Lions pounce with big plays, beat Riders 31-24 to jump into second in the West

The Saskatchewan Roughriders couldn’t stop a B.C. Lions offence from getting big plays on Friday night.

B.C. only needed two plays to score touchdowns on two separate drives as the Lions defeated the Riders 31-16 to win the season series between the teams and move into second place in the CFL’s West Division. Saskatchewan is now 2-4 over its last six games.

“It sucks,” Riders head coach Corey Mace said. “We knew what was at stake going into the bye; same thing with them. I know they probably talked about (the importance of this game) as well. It just sucks for us to come up short. I’m proud of the way the team fought and tried to find ourselves a way to get a win at the end there. Ultimately, we ran out of time and you can’t get that back so you just have to play better in the middle.”

Quarterback Trevor Harris believes it’s a good thing to be frustrated — it just matters how you use it.

“Being frustrated and pointing fingers versus being frustrated at the performance and understanding how we can be better as a whole and as a team in all three phases,” Harris said. “To me, frustration is not necessarily a bad thing. It’s about us using it properly.”

Quarterback Nathan Rourke connected with Stanley Berryhill for a 56-yard play in the first quarter. The very next play, the Lions scored their first touchdown of the game.

Then in the fourth quarter, Rourke evaded tacklers and connected with Justin McInnis for a 59-yard play. The Lions’ offence scored an important touchdown to put the game out of reach.

Rourke finished with 375 yards and four touchdowns in the game. He was also the Lions’ leading rusher, finishing with 37 yards.

Three Lions receivers finished with at least 80 yards receiving — Berryhill (80), Jevon Cottoy (96) and McInnis (111).

“We knew what it was going to be coming into this game. They are a great team and we are a great team. We are fighting for playoff positioning but they were able to come out on top,” defensive back Marcus Sayles said. “We expected to make more plays in this game and we just failed to execute on that. We just have to get better and get back at practice and do what we are supposed to do.”

In the third quarter, Mace threw the challenge flag as he thought there may have been offensive pass interference on the Lions. The call on the field was upheld and Mace is now two-for-10 on challenges this season. His 20 per cent success rate is the lowest in the CFL.

Mace admitted he didn’t wait for a replay before throwing the flag.

“That was strictly off my own two (eyes). I have to be better there,” Mace said.

Saskatchewan’s offence was able to put together a number of drives as the offence welcomed back running back A.J. Ouellette and slotback Kian Schaffer-Baker, but settled for field goals early and had trouble finding the end zone.

Harris finished the game with 297 yards and a touchdown. KeeSean Johnson led the way for the receivers once again as he had 119 yards on nine catches.

Rookie receiver Dylan Djete had the Riders’ only receiving touchdown.

Saskatchewan Roughriders’ Dylan Djete (80) celebrates his touchdown with Johnny Johnson III (88) and Kian Schaffer-Baker (89) during the first half of a CFL football game against the B.C. Lions, in Vancouver, on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck)

Harris said it was a lack of execution in the second half that led to their struggles late.

“I thought we did a good job staying on the field and being efficient in the first half. Unfortunately, it was just a couple of plays in the second half where it was second-and-long that we didn’t convert. It’s unfortunate,” Harris said. “They did a good job. Defences are going to do a good job to cover stuff up and we need to make sure we have answers and we execute properly. We didn’t on those couple plays.”

In his return, Ouellette had 77 yards and a touchdown in the game.

Riders kicker Dawson Hodge, who is from Coquitlam, B.C., was perfect for a second straight game as he hit all three field goal attempts and both convert kicks.

Saskatchewan’s defence came into the game with a number of changes, including cornerback Malcolm Bell making his first CFL start, Marcus Sayles moving to halfback and linebacker Antoine Brooks Jr. returning to the lineup after the team went with a different starter, Seyi Oladipo, for a few games.

While the Riders no longer control their own destiny when it comes to getting a home playoff game, Mace said given how long he’s been around the league, he has seen teams take many different paths into the playoffs.

“We have four games here to finish out the season and find our groove and head into a playoff race,” Mace said. “However that plays out, it doesn’t matter. You have to spot the ball and go get the job done. That’s what we are focused on.”

The Riders fall to 8-6 and to third place in the division. They will take on the Calgary Stampeders on Friday.