Final: Roughriders 31 Lions 27

REGINA – Shades of the 2025 Canadian Football League West Division Final.

A 6-yard Sam Emilus touchdown reception – his third major of the game with 51 seconds remaining – provided the winning points as the Saskatchewan Roughriders upended the BC Lions 31-27 on Saturday at Mosaic Stadium in the season-opener for both teams. A last-minute rally by BC quarterback Nathan Rourke fell short, just like last year’s WDF, and the Lions failed to exact revenge in the rematch.

Emilus was on the receiving end of three TD passes from Saskatchewan QB Trevor Harris, who passed for 417 yards on the day. Rider veteran Kian Schaeffer-Baker was the leading receiver, with 165 yards, while the leading rushing was unsurprisingly veteran tailback A.J. Ouellette with 69 yards.

Rourke tossed for 330 yards and rushed for a score as well. He led the Leos in rushing with 59 yards while former Rider Justin McInnis was BC’s top receiver with 129 yards.

Sask led 7-0, 17-10 and 21-17 by quarter and never trailed till the final three minutes, when BC briefly went up 27-4.