Roughriders improve to 4-0 with victory over B.C. Lions
In front of an announced crowd of 27,804 at Mosaic Stadium, the Roughriders improved to 4-0 for a second straight season while the Lions fell to 1-3.
In the victory, Ouellette rushed for 139 yards and a touchdown while Saskatchewan's defence also chipped in with points as Tevaughn Campbell recorded a pick six in the first half as the Riders led 16-7 at the half.
While Ouellette was the offensive star for the Riders, Saskatchewan's offence was led by backup quarterback Jake Maier, who drew the start for the injured Trevor Harris. Maier finished the night 13 of 23 for 170 yards and a touchdown.
On the other side, the Lions were guided by backup quarterback Jeremiah Masoli with starter Nathan Rourke out due to injury of his own. Masoli completed 16 of 29 passes for 173 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions.
On Saskatchewan's first drive of the game, Ouellette rumbled 26 yards on the first play before Maier connected with Mitch Picton for a first down through the air.
From there, Brett Lauther nailed a 34-yard field goal to put the Roughriders up 3-0.
Near the end of the first quarter, after another first-down carry by Ouellette, Maier found a wide-open Joe Robustelli up the sideline, as the receiver made a 34-yard catch while keeping himself in bounds.
After the drive stalled, Lauther came in to make a 48-yard field goal to make it 6-0 Riders.
On B.C.'s next drive, the Roughriders defence forced a turnover as linebacker C.J. Reavis punched the ball loose from Lions' running back James Butler, before defensive end Lake Korte-Moore jumped on the fumble. However, the Roughriders were forced to punt on the ensuing series.
The Lions bounced back on their next offensive series as Butler picked up a 38-yard gain along the ground before Masoli hit Keon Hatcher for the 15-yard touchdown to put the Lions in front 7-6.
Before the half was up, Lauther hit a 40-yard field goal to put Saskatchewan back on top 9-7.
As B.C. looked to put points on the board late in the half, Campbell — who had a pick last week against Toronto — had other ideas as he intercepted Masoli and returned it 89 yards for a touchdown. With the convert, the Riders took the 16-7 lead at the break.
The Roughriders increased their lead to 22-7 on the first drive of the second half as Maier and company engineered a 10-play, 54-yard drive capped off by an eight-yard touchdown by Ouellette, who eclipsed the 100-yard mark on the play. Saskatchewan missed a two-point convert attempt following the major.
Near the end of the third quarter, the Lions marched down the field 69 yards on nine plays to Saskatchewan's one-yard line before the Riders snuffed out the drive, leaving the Lions to kick a field goal to cut the lead to 23-10.
After a rouge scored by Saskatchewan made it 24-10, the Roughriders defence put them into scoring range once again as Rolan Milligan Jr. intercepted Masoli and returned it 41 yards to B.C.'s 11-yard line before Lauther added his fourth field goal of the game to make it 27-10 with 4:35 left.
On B.C.'s next drive, the Lions turned it over once again as Masoli was intercepted by Antoine Brooks Jr. From there, Maier connected with Dhel Duncan-Busby on a 42-yard touchdown strike to put the Riders up 34-10 with the convert.
With 2:09 to go, the Lions added a touchdown as Butler found the end zone from four yards. B.C. added a two-point convert to make it a 16-point game.
From there, the Riders added another field goal as Lauther connected from 24 yards out to make it a 37-18 final.
Near the end of the first half, Roughriders left guard Trevon Tate went down as he looked to be favouring his left arm. He went to the locker room with the trainers as Zack Fry came into the game in his spot for the rest of the game.
In the third quarter, Campbell took a knee and was evaluated by trainers before walking off to the medical tent. Kerfalla Exume entered the game in his spot while Brooks also saw time at cornerback later in the game.
Early in the fourth quarter, running back Thomas Bertrand-Hudon limped off the field with trainers and did not return.
The Roughriders have their first bye week of the season next week. Saskatchewan returns to action on July 11 when the Calgary Stampeders visit Mosaic Stadium.
tshire@postmedia.com
Jake Maier starts at QB as Roughriders host Lions on Saturday
Up Close: Meet Roughriders linebacker AJ Allen
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