Mathew Sexton’s return TD lifts Roughriders past REDBLACKS

OTTAWA — Mathew Sexton’s punt return touchdown helped swing a back-and-forth contest on Friday night at TD Place Stadium, as the Saskatchewan Roughriders held on to defeat the Ottawa REDBLACKS 27-22 in FanDuel Canada Day Weekend action.

The Riders weathered Ottawa pressure in the first and final quarters, with Sexton providing the key special teams score and Trevor Harris taking control of the offence. Saskatchewan’s pivot finished Friday night’s contest with 243 yards and two touchdowns, surpassing Tom Clements for 12th on the CFL’s all-time passing yards leaderboard with a third-quarter completion to Johnny Johnson III.

The REDBLACKS were sharp across all three phases to start. A.J. Allen set the tone, intercepting a deflected pass on the opening series against his former team, and Cade McDonald followed with a catch-and-run from out of the flat for his first CFL major. On special teams, Brian Cole broke through to block Oscar Chapman’s punt off his helmet, setting up a short Brett Lauther field goal.

It was a different story in the second quarter. Harris got the Riders on the board, finishing a 10-play, 75-yard drive with a pass to Dhel Duncan-Busby for the score. On the ensuing kickoff, Kalil Pimpleton had his pocket picked by Nick Wiebe, and Saskatchewan eventually tied the game on Alex Hale’s three-pointer.

KeeSean Johnson was active throughout the half, hauling in all seven of his targets for 99 yards as the REDBLACKS secondary kept throws contested. The third-year receiver finished with a game-high 137 yards on nine receptions.

Saskatchewan built on its momentum out of the break, forcing a quick two-and-out from Jake Maier and company before Sexton walked the sideline and returned Noah Gettman’s punt for a touchdown. Harris added on to end the third, leading the Riders through the air and pinning one to Johnson to make it 26-16.

Ottawa had its counter-punch in the fourth, lining up at the one after Eugene Lewis hauled in a deep ball through double coverage. Bryson Barnes leapt over the pile for his first CFL touchdown, but Greg Bell was stopped on the two-point convert, keeping it a five-point game.

With the threat of a comeback still lingering past the three-minute warning, Saskatchewan’s defence came up with a stop, stuffing Bryson Barnes on a third-down sneak to turn it over on downs and seal the result.

Maier finished the day with 259 passing yards on a season high 76% clip. Justin Hardy led all Ottawa receivers with 92 yards on five receptions.

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SCORING PLAYS

• Jake Maier 15-yard touchdown pass to Cade McDonald (10:01, Q1) | OTT 7 SSK 0
• Brett Lauther 32-yard field goal (6:04, Q1) | OTT 10 SSK 0
• Trevor Harris 13-yard touchdown pass to Dhel Duncan-Busby (12:48, Q2) | OTT 10 SSK 7
• Alex Hale 21-yard field goal (8:50, Q2) | SSK 10 OTT 10
• Brett Lauther 40-yard field goal (6:22, Q2) | OTT 13 SSK 10
• Alex Hale 36-yard field goal (2:53, Q2) | SSK 13 OTT 13
• Mathew Sexton 101-yard punt return touchdown (12:37, Q3) | SSK 20 OTT 13
• Brett Lauther 18-yard field goal (3:49, Q3) | SSK 20 OTT 16
• Trevor Harris 23-yard passing touchdown to KeeSean Johnson (0:00, Q3) | SSK 27 OTT 16
• Bryson Barnes one-yard touchdown run (11:12, Q4) | SSK 27 OTT 22

NEXT UP

The Ottawa REDBLACKS head to Edmonton in Week 6 to take on the Elks. Edmonton has won the last three meetings between the teams, sweeping the season series in 2025 before opening the 2026 campaign with a victory over Ottawa in the nation’s capital.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders continue their road trip in Week 6 with a visit to Hamilton to face the Tiger-Cats. It will be the first meeting between the clubs this season after Saskatchewan swept the 2025 season series. In their most recent matchup, the Roughriders earned a 29-9 victory as KeeSean Johnson recorded a then-career-high 124 receiving yards.