Final: Roughriders 33 Tiger-Cats 30

HAMILTON – Another week, another incredible comeback win for quarterback Trevor Harris and the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Brett Lauther’s 43-yard field goal on the final play earned Saskatchewan a stunning 33-30 victory over Hamilton on Sunday night. The Riders outscored the Tiger-Cats 16-3 in the fourth quarter to secure the improbable win.

Last week, Saskatchewan (2-0) forced three fourth-quarter turnovers and outscored Edmonton 21-3 in the final 15 minutes in a 29-21 road win.

“We’re just a group that believes in one another,” said Harris. “We’re going to stick to the plan and never going to flinch.

“We’re building something special here and we have a group that just flat out won’t flinch.”

Harris was again a pivotal figure for the Riders, completing 32-of-45 passes for 390 yards and two TDs. He helped Saskatchewan outscore Hamilton 26-10 in the second half.

“We just have to make sure we have our energy higher early,” Harris said. “You’ve got to give their defence credit, they did a good job.

“But we have to do a better job of executing throughout the game and not just give everybody a heart attack.”

Saskatchewan completed its comeback despite injuries to receivers Shawn Bane Jr. and Jerreth Sterns, and offensive lineman Phillip Blake.

Lauther’s boot was set up by C.J. Avery’s interception at the Hamilton 37-yard line with 35 seconds to play. Ticats quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell threw to Tim White, who tried to make a diving catch but the ball bounced off him into the air, allowing Avery to make the play.

The loss tarnished a solid effort by Mitchell, who was 27-of-38 passing for 380 yards and three TDs for Hamilton (0-2).

“First thing I did was walk up to (White) and just tell him, ‘ (No.) 12, you’re the best on the team, I’m coming back to you in that situation every single time,'” Mitchell said. “That’s never going to change, never going to falter.

“It’s tough to move on, I get that. But he’ll see it, he’ll learn from it and this team is going to stay together and pick him up.”

Marc Liegghio’s 41-yard field goal at 9:28 of the fourth put Hamilton ahead 30-20 before 22,313 spectators at Tim Hortons Field. Lauther’s 34-yard kick at 11:20 pulled the Riders to within 30-23.

Harris’s 10-yard TD pass to Kian Schaffer-Baker at 14:17 tied the score 30-30. It capped an impressive 88-yard, seven-play drive.

Saskatchewan remained unbeaten under first-year head coach Corey Mace despite taking 11 penalties for 115 yards. Hamilton wasn’t much better, flagged nine times for 100 yards.

“We’ve got a lot of things we’ve got to handle,” Mace said. “We’ve got a penalty problem, we had some busts on defence that were costly.

“The injuries … but at the end of it I keep trying to remind myself we finished 1-0 this week in an adverse situation on the road yet again.”

Schaffer-Baker, with two, and Shea Patterson scored Saskatchewan’s touchdowns. Lauther had three converts and four field goals, his 46-yard boot at 1:44 of the fourth cut Hamilton’s lead to 27-20.

UP NEXT

The Tiger-Cats travel to Regina on Sunday (June 23) for a rematch with the Roughriders, who will be playing their first game at home.

(Canadian Press)