Photo credit: Zachary Peters, BC Lions.
They were chasing them in the standings all year long and now have the opportunity to reel them in at the most important juncture. Buckle up, it’s going to be a fun battle in the great outdoors. For the fifth time in CFL history, the BC Lions and Saskatchewan Roughriders will duke it out in the Canadian Football League’s West Division Final.
At stake: a spot in the 112th Grey Cup at Winnipeg on Sunday, November 16. To a man, this Lion squad knows it must play a lot better than in their Division Semi-Final win over the Stampeders last Saturday. That’s the beauty of football: always striving to improve. Now we present more in our 5 Things To Know Preview.
Western Final: Saturday, November 8: BC Lions at Saskatchewan Roughriders.
Kickoff: 3:30 pm PT, Mosaic Stadium
TV: TSN/RDS.
Stream: CFL+ (U.S. and International).
Radio: 730 CKNW/Sher-E Punjab Radio Am 600/Sirius XM Canada Talks 167.
1. The Great Outdoors
It was pretty much the first question posed to Buck Pierce in his first media availability this week. It then lingered as an inevitable storyline in the days that followed. How does this high-flying, high-octane, ‘dome’ team from the West Coast win it in frigid temperatures?
The lowest forecast this week called for temperatures to dip to as low as minus-12 Celsius in the late hours on Saturday.
“You really don’t think about it, honestly,” Pierce said.
“In terms of the weather, it’s always been a mindset. Both teams have to practice in it, both teams have to play in it. We have had the nice weather here, but we’re looking forward to it. We’ve come a long way this year and it’s an opportunity for us to play in front of a big crowd, in a big game. It’s going to be perfect.”
The bottom line? Players on both teams have experience playing in cold weather. Both also have a collection of guys who are more accustomed to the Sun Belt and indoor conditions. Ironically, you can check the box scores of a couple of blowout wins for the Ohio Bobcats in November 2018 with Nathan Rourke and A.J. Ouellette leading the way. Been there, done that for the West’s Most Outstanding Player.
2. With Low Temperatures Comes The Importance Of Physicality
To pull off this upset, it’s no secret the Lions must be better in a couple of key areas. A main one is pass protection and opening up more holes for James Butler, Zander Horvath and the running game. A major reason the Roughriders finished with the CFL’s best record was their ability to be the more physical team in many of their performances. Butler (ankle) is once again listed as a game-time decision after being limited in practice all week.
This improved offensive line will get a good test from the likes of Micah Johnson, Malik Carney and Mike Rose, just to name a few. That also applies on the other side, where important guys like Mathieu Betts and Jonah Tavai will be counted on to cause havoc and limit the production of Ouellette. You can’t beat the big battles like this in November football outside.
3. Chess Match Amongst Playmakers
Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris had his way in two appearances against the Lions in the regular season, throwing for 507 yards and three majors. After giving up a few big plays against the Stampeders last week, this Lions secondary will look for the best possible matchups against Harris and his playmakers.
The Riders’ leading receiver KeeSean Johnson remains on the shelf, but they do get Joe Robustelli and Samuel Emilus back to their potent group of playmakers. Another thorn in the Lions’ side in their two losses earlier in the year was Dohnte Meyers. It will be neat to see how the matchups play out as this game goes on.
4. A Special Teams Sequel?
When you break it down, special teams accounted for at least 13 of the Lions’ points against Calgary. You saw a big return from Seven McGee to start the game and set up Sean Whyte’s field goal to open the scoring. Robert Carter Jr. later took the roof off with his 95-yard kickoff return touchdown as part of an eventful third quarter. And then there was the forced fumble on Calgary’s punt return that led to another Whyte field goal during the frantic finish.
McGee and Carter can be difference makers again with big returns to set up great field position. With the colder temperatures and the inevitable loud crowd at Mosaic both anticipated to be major factors, another solid outing from the special teams unit would be a major bonus in the Lions’ quest to get to the big game next week.
The BC Lions Western Final depth chart is here!
#BCLions | @PlayNowSports pic.twitter.com/El5rClgTJN— BC LIONS (@BCLions) November 7, 2025
5. What They’re Saying
“They always have a good plan. Corey Mace is a good defensive coordinator, a good defensive mind. He’s going to have a plan for us and have a really good scheme, a really good strategy. We’re going to have to figure it out. Obviously, they’re going to be fresh and they’re going to be confident, as they should be. They won the West. I think that’s a challenge in itself right there.”- Rourke on facing the Rider defence.
“It’s a big challenge. Saskatchewan is probably one of the most physical teams in the league. When we play them, you notice that they’re just as physical as we are, compared to the other teams in the league. They’ve got a great running game and they’ve also got a great quarterback; he gets the ball out of his hands really fast. He’s one of the few guys who go through all of his reads and don’t make a lot of mistakes. For us, we’ve got to come out and match their energy. They also like to hold the ball, pretty much the whole game. We’ve got to come out, be on the same page and just match that aggression.”- Garry Peters on what Harris and the Rider offence bring to the table.
Extra Points
Besides Butler’s questionable status, the only roster change as of now sees veteran linebacker Isaiah Messam return in place of the injured Woody Appolon. Messam has been on the shelf since suffering a knee injury in late July against Hamilton.
Saturday marks BC’s 25th appearance in a division final, with 24 of those being in the West. The club has an all-time division finals record of 10-14.
This matchup pits the CFL’s best offence against the top defence. The Lions averaged 31.4 points per game and a CFL-record 8.01 yards per play in the regular season. Saskatchewan allowed only 22.7 points per game, the first time since 2013 when they boasted the best defensive unit.
With 588 career playoff receiving yards, Keon Hatcher Sr. is tied for second all-time as a Lion with Darren Flutie. Hatcher has done it with 30 receptions, while Flutie did it with 40. Geroy Simon stands alone with 64 receptions for 920 yards in the playoffs as a Lion.
The Whyte factor: after going 4-for-4, including his walk-off winner last week, Sean Whyte is now 40-for-47 (87.1 per cent) all-time on field goals in his playoff career. His 40 playoff field goals are good for sixth-best in CFL history.
Matt Baker: mbaker@bclions.com