Grey Cup champions and you know how to be a champion. So go out there and be champions, and that doesn’t change until someone changes it.

12:02 p.m.
As for the weather, well, it’s going to be right around 22C to 23C with absolutely no wind, no rain and no sun to speak of.

Thanks to being indoors at B.C. Place of course!

12:01 p.m.
The Rider Broadcast Network pregame show is on the air, with Dave Thomas and Wes Cates bringing you plenty of special guests in the lead-up to game time. Thomas will then be joined by Luc Mullinder with the game call at kickoff at 2:30 p.m.

12 p.m.
Where have you heard this before?

For the third year in a row, the Saskatchewan Roughriders and B.C. Lions are set to meet in the Canadian Football League playoffs. And as in each and every match-up before, fans can expect to find themselves taking in a barnburner when the Western Semi-Final kicks off at B.C. Place this afternoon.

The Riders come into the contest as the underdogs despite finishing the regular season with the exact same 10-8 record as the Lions, and that’s largely because of how the two teams got where they are.

B.C. locked up their playoff spot and home field advantage with three weeks to play in the regular season, thanks to Saskatchewan’s season-ending tailspin that only reversed itself in the final couple weeks of the campaign.

The Lions have home field advantage thanks to winning the season series between the teams, with the Riders taking a 31-27 victory in Week 2 in their home opener before B.C. won 30-16 in Week 12 and 31-24 in Week 17.

For the first time in a long time, Saskatchewan has good news almost across the board when it comes to their line-up. Almost every starter from their solid beginning to the campaign is back in action, including all three dynamic receivers in KeeSean Johnson, Kian Schaffer-Baker and Sam Emilus. That should give quarterback Trevor Harris plenty of targets to use and A.J. Ouellette some more room to do his thing on the ground.

The news isn’t all good, as starting safety Nelson Lokombo is out of action, though that opens things up for Regina product Jaxon Ford to have a big game in his place.

Things aren’t as rosey for the Lions.

When they sat out a ton of starters in their late season games, it wasn’t mainly just for rest like Saskatchewan in their season finale — it’s because they’re legitimately banged up, and that’s been a serious cause for concern for B.C. followers.

The defensive front is in the roughest shape, as standout Parker McKenna has been sidelined and the defensive line interior also has players battling injuries. That means Ouellette may be in for a big day, but we’ll have to wait and see.

On the other side of the ball, well, it’s the Nathan Rourke show. You can expect him to scramble and do everything he does while finding his corps of lethal receivers downfield, much like he did in B.C.’s two late-season wins over Saskatchewan.

So how things are going to play out is anyone’s guess, but one thing is for sure: it’s going to be an entertaining one from B.C. Place!

Saskatchewan’s depth chart:

saskatchewan-wsf-depth-chart

B.C.’s depth chart:

bc-wsf-depth-chart

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