EDMONTON — Mere minutes after the Saskatchewan Roughriders secured a playoff berth, there were fireworks.
The booming blasts, which reverberated near the Roughriders’ dressing room, were compliments of the Edmonton Elks.
The Elks honoured a promise to their fans that there would be post-game pyrotechnics — a sparkling show that ultimately followed Saskatchewan’s 28-24 CFL victory at Commonwealth Stadium.
“Celebrate this for a couple of hours, but we know this is not the final mountain we climb,” quarterback Trevor Harris told his teammates in the victors’ locker room.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers (10-6-0) lead the West Division, followed by the Roughriders (8-7-1) and B.C. Lions (8-8-0).
A victory over the visiting Lions next Saturday (5 p.m., Mosaic Stadium) would clinch a home playoff game for Saskatchewan.
The Roughriders have robustly rebounded from a seven-game winless streak (0-6-1) by posting three victories in succession.
“We’re happy that we’ll have an opportunity to check one more thing off our list that we had set for ourselves,” Head Coach Corey Mace said.
“To be honest with you, we’ve still got to get ready for B.C. There’s still so much to play for this season.”
Saskatchewan is playoff-bound for the first time since 2021 after going 6-12-0 in back-to-back seasons.
“Man, it’s amazing,” defensive back Amari Henderson, who forced a key turnover late in the fourth quarter, said with a smile.
“This is my third year here and, obviously, the first two years we hadn’t won a game after Labour Day. To be able to win games after Labour Day and be consistent and continue to grow and obviously get to the playoffs, it’s amazing.”
So was the second quarter — which produced the first fireworks of the day.
Edmonton led 1-0 before each team reached the end zone twice during an eventful second frame.
After the Elks’ Javon Leake scored on a one-yard run, the Roughriders began (and summarily ended) a possession with an 88-yard touchdown bomb from Harris to Samuel Emilus.
“Trev did an amazing job of just looking off the safety on the other side of the field and he just threw me a perfect ball,” Emilus said. “After that, it was off to the races.
“When I caught the ball, I thought (Elks defensive back Darrius Bratton) was on my back so I was trying to protect the ball in case he tried to punch it out from behind, but he didn’t do it.
“I was able to get to the end zone and it started the avalanche for the offence.”
The Harris-Emilus connection was the Roughriders’ longest completion since July 1, 2019, when Cody Fajardo found Kyran Moore for a 98-yard touchdown against the visiting Toronto Argonauts.
The 88-yarder by Emilus was his longest gain as a CFLer. His previous high was 54.
“I knew it was me and the ball,” he said when asked what he was thinking as he saw a splendid spiral heading toward him. “It seemed like the ball was in the air forever.
“I just made sure I caught it, because that’s my job — catching the ball. After that, I just had to finish the job, which was getting in the end zone.”
Edmonton responded to the Harris-to-Emilus eruption by also reaching the end zone, on a 37-yard strike from Bethel-Thompson to Dillon Mitchell.
The Roughriders roared back with a seven-play, 75-yard march that culminated in a two-yard TD run by Shea Patterson.
Brett Lauther’s convert — in his 100th CFL game — tied the game at 15-15.
With 30 seconds remaining in the first half, an Adam Auclair interception set up a 50-yard field goal by Lauther that gave the visitors an 18-15 advantage.
Rolan Milligan Jr.’s league-leading eighth interception was parlayed into three points when Lauther’s 13-yarder gave the Roughriders a 21-15 lead at 4:39 of the third quarter.
Edmonton knotted the game at 21-21 when Bethel-Thompson found Eugene Lewis for 10-yard major at 8:23 of the third quarter. Boris Bede’s convert attempt hit the left upright.
Saskatchewan began the next possession on its 45-yard line following a 33-yard kickoff return by Jerreth Sterns. Harris found Kian Schaffer-Baker for a 34-yard gain and, two plays later, connected with a leaping KeeSean Johnson for a 28-yard TD. Lauther’s convert made it 28-21, Roughriders.
Edmonton closed the gap to four points with Bede’s 36-yard field goal at 9:14 of the fourth quarter.
With just under two minutes left, Henderson forced a Kurleigh Gittens Jr. fumble that the Roughriders’ C.J. Reavis recovered on his team’s 36-yard line. Gittens Jr. had gained 21 yards before Henderson punched the ball loose.
“I knew we just had to make a play,” Henderson said. “Somebody had to make a play and I was like, ‘I’ve just got to put on my suit.’
“That’s something we always preach in the DBs’ room — know the plays and make the plays. I’m just happy that I was able to make the play for the team.
“We’re going to the playoffs, so I’m super-ecstatic right now.”
After the fumble recovery, Saskatchewan registered back-to-back first downs to exhaust most of the time that remained.
Crucially, Saskatchewan converted a second-and-seven situation when Edmonton was called for pass interference on Sterns following a successful challenge by Mace.
After a one-yard run by Frankie Hickson, Harris hit Johnson for 10 yards and a first down to eliminate any chance of Edmonton winning.
