According to head coach Corey Mace, the football gods smiled upon the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Sunday
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The Riders, despite entering the game against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats with a 3-1 record, were struggling on defence when it came to forcing turnovers. The physical and ball-hawking defence that topped the CFL last year with 23 interceptions — along with forcing 41 turnovers en route to a Grey Cup championship — haven’t been matching those impressive statistics this season
Mace’s crew had only one interception and two forced turnovers in the first four games this season but that all changed in a 38-7 victory over the Tiger-Cats on Sunday when the Riders put together a tremendous second half with four turnovers, including a 107-yard interception for a touchdown
Opportunities were present in previous games and Mace admitted he was pleased to see the Riders get some breaks against the Ticats
“I think the football gods said, ‘All right, we’ll start playing in your favour.’ It’s not for a lack of effort or anything. We’ve been preaching it like crazy, but I’m just proud of the guys,” said Mace
“We talked about it all week, it might not be an interception. We might have to force the ball out, punch the ball out. But it was good. There was a another one earlier in the game and we couldn’t jump on it. This is something we’ve been waiting for as a defence, certainly. And then you see, obviously, how that can turn the tide for this team.”
The Riders held an 11-7 halftime lead but exploded for 27 unanswered points in the second half powered by the defence. In addition to the pick six by Josh Woods, the Riders returned a fumbled 41 yards to the Hamilton one-yard line to set up a touchdown while also stopping the Tiger-Cats twice on third-down gambles
The fumble recovery six minutes into the fourth quarter allowed the Riders to take full control of the game. Hamilton’s Kenny Lawler caught a pass in a crossing pattern only to have Saskatchewan’s Antoine Brooks force a fumble. Riders cornerback Marcus Sayles scooped up the loose ball and scampered 41 yards down the sideline before being forced out of bounds at the Hamilton one-yard line
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Saskatchewan’s Tommy Stevens scored on a quarterback sneak on the ensuing play, giving the Riders a 24-7 lead. Kicker Alex Hale missed the point after
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The Riders sealed the victory with 3:02 remaining when Josh Woods intercepted Hamilton’s Jake Dolegala at the Riders’ three-yard line and returned it 107 yards for a touchdown
With the Tiger-Cats on the Saskatchewan 15-yard line with an opportunity to close the gap, Woods was focused on Lawler, Hamilton’s top receiver
“You have Kenny Lawler (out there). You know the ball’s probably going there. I was just trying to study and be ready for it, kind of overplay it outside, then shoot back,” said Woods, who has both of Saskatchewan’s interceptions this season
He came up short of the end zone with his first interception in Week 4 against the Toronto Argonauts and he didn’t want that to happen with Sunday’s interception
“I think after the last one, everybody was getting on me about going down so I had to see if I could get in. Thank God I did,” said Woods
The victory allows the Riders to keep pace with the Edmonton Elks atop the West Division standings. Both teams have 4-1 records heading into a home-and-home set on July 23 and Aug. 1. The loss drops the Tiger-Cats to 2-3 in the East Division
For Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris, playing in his 200th CFL game, Sunday’s victory was a prime example of the Riders playing smart team football
“I thought special (teams) did a great job putting us in field position. I thought our defence created turnovers, especially in the third and fourth quarters … Our defence created those turnovers and really set up the scores. With the pick six and the fumble (recovery) down to the (one-yard line), it’s essentially two defensive touchdowns. It’s good stuff,” said Harris, who finished 18 of 25 passing for 211 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions
Harris has thrown for two or more touchdowns in each of Saskatchewan’s five games this season, three each against B.C. and Calgary along with two each against Toronto, Ottawa and Hamilton
The game was the first for Hamilton without starting quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell who suffered a broken left ankle in a 14-13 loss to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on July 5. The 36-year-old Mitchell had surgery on the ankle on July 6 and is expected to make a full recovery. It’s unknown if he will be able to return this season
Dolegala, who began his CFL career with the Riders, was disappointed with his effort
“I never got settled in. I didn’t execute the way I wanted to,” said Dolegala, who was 17 of 30 passing for 122 yards. He now has a record of 2-10 as a starter
Stevens put an exclamation mark on the victory with his second touchdown of the game on a 14-yard run with 1:22 remaining. It was a rumbling run through the Hamilton defence that came immediately after a 26-yard run by Stevens on the previous play
Harris enjoys watching the 6-foot-4, 245-pound Stevens — who has five rushing touchdowns this season — run the ball
“He’s big. He’s fast. He’s faster than he should be for his size, and our offensive line loves it because they know it’s just time to play 10-man or nine-man boxes and they’re going to be downhill. Tommy loves it,” said Harris
The lone scoring in the third quarter came on an 18-yard touchdown catch by Saskatchewan’s Kian Schaffer-Baker
In a rather pedestrian first half, the Riders took an 11-7 lead, dominating the Tiger-Cats statistically. The Riders topped the Tiger-Cats in first downs (14-5), net offence (191 yards-65 yards), offensive plays (33-22) and time of possession (18:22-11:38)
Samuel Emilus scored the lone touchdown of the half, hauling in a 10-yard pass from Harris with 1:39 remaining to give the Riders an 11-4 lead
Hamilton responded with its biggest play of the half as Myron Mitchell took the ensuing kickoff 63 yards to the Saskatchewan 33-yard line. Seven plays later Marc Liegghio kicked a 19-yard field with 24 seconds left in the half to narrow the gap to 11-7
Riders running back A.J. Ouellette had a strong half, gaining 69 yards on 13 carries. He finished with 83 yards on 18 carries
Tiger-Cats: Host the Toronto Argonauts on Saturday
Roughriders: Host the Edmonton Elks on Thursday, July 23
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 12, 2026
