VANCOUVER — Even after a dominant win, Trevor Harris and his team see room for improvement.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders struck early on Saturday and jumped out to a 17-1 lead over the B.C. Lions before the end of the first quarter. They finished the night with a 33-27 win that wasn't nearly as close as the final score suggested.
On the sidelines, Harris and his teammates felt they were in charge for the entire game — and that feeling may have led them to ease up late, the quarterback said.
“It's a great lesson for us to never let off the pedal," he said. "I thought we played a really good four quarters for the most part offensively. But you'd like for us to be able to finish a little bit better in the red zone, and a couple little mistakes here and there.
"But obviously, any time you can get a win on the road against a good B.C. club that's been playing very, very well lately, we'll take it.”
Harris connected on 23 of his 30 passing attempts for 395 yards with three touchdowns and one interception in the West Division matchup.
Kicker Brett Lauther added four field goals for the Riders (5-1), including a 45-yard strike in the first quarter.
“I’m very pleased with the entire team. Just how they responded to all the challenges they put on themselves is incredible," said Saskatchewan head coach Corey Mace.
"But we're always talking about finishing and we want to finish the game even better than we did tonight. That's why I love this group — a win is awesome, and we'll celebrate that. But within those, we’ll always try to find and look for ways to get better."
Nathan Rourke chalked up 337 passing yards with three TDs for the Lions (3-4). The Canadian QB made good on 27 of his 41 attempts, had one interception and was sacked once.
The Riders had 506 yards of net offence across the game, compared to 373 yards for the Lions.
“I don't think we played well enough to win. I certainly didn't," Rourke said. "And I like to give credit where credit is due — I thought their defence, their team, that they outplayed us. But I don't think we're that much further behind. And so I think we beat ourselves.”
Saskatchewan struck early on Saturday, with Harris lobbing a rainbow to Dohnte Meyers deep inside Lions' territory less than five minutes into the game. The American receiver nabbed the ball and darted into the end zone for Saskatchewan's first major of the night.
The offensive onslaught continued with Harris sailing a 29-yard pass to Joe Robustelli to put the visitors back in scoring position late in the quarter. The quarterback followed up with a short dish to A.J. Ouellette, who dashed five yards into the end zone. Lauther made the convert and the Riders went up 17-1.
B.C.'s offence finally found its footing with just seconds to go in the first.
Rourke escaped the pocket and fired a 40-yard pass to Ayden Eberhardt, who stepped over the goal line for the Lions' first TD of the night.
The two sides traded field goals in the second quarter, with Lauther connecting on 27- and 41-yard attempts and B.C. kicker Sean Whyte sending a 47-yard kick through the uprights. Saskatchewan headed into the locker room up 23-11.
The Riders picked up right where they left off out of the break.
Less than four minutes into the third quarter, Harris found Meyers deep in the red zone for a 30-yard touchdown.
Saskatchewan's biggest problem of the game came midway through the third when Ka'Deem Carey was taken down by Lions linebacker Micah Awe, in a play that left the running back writhing on the turf in obvious discomfort. He was eventually helped off the field by two trainers, putting no weight on his right leg.
Mace didn't have an update on Carey's status after the game.
“I don't know much about it, man. Just positive vibes for him," the coach said. "But happy as ever that he's part of this organization and he's got a lot of people in this locker room that love him.”
B.C. got a spark late in the quarter when Eberhardt reeled in a 39-yard pass from Rourke.
The Lions capped the drive with a gutsy play, going for pay dirt on third down where Rourke sent a rocket soaring to Stanley Berryhill III deep in the end zone.
The home side then attempted a two-point convert, a move that paid off when the QB spun off a tackle and connected once again with Berryhill on a three-yard toss that cut Saskatchewan's lead to 33-19.
With 19 seconds left in the fourth quarter, B.C. added one last major with Rourke handing off to Eberhardt and the receiver rushing in for his second TD of the night. Running back James Butler muscled his way through traffic for a two-point conversion that sealed the score at 33-27.
That drive says a lot about the Lions, Rourke said.
"The guys want to fight, they want to play, they want to play for each other, they don’t want to give up," the quarterback said. "That’s what makes it frustrating, is that I think we’ve got the right pieces this year. We’ve just got to put it all together.”
NOTES
Riders receiver Samuel Emilus tallied 78 receiving yards in his return after missing three games with a foot injury. … Lions linebacker Micah Awe made the 500th defensive tackle of his CFL career. … Only Saskatchewan and the Calgary Stampeders have yet to lose a road game this season.
NEXT UP
Roughriders: Host the Edmonton Elks on Friday.
Lions: Host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Sunday, July 27.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 19, 2025.
Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press
