With wins in three straight games, the BC Lions look to continue their climb up the West Division standings on Sunday night when they host the Saskatchewan Roughriders at BC Place.
BC’s most recent victory came against the Calgary Stampeders, while Saskatchewan lost to Hamilton last week.
The Roughriders earned the victory in the first matchup between these two in Week 2, 31-27.
Here’s three keys to the game for each team ahead of Sunday’s kickoff.
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» Game Notes: Roughriders at Lions
SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS
1. OFFENCE IN SYNC
Saskatchewan saw what a talented defence can do against Hamilton last week and will face another stiff test against BC. It’s on quarterback Trevor Harris‘ shoulders to lead the way and find his footing after throwing for 207 yards and tossing a pair of interceptions a week ago.
Watch live. Saskatchewan Roughriders @ BC Lions, Aug. 24, 01:00 CET (1 am, 7 pm Aug. 23 ET)
2. SAMUEL EMILUS RETURNS
Harris will have help with the return of receiver Samuel Emilus. Emilus hasn’t played since Week 8 against Edmonton and is a sight for sore eyes for an offence that’s dealt with its fair share of injuries. In the Riders’ Week 2 win, he totalled 91 yards and caught all three touchdown passes.
3. SECONDARY SUPPORT
As the Lions offence begins to roll, the Riders secondary has to match the effort level. They will have to do it without Tevaughn Campbell and Rolan Milligan Jr. again, but defensive backs Jaxon Ford, Nelson Lokombo and Marcus Sayles are more than capable of limiting damage. This week, it’s all about shutting down stars Keon Hatcher Sr. and Justin McInnis.
BC LIONS
1. DEFENSIVE DOMINANCE
BC has allowed an average of 23 points in its three recent wins, and with the offence finding a rhythm thanks to some better health, they’ve returned to being a well-rounded team. Harris has shown he can exploit holes in a defence, so it’s going to take a complete effort led by defensive lineman Mathieu Betts up front and defensive back T.J. Lee in coverage to slow him.
2. SHOWDOWN AT THE LINE OF SCRIMMAGE
Running back Zander Horvath will try to make his physical presence felt against a Riders defensive front that’s allowing just 78.4 yards on the ground per game, the second fewest entering play this week. Horvath has put up 413 rushing yards since the Week 2 matchup, when he had just three carries for five yards.
3. BACK TO BEING DISCIPLINED
The Lions have been one of the more disciplined teams in the league this season, but took nine penalties costing them 94 yards against the Stamps. If they want to extend their win streak to four games, they can’t be giving free yards to a talented Riders team.
NEED TO KNOW:
- The Roughriders are coming off a season-low 19-point performance.
- Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke is 3-4 against Saskatchewan. He has passed for at least 290 yards in each game this season, including 330 in the teams’ Week 2 matchup.
- Harris is 11-4 against BC. He has had at least one passing touchdown in each game. In the teams’ first meeting, he passed for 417 yards and three TDs.