REGINA — The Saskatchewan Roughriders are headed to Winnipeg to face the Blue Bombers in the 2024 Western Final.
The Riders made big plays in key moments to hold on to a late lead over the BC Lions on Saturday at Mosaic Stadium. That includes Nelson Lokombo‘s first career interception that kept the home team ahead by two scores with under five minutes left in the game.
A two-point conversion put the Riders up 28-19 early in the fourth quarter and the defence kept BC from scoring a second-half touchdown to capture the win.
CFL.ca brings you three key stats from the Roughriders win over the Lions in the Western Semi-Final.
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1ST – CAREER INTERCEPTION
What better time to grab your first pick than late in a post-season game? Lokombo did just that, jumping a ball from quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. intended for Keon Hatcher to stop a promising drive by the visitors late in the game that would’ve made it a one-score game.
It was Saskatchewan’s second interception of the game, as Marcus Sayles added a first-half pick for the ball-hawking Roughriders. Veteran Rolan Milligan Jr., who led the league in interceptions in the regular season, added a late one to all but end the game.
0 – TURNOVERS BY TREVOR HARRIS
The veteran quarterback took good care of the football once again, avoiding a single turnover all game to lead his team to 28 points while also avoiding giving the Lions short-field opportunities.
The only turnover of the game by the Riders came on a third-and-one stop by the Leos, but the defence stepped up and didn’t allow BC to capitalize on the takeaway.
Harris completed 26 of 33 passes for 274 yards and a major to receiver Jerreth Sterns. National receiver Samuel Emilus led the way through the air with nine catches for 106 yards.
102 TO 41 – RUNNING YARDS MARGIN
This is exactly what Saskatchewan envisioned when they brought in AJ Ouellette in the off-season as the veteran rushed 14 times for 70 yards and two majors to capture a playoff win.
Ouellette’s five-yard per carry average stands in contrast to William Stanback‘s seven rushes for 27 yards for a 3.9 average as BC was forced to become unidimensional. The pass-heavy approach led to three turnovers and a Roughriders trip to Winnipeg on November 9.