Lions Rally Past Roughriders, Head to Edmonton for the West Final
Down 17-3 in the second quarter, the BC Lions rallied to beat the Saskatchewan Roughriders 33-26 on Saturday at BC Place in the West Semi-Final. Nathan Rourke threw for 366 yards and three touchdowns, two of them to Jevon Cottoy in the third quarter. The defending Grey Cup champions are out, and the Lions will play the West Final in Edmonton next Saturday, with a spot in the 113th Grey Cup on the line.
A disastrous start, a methodical comeback
The afternoon began about as badly as possible for the Lions, who gave the ball away on their very first offensive snap. Brett Lauther cashed in with a 55-yard field goal. The Roughriders kicker spent the rest of the day making every defensive stop count: six field goals, accounting for 18 of his team's 26 points.
By the middle of the second quarter, Saskatchewan led 17-3 and was setting the tempo. Nathan Rourke sparked his team on a play that was never drawn up. With two defenders closing in, he slipped out of the pocket and spotted Stanley Berryhill III, left uncovered far downfield, for a 69-yard touchdown. A field goal before halftime cut the gap to 17-13.
The defence did its part as well. Defensive back Robert Carter picked off a Trevor Harris pass near midfield in the second quarter, taking a possession away from an offence that had been in charge of the game until then.
Jevon Cottoy swings the third quarter
Everything changed after the break. On the first possession of the third quarter, the Roughriders tried to rattle Rourke with heavy pressure. The quarterback got rid of the ball immediately to Jevon Cottoy, who slipped away from the defenders and covered the length of the field: 70 yards, 20-20.
Lauther put Saskatchewan back in front with his fifth field goal, but Cottoy answered again. Uncovered in the end zone late in the quarter, he hauled in a 13-yard pass. For the first time all afternoon, the Lions led, 27-23.
In the fourth quarter, Sean Whyte added two field goals to stretch the lead to 10 points, 33-23, with three minutes left. Lauther responded with his sixth field goal, from 44 yards, to pull Saskatchewan within seven. The Roughriders got one last opportunity near the Lions' 35-yard line. Harris was sacked on the final play, and the champions' season ended there.
Rourke finished 21 of 32. His three touchdowns came three different ways: an improvised throw outside the pocket, a quick release against pressure and a straightforward read in the red zone. That variety eventually wore down a defence that had controlled the first half.
A one-sided second half
The difference between the two halves tells the story. Saskatchewan scored 17 points in the first half and only 9 in the second, all on field goals, against 20 for the Lions. The Roughriders never reached the end zone again, while the Lions broke the game open with two long pass plays.
For Saskatchewan, the loss will sting. The Roughriders led for most of the first three quarters, and Lauther hit two 55-yard field goals before halftime. But an offence that settles for three points so often leaves the door ajar, and the Lions needed only a handful of plays to push through it.
The win also means something extra in Vancouver. The Roughriders had knocked the Lions out of the playoffs in both 2024 and 2025, and the two teams finished the regular season with identical 10-8 records. B.C. earned hosting rights by finishing second in the West. This time, the Lions are the ones ending their rival's season.
Next stop: Edmonton and the West Final
The Lions will travel to Commonwealth Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 7, at 3:30 p.m. Pacific, to face the Edmonton Elks. First in the West at 13-5, the Elks skipped the semi-final round and had the week off.
For the Lions, it will be a fourth West Final in five seasons. The previous three ended badly: losses to Winnipeg in 2022 and 2023, then to Saskatchewan in 2025. This time, B.C. arrives riding a playoff comeback and a quarterback in full confidence. Edmonton, meanwhile, will have to shake off two weeks without a game.
In the East, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers beat the Toronto Argonauts 25-22 in the semi-final and will face the division-winning Montreal Alouettes the same day. The two winners will meet on Sunday, Nov. 15, at McMahon Stadium in Calgary for the 113th Grey Cup.
