Saskatchewan Roughriders wide receiver Dohnte Meyers catches a pass as the Saskatchewan Roughriders defeat the BC Lions 24-21 in the Western Final in Regina on Saturday, November 8, 2025. (CFL PHOTO - Matt Smith)
REGINA, SK- The quest for a seventh Grey Cup championship for the BC Lions will be put on hold for another year. And this is one that will sting for a long time.
Trevor Harris hit Tommy Nield for the winning major with only 11 seconds remaining to cap off a wild and wacky fourth quarter, lifting the hometown Saskatchewan Roughriders to a 24-21 victory in Saturday’s Western Final. The Riders move on to face Montreal in next Sunday’s 112th Grey Cup in Winnipeg. Now for some game takes.
Fourth Quarter Lead Slips Away
In a cruel twist of fate, this ending was eerily similar to the ones that plagued this resurgent bunch when things weren’t going so well this season.
Nathan Rourke and company entered the fourth quarter down 14-7, then engineered a pair of touchdown drives to go ahead by a converted major with 6:38 to play. Rourke first hit Keon Hatcher Sr. for a score and then ran in his second major of the game.
The defence then held it down, limiting the Riders to a 12-yard Brett Lauther field goal to make it a four-point game at the three-minute warning. But Rourke and the offence just couldn’t muster up one more drive to kill the clock, as back-to-back two-and-outs set up the Riders for the late heroics. The winning drive went for 76 yards on seven plays.
“The final drive was just to hurry up tempo, they caught us in a defensive package and then they just kept running plays and hurrying up and, you know, kept completing the ball, “said veteran T.J. Lee.
“As a veteran, I wish everybody had done something different, but I wish I could have taken it upon myself to call a timeout or something, just to help reset things for us. But, you know, we stayed playing, and we were hoping to make a play, and they made the play.”
The Lions will also be kicking themselves for some execution lapses, particularly a Rourke interception that bounced off the hands of Hatcher down near the goal line in the third quarter. The takeaway by Marcus Sayles came right after the Lions had recovered a fumble deep in Rider territory,
Harris and the Riders were then able to march the field and get three points before the end of the third. There were also a few dropped balls and a Sean Whyte field goal attempt that hit the upright in the first half. Once again, it’s those five or six plays in any game that can make the difference.
“We were right there, that’s probably the toughest part,” said Rourke.
“We expected a close game. This time of year, we’re not expecting it to be a blowout, right? It’s going to be a 60-minute ballgame and that’s what it was.”
Rourke really looked poised to will this team to a first Grey Cup appearance in 14 years. He completed 20 of 30 passes for 290 yards, one touchdown and the key interception. Despite finding the end zone twice with his legs, he finished with only six yards on four carries. He was sacked three times on the night. In many ways, it was a game that mirrored their season as a whole. There’s plenty to build on. But this missed opportunity will stick with them all throughout the winter.
“This is our life’s work,” added Lee.
“We’ve been playing ball since we were seven, eight, nine, whenever we started. So, this is our life’s work, all in one game. The best way I put it to the guys is, only one team is going to win and the best team that day is going to win. Just one play away.”
“You feel for the guys in the locker room. We talk about being a team and family. And the reality is, is that, you know, this family won’t be together again. That’s the tough part about professional sports. And there are guys that you know this might be their last game and that sucks. That really, really sucks. Yeah, that’s the toughest part,” explained Rourke.
The Coach Says
“I don’t think so. I think we operated decently offensively throughout the course of the game. I wouldn’t put it on the outside things. I think it’s just guys being able to make plays when they’re called upon at the time.”- Buck Pierce on if the loud crowd and cold weather served as factors.”
Key Numbers
433- The Riders totalled over 400 yards of net offence in the win.
128- As expected, the home side was very productive on the ground. A.J. Ouellette accounted for 113 of those rushing yards.
0-The Lions weren’t able to muster one quarterback sack in the defeat.
29:04– It was almost a dead-even time of possession battle, with the Lions coming up just short.
Next Up
The Roughriders and Montreal Alouettes will meet in next Sunday’s 112th Grey Cup. Montreal took down Hamiton 19-16 in the Eastern Final on a walk-off field goal from Jose Maltos-Diaz.