12:02 p.m.
As for the weather, well, it’s going to be right around 22C to 23C with absolutely no wind, no rain and no sun to speak of.
Thanks to being indoors at B.C. Place of course!
12:01 p.m.
The Rider Broadcast Network pregame show is on the air, with Dave Thomas and Wes Cates bringing you plenty of special guests in the lead-up to game time. Thomas will then be joined by Luc Mullinder with the game call at kickoff at 2:30 p.m.
12 p.m.
Where have you heard this before?
For the third year in a row, the Saskatchewan Roughriders and B.C. Lions are set to meet in the Canadian Football League playoffs. And as in each and every match-up before, fans can expect to find themselves taking in a barnburner when the Western Semi-Final kicks off at B.C. Place this afternoon.
The Riders come into the contest as the underdogs despite finishing the regular season with the exact same 10-8 record as the Lions, and that’s largely because of how the two teams got where they are.
B.C. locked up their playoff spot and home field advantage with three weeks to play in the regular season, thanks to Saskatchewan’s season-ending tailspin that only reversed itself in the final couple weeks of the campaign.
The Lions have home field advantage thanks to winning the season series between the teams, with the Riders taking a 31-27 victory in Week 2 in their home opener before B.C. won 30-16 in Week 12 and 31-24 in Week 17.
For the first time in a long time, Saskatchewan has good news almost across the board when it comes to their line-up. Almost every starter from their solid beginning to the campaign is back in action, including all three dynamic receivers in KeeSean Johnson, Kian Schaffer-Baker and Sam Emilus. That should give quarterback Trevor Harris plenty of targets to use and A.J. Ouellette some more room to do his thing on the ground.
The news isn’t all good, as starting safety Nelson Lokombo is out of action, though that opens things up for Regina product Jaxon Ford to have a big game in his place.
Things aren’t as rosey for the Lions.
When they sat out a ton of starters in their late season games, it wasn’t mainly just for rest like Saskatchewan in their season finale — it’s because they’re legitimately banged up, and that’s been a serious cause for concern for B.C. followers.
The defensive front is in the roughest shape, as standout Parker McKenna has been sidelined and the defensive line interior also has players battling injuries. That means Ouellette may be in for a big day, but we’ll have to wait and see.
On the other side of the ball, well, it’s the Nathan Rourke show. You can expect him to scramble and do everything he does while finding his corps of lethal receivers downfield, much like he did in B.C.’s two late-season wins over Saskatchewan.
So how things are going to play out is anyone’s guess, but one thing is for sure: it’s going to be an entertaining one from B.C. Place!
Saskatchewan’s depth chart:
B.C.’s depth chart:
