Semifinal Saturday: Roughriders, Argonauts Advance

In their first Canadian Football League playoff game at home since 2021, the Saskatchewan Roughriders defeated the B.C. Lions 28-19 on Saturday in the West Division semifinal.

The Riders will now travel to Winnipeg to take on the first-place Blue Bombers in the West Division final on Nov. 9. The winner of that game advances to the Grey Cup on Nov. 17 in Vancouver.

Holding a 20-19 lead in the fourth quarter, the Riders made it a nine-point game when Jerreth Sterns grabbed a 13-yard scoring pass from Trevor Harris with 3:30 gone in the frame. A two-point convert, with Harris connecting with KeeSean Johnson, made the score 28-19 for Saskatchewan.

The Riders sealed the victory with interceptions on consecutive B.C. possessions. Safety Nelson Lokombo grabbed his first CFL interception with four minutes remaining and defensive back Rolan Milligan Jr. slammed the door with a pick in the Saskatchewan end zone with 47 seconds left in the game.

A 17-yard field goal by Sean White one minute into the fourth quarter had cut the Riders lead to 20-19.

Whyte narrowed the Saskatchewan lead to 20-16 with a 36-yard field goal with 5:38 left in the third quarter. He had a chance to cut the lead further minutes later but his 38-yard attempt hit the right upright for a miss.

It was a rare miss for Whyte, who made 50 of 53 field goal attempts during the regular season with a consecutive made streak of 47 in a row.

The Lions got off on the right foot with a touchdown on their opening possession of the game. Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. completed four of five passes for 85 yards on the seven-play drive which culminated in a 56-yard touchdown pass to Jevon Cottoy.

The Riders took a 13-6 lead on two field goals by Brett Lauther and a one-yard touchdown run by Ouellette.

Lions receiver Justin McInnis, who led the CFL in receiving with 1,469 yards on 92 receptions, had a slow start and didn’t make his first catch of the game until the 2:35 mark of the second quarter. McInnis, who hauled in 14 passes for 243 yards in a 35-20 victory over the Riders on July 13, followed up with an 11-yard touchdown reception with 38 seconds left in the first half to tie the game at 13-13.

(Canadian Press/Jeff DeDekker)

TORONTO – The Toronto Argonauts have their rematch with the defending Grey Cup champion Montreal Alouettes.

Quarterback Chad Kelly tossed four touchdowns and ran for another to lead the Argonauts to a 58-38 CFL victory against the Ottawa Redblacks in the East Division semifinal on Saturday.

The dominant victory propelled the Argonauts to their fourth straight appearance in the East final and set up a rematch with the Alouettes, who upset Toronto 38-17 a year ago.

“We know we’re going to get their best shot,” Kelly said. “We got to be ready for whatever they throw at us and be ready to go.”

Kelly and the Argonauts were not ready to go against the Redblacks, falling behind 10-0 and 13-3 in the first half. But Toronto rebounded with an explosive 38-point second half.

Ottawa quarterback Dru Brown set CFL playoff records with 46 completions and 61 pass attempts. He threw for three touchdowns, 476 yards and two interceptions that resulted in Toronto touchdowns.

The two teams 96-points combined output tied a playoff record, set when the Alouettes defeated the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the 2011 East Division semifinal.

“Offensively, we can be explosive,” Argonauts head coach Ryan Dinwiddie said. “Now we have to do it again next week.”

Kelly finished with 358 passing yards, completing 18 of 20 before 18,060 at BMO Field. He also rushed for 29 yards on two carries.

(Canadian Press)