VANCOUVER — Six games into the CFL season, the B.C. Lions were floundering.
The team was 1-5 and seemed poised to linger at the bottom of the standings all year.
But the Lions have clawed their way out of the hole and, after beating the Saskatchewan Roughriders 31-24 on Friday, now sit second in the West Division with an 8-6 record.
"Ultimately, going into this stretch, we knew that we controlled our own destiny," said Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke. "And so any type of win, especially against a West team, is huge for us, right? So, we just want to continue to focus one game at a time, and let the cards fall where they may."
It was another stellar performance for the Canadian QB, who amassed 375 passing yards and 37 rushing yards with four touchdown passes.
Keon Hatcher Sr. chalked up a pair of majors for the Lions, while Jevon Cottoy and Jermaine Jackson also found the end zone, and Sean Whyte made a 14-yard field goal.
The result gives B.C. a 2-1 edge in a three-game season series between the two clubs and could be a crucial tiebreaker for home-field advantage in the playoffs.
"Obviously it's big in the standings, with the West as tight as it's been in recent years," said Lions head coach Buck Pierce. "But we feel when we play at home, we should win. And that hasn't changed."
The Riders (8-6) got some key pieces back on Friday, including running back A.J. Ouellette, who tallied 77 rushing yards and a TD in his return from a knee injury that saw him sidelined for seven games.
Trevor Harris had 302 passing yards, throwing a touchdown to Dylan Djete in the second quarter. Kicker Dawson Hodge notched three field goals for Saskatchewan, including a 32-yard strike.
"We just weren't executing what we were supposed to execute," said Riders defensive back Marcus Sayles. "They've got a great team over there, they've got great players, and they just found a way to make some explosive plays. And that was pretty much the difference."
The loss means Saskatchewan can no longer clinch a playoff spot this week.
"Every single game is frustrating when you lose. Because we're all competitors, we all want to win," Sayles said. "And when we don't execute the way we expect ourselves to execute, it is frustrating at times.
"But at the same time, we've got more opportunities. We've got four more games to play, and however the dice roll, we're just going to keep coming to practice, keep working, and it's going to keep going until it’s all over."
The visitors looked dangerous on their first possession of the game, with Harris working his way up the field.
Looking to connect with a teammate in the end zone, the QB sent a pass off of the upright, and Saskatchewan settled for a 27-yard field goal to open the scoring.
The Lions responded swiftly.
Rourke lobbed a massive pass up centre field to Stanley Berryhill III for a 56-yard gain, then followed up with a toss to Hatcher in the end zone. Whyte's single-point convert gave the home side a 7-3 lead.
The two sides traded field goals before Saskatchewan put up a major.
With just over two minutes to go in the second quarter, Harris spotted Djete alone near the sideline and hit the unencumbered wide receiver with a 13-yard pass. Djete darted over the goal line, and Hodge made the single to put the Riders back on top by a score of 13-10.
The lead didn't last until halftime.
Rourke made five passes up the field to put B.C. at Saskatchewan's 19-yard line, then tossed a short ball to Hatcher, who avoided a tackle from Mike Rose en route to the end zone for his second major of the night. Whyte's convert gave the Lions a 17-13 lead with 16 seconds to go in the first half.
Hatcher registered 66 receiving yards on the night and hit 1,015 for the season. It's the fifth season in his CFL career that the 32-year-old American receiver has surpassed the 1,000-yard mark.
"I love Hatch. He's one of my favourite teammates, just of all time in my career," Rourke said. "He's just such a hard worker, great leader. I love how he competes, his competitive nature. I trust him implicitly."
"I think at this stage in his career, everyone's looking for a reason not to have him around, and he continues to prove that he belongs here."
The Lions boosted their advantage midway through the third after Rourke came up big with a giant pass to Justin McInnis that gave the home side a first down in the midfield.
Saskatchewan head coach Corey Mace challenged the play for offensive pass interference, but after video review, officials upheld the call on the field.
Rourke continued to push his team upfield and capped the drive with a pass to Cottoy just above the goal line for another TD. Another single-point conversion from Whyte gave B.C. a 24-13 lead.
The final play of the third quarter saw the Lions' defence stymie Harris and his side deep in B.C. territory. The Riders' short-yardage team tried to extend the drive but instead turned the ball over on downs.
The Lions' defence has been making stops when it needs to, Pierce said.
"I think the biggest thing is they're able to respond and analyze mistakes that were made and not hang on those mistakes and move on to the next play," he said. "They're playing with a lot of energy and a lot of confidence right now, and they're playing good, clean football."
Saskatchewan continued to push but struggled to break through the Lions' back end. Another field goal from Hodge — this time a 32-yard kick — made it 24-16 for B.C. midway through the fourth quarter.
The crowd at BC Place jumped to their feet late in the final frame when Rourke scrambled out of the pocket under pressure, sprinted upfield and delivered a long bomb into the hands of McInnis.
The Canadian receiver was hauled down, but Rourke found Jermaine Jackson for yet another major on the next play to give the Lions a 31-16 lead.
With just over two minutes left on the game clock, Saskatchewan finally made its way back into the end zone with a two-yard plunge from Ouellette.
The Riders gave themselves hope when Tommy Stevens made it through the fray for a two-point conversion that left the score 31-24.
At least one provincial politician made room in his busy election campaign schedule to attend the game. Newly minted B.C. Conservative leader Lorne Doerkson was spotted at field level with former B.C. Premier Christy Clark before kickoff.
UP NEXT
Riders: Host the Calgary Stampeders on Oct. 2.
Lions: Visit the Toronto Argonauts on Oct. 3.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 25, 2026.
Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press
