Lions beat Saskatchewan 33-26 by turning touchdowns against field goals

The BC Lions beat Saskatchewan 33-26 at BC Place on Saturday in the West Division semifinal, and the margin that explains it is the red zone. The Roughriders went 1-for-3 there and leaned on Brett Lauther's leg. The Lions cashed their trips in touchdowns.

Kicks against touchdowns

Saskatchewan's points came from six Lauther field goals, one Tommy Stevens touchdown run and a two-point convert. Two of the kicks came from 55 yards in the first half, a fine display of range that also showed where the drives stalled. The Roughriders still led 17-3 early.

BC scored 30 of the last 33 points. Nathan Rourke finished 21 of 32 for 366 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions, and two of the scores were long: a 69-yard throw to Stanley Berryhill III and a 70-yard throw to Jevon Cottoy. The Cottoy catch came on the first drive of the second half and tied it at 20-20. A second Cottoy touchdown put the Lions up 27-23 after three quarters.

The ball and the clock

Saskatchewan controlled the ball, holding it for 33:34 to BC's 26:26. Trevor Harris threw 29 of 40 for 309 yards, yet he had no touchdown passes and one interception. Possession piled up yardage. It did not pile up points.

The Lions were not tidy. Rourke's first pass went to his running back and the ball came loose, and Saskatchewan recovered. BC also turned the ball over on downs twice, including a third-and-one gamble in its own half in the second quarter. The Lions survived both because Saskatchewan turned the extra possessions into kicks, and because the Roughriders got nothing from Harris's interception on the other side.

Closing it out

Sean Whyte did his part from distance. His 24-yard field goal with about three minutes left made it 33-23, and he had already hit from 48 yards on the final play of the first half. He missed a 49-yard try late, which kept the door ajar. Lauther's 44-yard field goal with 1:41 left cut it to a one-score game, but BC recovered the onside kick. Saskatchewan's last drive reached BC territory before Hayden Harris sacked Harris as time ran out.

The Lions now play at the Edmonton Elks, who finished 13-5, in the West final on Nov. 7. The path to winning there looks the same as Saturday: keep Rourke upright, finish drives with touchdowns, and make the other team prove it can do the same.