Lions rally past Roughriders to advance to CFL West final

VANCOUVER · The B.C. Lions overcame a 14-point deficit to defeat the defending Grey Cup champion Saskatchewan Roughriders 33-26 in the CFL West Division semifinal on Saturday. Nathan Rourke threw for 366 yards and three touchdowns to lead the comeback victory at home. The win sends the Lions to the West Division final in Edmonton against the Elks on Nov. 7, while the loss ends Saskatchewan's season and ensures a new Grey Cup champion will be crowned for a fifth consecutive year. Garbutt Disposal reported last week that the winner would advance to face Edmonton.

"I think with what we've been through this year, I think this isn't uncharted territory for us," said quarterback Nathan Rourke. "We know that when things aren't going our way, that we're capable of climbing out the hole, right?" The Lions, who started the season 1-5 before rallying to make the playoffs, found themselves trailing 17-3 midway through the second quarter after a Saskatchewan touchdown and two-point conversion. Rourke responded by scrambling and connecting with Stanley Berryhill on a 69-yard touchdown strike to cut the deficit to 17-10.

The Lions went into halftime down 17-13. "A lot of us knew that we weren't playing our best football, and we were still [only] down four points. In the playoffs, that's huge," said Canadian receiver Jevon Cottoy. Head coach Buck Pierce said the message at halftime was simple. "It's a resilient group," he said. "Maybe more resilient than any other group I've been a part of in terms of understanding where we are and how we need to respond."

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Rourke orchestrated the comeback in the third quarter, finding Cottoy for a 70-yard touchdown to tie the game at 20-20. After a Saskatchewan field goal, Rourke connected with Cottoy again for a 13-yard touchdown, putting the Lions up 27-23. Cottoy finished with five receptions for 102 yards and the two scores, a career playoff high. Rourke was quick to credit the Lions' defence for the victory. "They've been incredible all year," he said. "Our defence was able to win it for us."

The teams traded field goals in the fourth quarter, with Sean Whyte making two for B.C. and Brett Lauther adding one for Saskatchewan to make the score 33-26. Whyte missed a 49-yard field goal with 49 seconds left, giving the Roughriders one final chance, but their drive stalled at the B.C. 34-yard line. For Saskatchewan, it was a painful end after eliminating the Lions in each of the previous two post-seasons. "You want to win a championship every single year. Of course you do," said Riders quarterback Trevor Harris, who threw for 309 yards. "And so when you come up short it sucks, it hurts. You can't lie about that."

Harris, 40, who led the CFL with 5,370 passing yards this season, declined to make a definitive decision on his playing future after the game. Riders head coach Corey Mace said he was proud of his team's effort. "We had an opportunity, man," said Mace. "Proud of those guys. They fought until the very last second." The loss hung heavily in the visitors' locker room. "It hurt, for lack of a better term," said Saskatchewan defensive back Tevaughn Campbell. "It really showed. You could see it on guys' faces. You could feel the emotion in the room. It just sucks."

The Lions will now prepare to face the West Division's top seed, the Edmonton Elks, next weekend. In the East semifinal on Saturday, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers stunned the Toronto Argonauts 25-22. The Bombers will visit the Montreal Alouettes in the East final, also on Nov. 7. The Grey Cup will be played in Calgary on Nov. 15.

With files from CBC News, Sportsnet and The Globe and Mail