This is it.
The CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders are to wrap up their 18-game regular-season schedule Saturday, when they face the B.C. Lions at Mosaic Stadium (5 p.m., CKRM, TSN).
Not only does the game feature major playoff implications in the West Division, it’s also a clash between two of the league’s hottest teams.
B.C. enters the game having won three straight and six of its past seven, while Saskatchewan is 4-1-0 in its past five and 8-2-0 in its past 10. Only the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, who have won four in a row, can claim they’re as hot as either the Lions or Roughriders entering the week.
“From a fan standpoint, what adds excitement to this game is there’s a lot on the line,” Saskatchewan quarterback Zach Collaros said Friday. “We understand that. We’d be lying if we (said we) didn’t understand that. But once you get out there (on the field), that goes away and you’ve got to focus on each and every play.”
The Roughriders have a bye in the final week of the regular season, so this is their final chance to clinch a home playoff game without the help of another team. Saskatchewan can do so with a win or a tie against B.C.
The Lions, meanwhile, need to win Saturday’s game by four points or more to win the season series with Saskatchewan (based on point differential) and to have a shot at passing the Roughriders for second place in the West Division.
The fact that the Lions are even in the race for second place reflects their turnaround in the second half of the season.
Through their first nine games, the Lions averaged 22.3 points scored and 332.4 yards of net offence and allowed averages of 26.2 points and 379.3 yards of net offence. Since then, they’ve averaged 28.1 points scored and 319.6 yards of net offence and have allowed averages of 25.1 points and 288.1 yards of net offence.
The dividing line in the Lions’ season occurred Aug. 25, when they lost 24-21 to the Roughriders at BC Place.
“They’re trying to get ready to get into the playoffs,” Roughriders defensive end Willie Jefferson said when asked about the Lions’ second-half rally. “They’ve got a lot of veteran guys on that team and they’re just trying to put it together at the right time.
“That’s exactly what we talked about as a defensive line: That team was dropping games early in the season, but these last couple of games, they’ve been finding ways to put it together and get wins.”
The Lions have added good players like tailback Tyrell Sutton and receiver DeVier Posey in recent weeks, but they also appear to have changed their mental approach.
“The biggest thing that I see is they’ve got a little bit more of a belief system,” Roughriders head coach-GM Chris Jones said. “They seem to be playing a lot faster and having fun. That’s what makes them dangerous.”
Jones pointed to the Lions’ penchant for getting themselves into good second-down situations, largely because of Sutton’s ability to gain yards after contact on first-down runs. That makes him a priority for the Roughriders’ defence.
“Anytime you can establish the run early and give yourself a second-and-short, you always put yourself in a plus,” linebacker Derrick Moncrief said. “We want to try to make it difficult on first down and get them in some second-and-longs to see what we can do.”
The Roughriders also have turned things around in a variety of areas during their hot streak.
Over Saskatchewan’s past 10 contests, its scoring average has increased by nearly five points per game (21.6 to 26.4) and its net offence has increased by more than 25 yards per game (309.9 to 335.6).
The Roughriders are coming off one of their best outings of the regular season, Saturday’s 29-24 victory over the host Calgary Stampeders. Collaros was excellent, throwing for 352 yards without an interception and leading the Roughriders on numerous point-producing and time-consuming drives.
Saskatchewan’s defence held the Stampeders to 274 yards of net offence and helped limit Calgary’s time of possession to 25 minutes 20 seconds.
Even so, Jones sounded a cautionary note as his team prepared for the Lions.
“What we’ve got to do is remember that we really didn’t do anything special against Calgary,” he said. “It’s not like we created new offences and created new defences. We executed in a couple of phases.
“(Compared to) last week in particular, we’ve got to play a little bit better defence and a little bit better special teams.”
The Roughriders’ efforts in Calgary and through their previous games this season have resulted in an 11-6-0 record entering Saturday’s game against the Lions (9-7-0). A victory would give Saskatchewan its first 12-win season since 2008, while a loss would mean an 11-win season for the first time since 2013.
“I’m proud of (the players),” Jones said. “We’ve certainly weathered some dark moments where people didn’t give us much credit and didn’t think very much of us — and rightfully so. We at times in all three phases have looked very weak.
“But our players have certainly worked hard. They work hard in the weight room, they come to practice every day and they’re a fun group to be around. We’re a pretty resilient bunch.”
