3:30 p.m.
The Roughriders' luck with the weather continues! The temperature is expected to hover around 16 C at kickoff, falling to 12 C toward game's end. It'll be mainly cloudy with no chance of precipitation, and winds will be around 15 km/h from the west.
3:25 p.m.
It’s Week 21, it’s the final game of the Canadian Football League regular season, it’s the Saskatchewan Roughriders taking on the B.C. Lions at Mosaic Stadium!
Saskatchewan is coming off a 17-16 loss to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in Winnipeg, a contest where the Riders rested the majority of their offensive starters. They’re 12-5 on the season and are playing their second meaningless game in the standings in as many weeks. They’ll have a bye in the CFL semifinals next week and will host the West Division Final on Saturday, Nov. 8 at Mosaic Stadium
B.C. comes in off a 37-34 win over the Edmonton Elks in Week 20, keeping their hopes for a home playoff date alive. A win over the Riders, and Edmonton finishes second and will host the West Semifinal next weekend. A loss, and it’s up to the result between Winnipeg and Montreal earlier Saturday, with a Winnipeg win pushing the Lions to fourth and the cross-over game and a Bombers loss seeing B.C. finishing third.
Teagan Witko, Justin Dunk and Wes Cates are currently on the air with the Rider Broadcast Network pre-game show, and Dave Thomas and Luc Mullinder will have the game call at 5 p.m.
The Roughriders depth chart: Whole bunch of changes from last week, most of which see the majority of the offensive starters returning to the line-up. That includes quarterback Trevor Harris and running back A.J. Ouellette. The Riders will also have the unique look of four starting Canadian receivers — MItch Picton at wideout along with Kian Schaffer-Baker, Tommy Nield and Dhel Duncan-Busby at slotback. Ajou is a back-up, giving Saskatchewan a potential five Canadian receiver set.
Harris comes into the game having completed 338 of 462 passes for 4,437 yards, 24 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. His 110.5 quarterback efficiency is tops among pivots who have started more than half their team’s games.
Ouellette has carried 237 times for 1,179 yards and eight touchdowns. He sits third in the CFL in rushing, six yards back of B.C.’s James Butler for second.
The Riders are without three of their top receivers in KeeSean Johnson, Dohnte Meyers and Sam Emilus, all of who are on the one-game injured list. Nield leads the receiving corps with 34 catches for 460 yards and five touchdowns, Duncan-Busby has 26 catches for 322 yard and two majors.
Linebacker A.J. Allen leads the team with 88 tackles, while Jameer Thurman is right behind with 86. Defensive end Malik Carney is tops with seven sacks, defensive back Tevaughn Campbell leads with six interceptions.
The Lions depth chart: B.C. has a single change to their line-up, that at defensive tackle as Tomasi Laulile steps in for Jonah Tavai.
Most Outstanding Player candidate Nathan Rourke gets the start at quarterback, having completed 329 of 472 passes for 4,922 yards, 28 touchdowns and 15 inteceptions. His 110.2 efficiency is just behind Harris in second among QBs.
Butler has been among the CFL rushing leaders all season and has 221 catches for 1,185 yards and a league-best 11 touchdowns. Rourke is right behind with 60 carries for 559 yards and 10 majors. Keon Hatcher is the CFL’s top receiver with 95 catches for 1,613 yards and eight touchdowns, Justin McInnis is third with 73 catches for 1,211 yards and seven majors.
Linebacker Micah Awe has led the CFL in tackles from day one, and comes into the game with 113 total. Defensive end Mathieu Betts has been a horror for quarterbacks all season and leads the league with 14 sacks, defensive back Robert Carter Jr. is sixth in the CFL with five interceptions.
