The Saskatchewan Roughriders enter Semi-Final Saturday in good shape.
After a mid-season lull, the Riders finished the season with wins in four of their final five games. The only loss in that stretch came in a season finale rendered meaningless after Winnipeg clinched the West Division earlier in the day.
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Saskatchewan is making a strong case to be the classic “peaking at the right time” squad entering the 2024 post-season. Going up against a strong BC Lions team in the Western Semi-Final, that momentum could prove to be a crucial X-factor for the Roughriders.
Here are five others that could end up making the difference in what shapes up to be a very close showdown at Mosaic Stadium.
STOPPING THE RUN
Sask finished the regular season amongst the CFL’s best in numerous defensive categories, including third in offensive points allowed and second in opposition net offence. But it was their run defence where this defensive unit really thrived. The Riders were the league’s number one team against the run, averaging just 80.3 rushing yards per game.
That trend needs to carry over into the playoffs starting Saturday against BC. In his first year with the Lions, tailback William Stanback finished second overall with 1,175 rushing yards on a career high 231 carries. Only 49 of those yards came in two head-to-head matches with Saskatchewan, however, where he averaged just 2.45 yards per carry.
RED HOT BRETT LAUTHER
Will Brett Lauther continue his hot streak into the playoffs? (Arthur Ward/CFL.ca)
Lauther has been money for the Riders all season, but he took his game to a different level in the back half of the season. Saskatchewan’s kicker made just three of his seven field goal tries in a tight Week 11 loss to Montreal. Since that point, Lauther has been as dialled as they come.
Lauther made 28 of 29 field goals in his final eight appearances for a 96.6% accuracy rate. That included hitting all seven of his tries in a Week 17 win over Ottawa and going six-for-six as the Riders beat the Lions 39-8 in Week 19. In what shapes up to be a close game, Lauther’s pinpoint accuracy could be the difference.
ROLAN MILLIGAN JR.
Led by Justin McInnis, BC boasts arguably CFL’s best group of receivers. That puts the spotlight on the Saskatchewan secondary, which just happens to feature the league’s regular season interception leader. Milligan Jr. paced the pack with eight interceptions from his boundary halfback position but was far more than all those big plays.
Per Bryson Vesnaver at Pro Football Focus, Milligan Jr. finished with the league’s highest coverage grade amongst inside defensive backs. When you include outside corners, Milligan Jr.’s grade ranked second behind only Winnipeg’s Tyrell Ford and was one of only two to finish above the 90 mark. Against this Lions aerial attack, Milligan Jr.’s skillset will be front and centre.
THE IMPROVED OFFENSIVE LINE
After a couple dreadful seasons, Saskatchewan’s offensive line took massive steps in 2024. The Roughriders allowed just 35 sacks this year, the league’s fourth lowest total. On the other hand, BC finished second overall recording 39 sacks and didn’t have Mathieu Betts for much of the campaign. How Saskatchewan’s line holds up against this pass rush may very well be the difference on Saturday.
THE TREVOR HARRIS EFFECT
And that leads us to the quarterback. When Harris has been under centre the last two years, the Riders have been a winning squad with a 10-6 record. When Harris has been out with injury (or sat down for a late season rest), that record drops to 5-14-1. Well, Harris is healthy for Saturday and is set to start his first playoff game in green as a result.
Harris finished his second season with Saskatchewan with 3,112 passing yards, 20 touchdowns, and nine interceptions in 11 starts. When he was healthy, Harris was efficient and effective as his league leading 108.4 quarterback rating attests to.