REGINA — The BC Lions and Saskatchewan Roughriders square off on Saturday night with a chance to advance to the Western Final on the line.
Both teams have experienced their fair share of ups and downs throughout the regular season but that’s in the rearview mirror as they try to take the next step towards a Grey Cup.
The two split the season series, with Saskatchewan winning the most recent matchup, 39-8, in Week 19.
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What’s old is new again under centre for Rick Campbell’s team as Vernon Adams Jr. gets the start after taking over for Nathan Rourke following that loss to the Riders.
All Adams Jr. has done is produce to the tune of 2,929 passings yards and 16 touchdowns over nine starts, including 26 completions for 429 yards in the Lions Week 6 victory against Saskatchewan.
Justin McInnis finished the regular season as the league’s top receiver with 1,469 yards and will be Adams Jr.’s go-to target. But that’s not the only weapon at his disposal as Alexander Hollins and Keon Hatcher have shown the ability to take over games.
It’s in the secondary the Riders have struggled most when it comes to limiting yards as they’re allowing 294.3 per game. They do, however, possess one of the CFL’s most dynamic defenders in Rolan Milligan Jr. who has eight interceptions and 71 defensive tackles. Given the depth of the Lions receiving corps, DaMarcus Fields and Marcus Sayles also need to make plays.
Head coach Corey Mace respects the talent of Adams Jr. and knows his team needs to try and disrupt his timing with his receivers.
“We’re going to have to do things to make him uncomfortable and hopefully force him into some errant decision making,” Mace told reporters.
“It’s going to take everybody in the building and on the defensive side of the ball to make sure we’re dialled into the details of what we’ve got going on.”
The pass game isn’t the only facet of the Lions offence with game breaking ability. Running back William Stanback has experienced a resurgence this year with 1,175 yards. If he can find open space on the ground, it’ll place significant pressure on the Riders defensive play calling.
Mace’s front has been the best at slowing opposing rushers and has kept Stanback in check in both meetings this season, limiting him to 49 yards on 20 carries. Linemen Bryan Cox Jr. and Malik Carney are responsible for keeping Stanback to the inside so Micah Johnson, C.J. Reavis and Jameer Thurman can fill gaps.
The Lions offence is explosive, but the Riders are no slouches when they get the ball in their hands.
Quarterback Trevor Harris has been on this stage before and shouldn’t be rattled by the atmosphere. Like Adams Jr., Harris has several targets he can rely on. Samuel Emilus led the team with 1,064 yards, while rookie KeeSean Johnson has been excellent and joins Kian Schaffer-Baker and Jerreth Sterns in rounding out the receiving corps.
Downfield, Harris has to be aware of defensive backs Ronald Kent Jr., Garry Peters and Emmanuel Rugamba who are collectively allowing 278.5 yards per game.
Mace, like Campbell, also has a running back he’s comfortable going to consistently in AJ Ouellette. Despite battling a hip injury throughout the season, Ouellette remains one of the best rushers in the league and has put together 550 yards over 130 carries. Ryquell Armstead is another backfield option for Saskatchewan if they want to give Ouellette a breather.
The Riders offensive line have to give him time and space, a task that isn’t as simple as it sounds. Defensive lineman Mathieu Betts and Sione Teuhema are more than capable of disrupting the run and making quarterbacks uncomfortable.
If Ouellette finds his way past those two, he’ll have to deal with Ben Hladik and Ryder Varga at linebacker.
Campbell believes his team has learned from their previous matchups with the Riders and are prepared to put their season on the line.
“Excited,” Campbell told reporters about the mood of his team this week.
“This is what you put in all this work for is the playoffs. We need to take care of the football when we have it. I think they’re a good all around team, they don’t really have any weak spots. They’re a good offence, defence and special teams. I know we’ve shown that too and so we’re looking to make sure we show up that way come Saturday.”
The winner of the game is off to Winnipeg. Canadian fans can catch the action on TSN/RDS. International and U.S. fans can watch on CFL+.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.
— With files from Riderville.com and BCLions.com