The Saskatchewan Roughriders sacked Bo Levi Mitchell six times and added two interceptions to fuel a 29-9 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Mosaic Stadium on Saturday.
Mike Rose, Micah Johnson, Caleb Sanders, A.J. Allen, and Shane Ray all recorded sacks, with Ray notching his fifth in as many games to help Saskatchewan reach 8-1 and match their best start since 2013. Tevaughn Campbell and Rolan Milligan Jr. both nabbed interceptions to round out the Riders’ defensive statement.
Trevor Harris was in rhythm, completing 21 of his 27 throws for 307 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. AJ Ouellette pitched in 116 yards on 20 touches, Dohnte Meyers reeled all three of his targets for 76 yards and a touchdown, and KeeSean Johnson tallied a game-high 118 yards on eight grabs.
Under pressure all day, Bo Levi Mitchell could not extend his streak of consecutive games with 300 passing yards to five. The Ticats pivot went 16-for-31 in the air for 201 yards and two interceptions as Hamilton drops a second straight game to fall to 6-4. Greg Bell stood out in the losing effort, posting 107 total yards.
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The Riders opened with a two-and-out, nearly gifting a turnover when Harris’s second-down pass slipped through Jonathan Moxey’s hands. The Ticats capitalised on their first possession, riding Bell for 34 yards on three touches before stalling inside the 10 and settling for an 11-yard Marc Liegghio field goal.
Eager to shake off any post-bye rust, Harris went to top target Johnson for a 17-yard gain. But two plays later, looking Johnson’s way again on the sideline, Destin Talbert laid out for a diving interception, this time making Saskatchewan pay.
With the field flipped, Mitchell led the Ticats with completions to Jevoni Robinson and Bell for gains of 25 and 13. Bell added 12 more on a burst up the gut, but Rose’s fourth sack of the season halted the drive, bringing on Liegghio for a 21-yard field goal.
Saskatchewan began to find its rhythm late in the first, with Ouellette setting up the ground game and Harris keeping Hamilton’s front off balance with run-pass options. But fighting the windy conditions at Mosaic, Brett Lauther’s 28-yard attempt sailed wide for a single to make it 6-1.
Hamilton’s focus on pressuring Harris was clear, nearly paying off after Moxey almost intercepted him again to start the second. But the blitz backfired on the next series when Harris found Meyers wide open for a 58-yard strike. Ouellette mashed in the two-point conversion to cap the one-play scoring drive and give the Riders a 9-6 lead.
Saskatchewan added to its lead later in the frame, opening the drive with 29 yards on a challenged pass interference call and finishing it with Harris threading a 26-yard dot to Trevor Nield for the score. Lauther added the convert to make it 16-6.
The Riders’ defence started to take control. Sacks from Sanders and Johnson ended two straight drives, forcing the CFL’s top-scoring offence into consecutive punts. On Hamilton’s final play of the half, Ray stripped Mitchell on third down, setting up Lauther for a 59-yard field goal, which he muscled through as time expired to make it 19-6.
Pressure stayed on Mitchell in the third quarter, as the Riders’ front collapsed the pocket and forced a hurried throw that Campbell nabbed for his third interception of the season.
Starting on Hamilton’s side of the turf, the Riders took their time working into field goal range, leaning on Ouellette for 31 yards on four touches. But, from 42 yards out and kicking into the wind, Lauther once again could not connect, and Quavian White knelt the miss for a Saskatchewan single.
Hamilton went two-and-out on its next possession but caught a break when Drae McCray mishandled the punt, and Ronan Horrall recovered at the Riders’ 12. From the instant scoring position, Mitchell targeted Kiondré Smith at the goal line but overthrew him, allowing Milligan Jr. — who returned a pick-six against Mitchell the last time they met — to snag the interception. The reigning Most Outstanding Defensive Player’s third pick of the season came on his 31st birthday.
The Riders bled nearly eight minutes off the clock on their next possession, grinding 90 yards in 11 plays. Harris went a perfect six-for-six for 63 yards and mixed in a gutsy second-and-eight scramble before capping the drive with a 15-yard dime to Joe Robustelli. Ouellette came up short on the two-point conversion, leaving the score at 26-6.
Facing a 20-point deficit to start the fourth, Mitchell drove Hamilton into field-goal range before Allen sacked him, setting up Liegghio’s 38-yard kick for the Ticats’ first points of the half.
Looking for an answer and some insurance, the Riders battled the wind, but Lauther’s 46-yard attempt hit the upright, his third miss of the game.
Past the midway point of the fourth, the ‘Cats were in desperation mode. Kenny Lawler came up with a 24-yard catch on third down to keep the drive alive in Saskatchewan territory, only for the magic to run out on the next third-down play, as Mitchell was sacked by Johnson again, turning the ball over on downs.
With a 17-point lead and full control, Corey Mace turned to Jake Maier and Tommy Stevens behind centre to close it out. Lauther added a field goal to ice it at 29-9 and seal the result for Saskatchewan.
The Riders will be in Calgary in Week 12 to take on the Stampeders on Saturday, August 23, while the Ticats get a bye before their Week 13 meeting with the Toronto Argonauts.