Overall, Harris went 22-for-28 for 358 yards. Bethel Thompson was 33-for-41 for 379 yards during the entertaining game.
TREVOR’S TOTALS
• Harris moved ahead of ex-Roughrider Kent Austin and into 13th place on the CFL’s All-Time completions list. Harris has now connected 2,724 times since making his CFL debut in 2012. Austin completed 2,709 passes during a period that spanned 1987 to 1996. He was a Roughrider for his first seven CFL seasons.
• Harris is 48 completions behind 12th-ranked Michael Reilly. As well, Harris needs three more touchdown passes to hit 181 and tie Reilly for 19th All-Time.
• Harris is the first Roughrider to complete at least 75 per cent of his passes in three consecutive games (minimum 15 attempts).
• One more: Harri is seven yards shy of registering the 29th season of 3,000-plus passing yards by a Roughrider.
ROLAN’S ROLLIN’
Milligan Jr.’s interception total places him in a 10-way tie for the sixth-best single-season total in franchise history.
Terry Irvin set the record of 11 in 1984. Dale West (1963), Ken McEachern (1980) and Ed Gainey (2017) had 10 interceptions. James Patrick picked off nine passes in 2010.
With eight interceptions, Milligan Jr. is tied with Butch Avinger (1952), Stan Williams (1954), Bob Kosid (1968), Bruce Bennett (1969 and 1971), Harry Skipper (1987 and 1988), Albert Brown (1989) and Glen Suitor (1991).
Milligan Jr. has two more regular-season games in which to move up the ladder.
NIFTY 50
Lauther’s 50-yard field goal was his 19th of 50-plus, dating back to his debut with the Roughriders in 2018.
Dave Ridgway leads the Roughriders with 32 career field goals of 50-plus. Paul McCallum is second at 28, followed by Lauther.
Lauther has hit 20 of his last 21 field-goal attempts. Factor in 33-yard convert attempts and the sixth-year Roughriders kicker has made 32 of his last 33 placements.
With 45 field goals, Lauther has the ninth-best single-season total in franchise history.
STELLAR SAM
Emilus is 30 receiving yards shy of reaching 1,000 for the second season in a row. He has 970 yards, on a career-best 81 receptions, with two games remaining.
The 81 catches already place Emilus in a three-way tie for the 19th-best total by a Roughrider.
Emilus (four catches for 124 yards) and Johnson (five for 103) gave Saskatchewan multiple 100-yard receivers for the 60th time in franchise history.
EXTRA POINTS
• The Elks, who amassed 276 rushing yards in the teams’ previous meeting, were held to 30 on Saturday. That the 30th-lowest rushing-yardage total for a Roughriders opponent in the post-Second World War era.
• Auclair has an interception in back-to-back games. He has three picks this season.
• Kian Schaffer-Baker’s second catch of the game gave him 200 receptions as a CFLer. He had three catches for 51 yards.
• Patterson, who typically operates the Roughriders’ short-yardage team, scored his team-high seventh TD.
• Reavis had another banner game, registering nine defensive tackles (including one for a loss), plus the fumble recovery. He has 17 tackles over his last two games.
• With a two-point convert that followed the Emilus major, Dhel Duncan-Busby registered his first points as a CFLer. Kendall Watson also hit the scoresheet for the first time as a CFLer when he caught a Harris aerial against the visiting Elks on July 6, 2023.
• Quirky stat: Dakota Prukop, the Elks’ third-string quarterback, led his team in special teams tackles (three).
SUMMARY
FIRST QUARTER
Edm — Single Julien 75 7:01
Alford conceded a punt single deep in the end zone
SECOND QUARTER
Edm — TD Leake 1 run (Bede convert) 4:21
Elks moved 93 yards in 12 plays after Jackson intercepted Harris
Sask — TD Emilus 88 pass from Harris (Harris to Duncan-Busby for two-point convert) 5:56
One-play, 88-yard scoring possession for Saskatchewan
Edm — TD Mitchell 37 pass from Bethel-Thompson (Bede convert) 12:13
Bethel-Thompson was 4-for-4 for 65 yards on scoring possession
Sask — TD Patterson 2 run (Lauther convert) 14:05
Riders answered Edmonton TD with a seven-play, 75-yard scoring march
Sask — FG Lauther 50 15:00
Roughriders turned Auclair interception into three points
THIRD QUARTER
Sask — FG Lauther 13 4:39
Milligan Jr.’s league-leading eighth interception led to chip-shot Lauther field goal
Edm — TD Lewis 10 pass from Bethel-Thompson (convert failed) 8:23
Bethel-Thompson was 4-for-4 for 76 yards during brisk TD drive
Sask — TD Johnson 28 pass from Harris (Lauther convert) 10:53
Johnson made a leaping contested catch two plays after Schaffer-Baker hauled in a Harris aerial for 34
FOURTH QUARTER
Edm — FG Bede 36 9:14
Bede closed the gap to four after a 29-yard pass from Bethel-Thompson to Leake was overturned by the Command Centre and ruled incomplete
