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Big second half propels Lions over Riders in Western Semi-Final presented by Wegovy®

Game DayOct 31, 2026
CFL.ca Staff
Big second half propels Lions over Riders in Western Semi-Final presented by Wegovy®

VANCOUVER -- Trailing 17-13 heading into the second half, the BC Lions took over in the final 30 minutes, defeating the Saskatchewan Roughriders 33-26 to punch their ticket to the Western Final presented by Wegovy®.

Jevon Cottoy scored twice in the third quarter, with a 70-yard catch-and-run on the Lions' opening possession of the quarter and a 13-yard score as the frame was coming to an end. His second major gave the Leos their first lead of the contest, one that they would never relinquish. Cottoy ended the game with a game-high 131 yards to go along with his pair of touchdowns.

Stanley Berryhill III was on the receiving end of another big play from Nathan Rourke, a 69-yard strike in the second quarter. Rourke finished the game completing 21 of 32 passes for 366 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.

On the very first play from scrimmage of the Western Semi-Final presented by Wegovy®, the Riders forced a turnover, with Jameer Thurman knocking the ball out of James Butler's hands and DaMarcus Fields recovering it. BC's defence held on for a two-and-out, however, and Saskatchewan opened the scoring with a 55-yard Brett Lauther field goal to go up 3-0 early.

Later in the first quarter, Saskatchewan ran the ball well against the BC defence that was best against the run in the regular season. The Riders had six straight runs on the drive to get down to BC's 18-yard line before Harris threw the ball to Samuel Emilus in the end zone. He wasn't able to connect with his receiver, with the ball bouncing off Emilus' fingertips, and Lauther kicked his second field goal of the contest. The 26-yard attempt added to Saskatchewan's lead (6-0).

After that, the teams traded field goals, with Sean Whyte hitting a 26-yard attempt, which cut Saskatchewan's lead 6-3. Then Lauther kicked his second 55-yard field goal of the game, adding the three points back to Saskatchewan's lead (9-3).

The Riders forced their second turnover of the contest on their next drive, stopping Horvath from getting a fresh set of downs on a third-and-one, bringing Harris and co. back onto the field at the BC 49-yard line. Saskatchewan cashed in on the turnover with the game's first touchdown, as Tommy Stevens took the snap from shotgun at the four-yard line and ran through the defence into the end zone. Emilus hauled in the two-point convert and the Riders extended their lead to 17-3 with six minutes left in the first half.

BC responded two plays later, as Rourke escaped pressure out of the pocket, made a few defenders miss and, on the run, aired it out to Stanley Berryhill III, who was wide open downfield for the 69-yard touchdown. That strike cut Saskatchewan's lead to 17-10 with under five minutes on the clock.

Just inside the three-minute warning, the Lions kept the momentum on their side. Robert Carter Jr. jumped right in front of the pass intended for Emilus, securing the interception. Saskatchewan's defence made sure BC didn't score any points on the turnover, forcing a punt.

With 12 seconds left before halftime, BC got close enough for a Whyte 48-yard field goal, cutting Saskatchewan's lead to 17-13.

On the opening possession of the second half, Lauther booted his fourth field goal of the game, this one from 34 yards out, increasing the Riders' lead to 20-13. BC responded right away with a touchdown, as Rourke found Jevon Cottoy, who ran away from two defenders for the 70-yard catch-and-run score. With Whyte's convert, the Lions tied the game at 20 with nine minutes left in the third.

Lauther was called upon for his fifth field goal of the game on the Riders' next drive, connecting on his 33-yard attempt to increase his team's lead to 23-20.

But once again, the Lions answered. This time it was Rourke finding a wide open Cottoy for the receiver's second touchdown of the game. The 13-yard score gave BC their first lead of the contest with 1:33 left in the third quarter (27-23). BC added another field goal in the fourth quarter, as Whyte was good on his 34-yard attempt to increase BC's lead to 30-23.

At the three-minute warning, Whyte added another field goal to increase BC's lead to 33-23.

Backed up deep in their own end zone, the Riders went for it on third-and-nine on their next possession. BC's defence flushed Harris out of the pocket, but he was able to find Dhel Duncan-Busby for a 24-yard pickup and a fresh set of downs around midfield. A few plays later and Saskatchewan sent out Lauther for another field goal attempt. His 44-yard attempt was good, cutting BC's lead to 33-26 with 1:36 left in the game.

The Riders attempted an onside kick, but it was recovered by the Lions. Whyte missed his 49-yard field goal attempt with 38 seconds left, giving Harris and the Riders one more chance at driving the field. With no time left on the clock and the Riders on the Lions' 34-yard line, Harris was sacked as the Lions' defence sealing the victory.

RELATED

» Depth Charts: SSK | BC » Game Notes: Roughriders at Lions » Sign up and watch CFL games on CFL+ in the U.S. and Internationally

SCORING PLAYS

  • Brett Lauther 55-yard field goal (13:04, Q1) | SSK 3, BC 0

  • Brett Lauther 26-yard field goal (6:08, Q1) | SSK 6, BC 0

  • Sean Whyte 26-yard field goal (2:44, Q1) | SSK 6, BC 3

  • Brett Lauther 55-yard field goal (11:26, Q2) | SSK 9, BC 3

  • Tommy Stevens four-yard rushing touchdown, Samuel Emilus two-point convert (6:52, Q2) | SSK 17, BC 3

  • Nathan Rourke 69-yard touchdown pass to Stanley Berryhill III (5:05, Q2) | SSK 17, BC 10

  • Sean Whyte 48-yard field goal (0:00, Q2) | SSK 17, BC 13

  • Brett Lauther 34-yard field goal (10:23, Q3) | SSK 20, BC 13

  • Nathan Rourke 70-yard touchdown pass to Jevon Cottoy (9:42, Q3) | SSK 20, BC 20

  • Brett Lauther 33-yard field goal (4:53, Q3) | SSK 23, BC 20

  • Nathan Rourke 13-yard touchdown pass to Jevon Cottoy (1:51, Q3) | BC 27, SSK 23)

  • Sean Whyte 34-yard field goal (10:28, Q4) | BC 30, SSK 27

  • Sean Whyte 24-yard field goal (3:00, Q4) | BC 33, SSK 23

  • Brett Lauther 44-yard field goal (1:41, Q4) | BC 33, SSK 26

NEXT UP

The BC Lions will now head to Edmonton to take on the Elks in the Western Final presented by Wegovy®.

The Lions played each other twice in 2026, splitting the season series. The Lions defeated the Elks in Week 5 (36-24), while Edmonton took meeting in Week 7 (19-17).