Roughriders defeat Argonauts to lock up top spot in the West
The West side of the playoff bracket will run through Regina. The Saskatchewan Roughriders clinched the West Division’s top seed for the first time since 2019 after defeating the Toronto Argonauts 27-19 on Saturday evening at Mosaic Stadium.
Trevor Harris threw for a pair of touchdown passes, going 23-29 for 340 yards. Samuel Emilus caught six passes for 142 yards, while Joe Robustelli and Tommy Nield came down with the touchdowns for the Riders in the first and third quarters as they got the win in the first matchup of WestJet Thanksgiving Weekend.
Already eliminated from playoff contention heading into Week 19, the Toronto Argonauts stayed within touching distance of the Riders but just couldn’t deliver late in the fourth quarter. Down five with less than five minutes remaining, the Argos elected to go for it on third down but came up short and then Jarret Doege threw an interception on his team’s final possession.
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Toronto started the game with the football but could not move the chains. They did however manager to grab a single off of John Haggerty‘s 74-yard punt. With Saskatchewan in possession, Harris connected with Emilus for an electric catch-and-run, good for 50 yards, eventually being wrapped up at Toronto’s 16-yard line. From the red zone, Harris found Joe Robustelli who dove into the end zone for a 12-yard score. He couldn’t reel in the next pass from Harris on the two-point try, leaving the score at 6-1 in the early goings.
After both teams were forced into two-and-outs on their second possessions, Toronto was able to pick up their first fresh set of downs on their third series. Lirim Hajrullahu nailed a 54-yard field goal to make it 6-4.
Saskatchewan’s hard-hitting defence made it another scoreless outing for Toronto’s offence on their fourth drive of the ballgame as they continued to hurt themselves with penalties, committing four in the opening quarter.
Harris delivered three passes for first down on the ensuing drive as the hosts got their next score. Kian Schaffer-Baker had two chain-moving catches but Saskatchewan was eventually brought to a halt just outside of the red zone. Brett Lauther was called on for a 37-yard field goal to put the Riders up 9-4 early in the second quarter.
After another Toronto punt, Harris and Robustelli combined for another big first-half passing play. The Saskatchewan receiver went deep for a 44-yard catch but it would be Lauther again to cap off the drive with a kick, making it 12-4 for the Riders after back-to-back possessions ending with a field goal.
After the three-minute warning, yet another drive stalled for the Riders resulting in Lauther’s third make of the half. The Argos responded with their second field goal of the half on a drive led by backup quarterback Tucker Horn after Doege briefly exited with injury following a roughing the passer penalty by Mike Rose. Hajrullahu’s 20-yard kick made it 15-7 at the half.
Toronto’s defence came up with a turnover on Saskatchewan’s first play on offence of the second half. Aaron Casey punched the football out of Ouellette’s grasp and came up with the recovery himself after the CFL Replay Centre reversed the call on the field. Back in the pocket for the second half, Doege zipped a pass to Brissett in the end zone. The Argos couldn’t convert their two-point try, leaving them down 15-13 following the touchdown.
The home team responded well after their slip-up on offence. Thomas Bertrand-Hudon ran for a pair of first downs on runs of 15 and 10 yards and Schaffer-Baker hauled in a 27-yard reception to push the Roughriders into scoring range. Nield brought in Harris’ second touchdown pass of the evening but the hosts were unable to deliver on the two-point conversion, making it an eight-point game.
The Argos put together their longest drive of the game on their next series; an eight-play, 52-yard scoring drive. Doege got the ball to David Ungerer III and Polk for first-down completions and 20-yard gains before Hajrullahu eventually made a 38-yard field goal. The two teams then traded field goals early in the fourth quarter to keep them separated by just five points.
Still a five-point game with less than five minutes remaining and with the Boatmen stuck at third-and-two at Saskatchewan’s 25, Ryan Dinwiddie elected to go for it. Polk was unable to reel in a short pass from Doege, resulting in a turnover on downs.
Harris and the Riders quickly went the other way following the turnover on a stunning grab down the left sideline by Emilus, picking up 44 yards on the play. It appeared as though the Riders turned it over on downs themselves after Jack Coan was ruled short of the mark on a third-down quarterback sneak, but the call was overruled after Corey Mace threw the challenge flag. Lauther’s fifth field goal of the night capped off the drive, making it 27-19 with 1:06 on the clock.
Down eight and needing to get in the end zone, Doege attempted a pass across the middle but threw the game’s only interception. A.J. Allen secured the pick for his second takeaway in as many weeks and the Riders held on for the 27-19 victory.
Both Saskatchewan and Toronto will hit the road for their respective Week 20 matchups. The Roughriders will face the Blue Bombers in Winnipeg in a West Division showdown on Friday, October 17. The Argonauts meanwhile will head to Calgary to take on the Stampeders on Saturday, October 18.
