The Riders head to BC Place looking to avenge a Week 12 beatdown and keep pace with Edmonton atop the West.
Game Details
- Matchup: Saskatchewan Roughriders at BC Lions
- When: Friday, September 25 at 10:30 PM ET
- Where: BC Place Stadium, Vancouver
- TV: TSN
- Stream: Watch live on CFL+
Odds
- Spread: BC Lions -4
- Moneyline: Saskatchewan Roughriders +155, BC Lions -190
- Over/Under: 62
Saskatchewan sits 5-5-3 against the spread this season with five overs and seven unders in their 13 graded games, while BC is 6-6 ATS with a wide-open, over-friendly seven-and-five split. Books clearly expect points at BC Place, and given how the Lions have been scoring lately, that number feels earned.
Overview
The Roughriders arrive in Vancouver at 8-5, second in the West but limping a little after last week's ugly showing. Held to a season-low six points in a 19-6 loss to Winnipeg, Saskatchewan has dropped three of its last five and needs a response fast with Edmonton (10-4) still breathing down its neck and Toronto, BC and Winnipeg all bunched up behind. This one has real standings weight: win the season series and the Riders lock up the tiebreaker over a divisional rival they may see again in the playoffs.
The Lions are the hotter team right now, riders of a 4-1 stretch that includes a 48-29 demolition of Montreal last week. BC has won six of its past seven and gets a full head of steam heading into this rematch after handling Saskatchewan 30-16 back in Week 12. That head-to-head history cuts both ways, though — the Riders won the first meeting 31-27 in Regina, so the season series is up for grabs Friday night with the tiebreaker on the line.
Trevor Harris has owned this rivalry historically, sitting 11-5 for his career against BC and already up to 773 yards and four touchdowns against the Lions in the first two meetings this season. But Nathan Rourke has been must-watch television lately, six straight 300-yard passing games, and BC's offense looks like it's clicking at the exact right time. Give the slight edge to the home team here — the Lions have the form, the building, and the guy who's 4-4 in his career against Saskatchewan but red-hot right now.
Key Players
- Trevor Harris (Saskatchewan Roughriders, QB) — 319-of-460 for 4,124 yards and 24 touchdowns this season, and historically dominant against BC at 11-5 lifetime.
- Nathan Rourke (BC Lions, QB) — Riding six consecutive 300-yard passing performances and looking to push BC's win streak against Saskatchewan-quality opponents even further.
- KeeSean Johnson (Saskatchewan Roughriders, WR) — Leads the Riders with 86 catches for 1,059 yards and needs just one more reception to set a new career high.
- Zander Horvath (BC Lions, RB) — Has 19 total touchdowns (16 rushing, three receiving) and is on a pace that would shatter the CFL single-season touchdown record.
- Mathieu Betts (BC Lions, DL) — One sack away from tying Ted Laurent's mark for the most sacks by a Quebec-born player, and a problem all night for Saskatchewan's protection.
Keys to the Game
- Saskatchewan has to find a way to slow Horvath near the goal line — he's scored 19 times and BC leans on him relentlessly in the red zone.
- Harris needs to keep feeding Johnson and lean on his career-long success against this BC defense to keep pace with Rourke's aerial attack.
- The Riders can't afford another six-point offensive dud like Week 15 — this defense has to force a turnover or two against a Lions team that's rolling.
Injury Report
| Player | Team | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Albert Awachie | SSK | Available |
| Shemar Bridges | SSK | Available |
| Quali Conley | SSK | Out |
| Dhel Duncan-Busby | SSK | Available |
| Jonathan Edouard | SSK | Available |
| Kian Schaffer-Baker | SSK | Available |
| Seyi Oladipo Jr. | SSK | Out |
| A.J. Ouellette | SSK | Available |
| Daniel Wiebe | SSK | Out |
| Josh Woods | SSK | Out |
The Riders will be without lead back Quali Conley, but A.J. Ouellette is active off the injury list and Albert Awachie is good to go at fullback, giving Saskatchewan some flexibility in the backfield. Kian Schaffer-Baker also returns after clearing his six-game injury designation, a boost for a receiving corps that's leaning heavily on KeeSean Johnson.
Depth Chart
Saskatchewan Roughriders starters by position, built from the Saskatchewan Roughriders official depth-chart data provided. This table is for the Roughriders ONLY — projected and subject to mid-season changes.
| Position | Saskatchewan Roughriders |
|---|---|
| QB | Trevor Harris* / Jack Coan* / Tommy Stevens* |
| RB | A.J. Ouellette* / Thomas Bertrand-Hudon |
| FB | Albert Awachie |
| WR (Weak/Boundary) | KeeSean Johnson* / James Letcher Jr* |
| WR (Strong/Field) | Dylan Djete / D'Sean Mimbs |
| SB | Kian Schaffer-Baker / Dhel Duncan-Busby / Johnny Johnson III* |
| LT | Payton Collins* |
| LG | Zack Fry |
| C | Logan Ferland |
| RG | Jacob Brammer* |
| RT | Jermarcus Hardrick* |
| DE | Aaron Patrick* / Derick Roberson* |
| DT | Ali Saad / Mike Rose* |
| DT | Devin Adams* / Caleb Sanders* |
| DE | Benoit Marion / Habakkuk Baldonado^ / James Vaughters* |
| WLB | Ryder Varga / Aubrey Miller Jr.* |
| MLB | David Gbenda* / Jameer Thurman* |
| SLB | Melique Straker / Antoine Brooks Jr.* |
| CB | James Burgess Jr.* |
| CB | Kerfalla Exume / Malcolm Bell# |
| HB | Jonathan Edouard / Marcus Sayles* |
| HB | DaMarcus Fields* |
| FS | Nelson Lokombo / Jaxon Ford |
| K | Dawson Hodge |
| P | Oscar Chapman^ |
| LS | Mike Benson |
Score Prediction
Saskatchewan Roughriders 29 - BC Lions 33. Trevor Harris and this passing attack should bounce back after last week's dud, but Rourke's hot streak and Horvath's touchdown machine give BC just enough to hold serve at home and even the season series heading into the playoff stretch.
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Who takes this one? Drop your prediction in the comments.