The Riders cruised past the Ticats with a strong second half

REGINA – According to head coach Corey Mace, the football gods smiled on the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Sunday.

The Riders, despite entering the game against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats with a 3-1 record, struggled defensively when it came to forcing turnovers. The physical, ball-handling defense that topped the CFL last year with 23 interceptions — as well as forcing 41 turnovers en route to the Gray Cup championship — has yet to match those impressive statistics this season.

Mace’s crew had just one interception and two forced turnovers in the first four games of the season but that all changed in a 38-7 win over the Tiger-Cats on Sunday when the Riders had a great second half with four turnovers, including a 107-yard interception return for a touchdown.

The opportunity presented itself in the previous game and Mace admitted he was happy to see the Riders get a break against the Ticats.

“I think the football gods said, ‘Okay, we’ll start playing the way you want.’ This isn’t for lack of effort or anything. “We’ve been reporting on it like crazy, but I’m proud of them,” Mace said.

“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 another one early in the game and we couldn’t jump on it. It’s something we’ve been waiting for as a defense, of course. And then you see, of course, how it can change things for this team.”

The Riders led 11-7 at halftime but exploded with 27 unanswered points in the second half powered by defense. In addition to a pick six by Josh Woods, the Riders returned it 41 yards to Hamilton’s one-yard line for a touchdown while also stopping the Tiger-Cats twice on third-down attempts.

A 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 for Saskatchewan’s Antoine Brooks to miss. Rider cornerback Marcus Sayles picked up the loose ball and raced 41 yards down the sideline before being forced out of bounds at the Hamilton one-yard line.

Saskatchewan’s Tommy Stevens scored over the quarterback on the next play, giving the Riders a 24-7 lead. Kicker Alex Hale failed to get any points after that.

The Riders sealed the win 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 at the Saskatchewan 15-yard line with a chance to close the gap, Woods focused on Lawler, Hamilton’s best receiver.

“You’ve got Kenny Lawler (out there). You know the ball might go that way. I’m just trying to learn and prepare for that, overplay it on the outside, then return it,” said Woods, who had both of Saskatchewan’s interceptions this season.

He failed to reach 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, everyone was urging me to come down so I had to see if I could get in. Thank goodness I did,” Woods said.

The win allowed the Riders to keep pace with the Edmonton Elks at the top of the West Division standings. Both teams have 4-1 records heading into their home-and-home games on July 23 and August 1. The loss dropped the Tiger-Cats to 2-3 in the East Division.

For Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris, who played in his 200th CFL game, Sunday’s win was a prime example of the Riders playing smart team football.

“I thought the special (teams) did a great job of putting us in field position. I thought our defense created turnovers, especially in the third and fourth quarters… Our defense created those turnovers and really set up the score. With the pick six and the fumble (recovery) down to the (one-yard line), it was basically two defensive touchdowns. That’s a good thing,” said Harris, who completed 18 of 25 passes for 211 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.

Harris has scored two or more goals in each of Saskatchewan’s five games this season, three goals each against BC and Calgary and two goals each against Toronto, Ottawa and Hamilton.

The game was Hamilton’s first without midfielder 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 underwent surgery on his ankle on July 6 and is expected to make a full recovery. It is unknown if he can return this season.

Dolegala, who started his CFL career with the Riders, was disappointed with the effort.

“I never got used to it. I wasn’t executing like I wanted to,” said Dolegala, who was 17-of-30 passing for 122 yards. He now has a 2-10 record as a starter.

Stevens put the exclamation mark on the win with his second touchdown of the game on a 14-yard run with 1:22 remaining. It was a thunderous run through the Hamilton defense that came immediately after Stevens ran for 26 yards on the previous play.

Harris enjoyed 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 quicker than he should be for his size, and our offensive line loves him because they know it’s just time to play in a 10- or nine-man box and they’re going downhill. Tommy loves it,” Harris said.

The only touchdown in the third quarter came on an 18-yard touchdown catch by Saskatchewan’s Kian Schaffer-Baker.

In a short first half, the Riders led 11-7, dominating the Tiger-Cats statistically. The Riders outscored the Tiger-Cats in first downs (14-5), net offense (191 yards-65 yards), offensive plays (33-22) and time of possession (18:22-11:38).

Samuel Emilus scored the only touchdown of the first half, catching 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 goal with 24 seconds left in the half to close the gap to 11-7.

Riders running back AJ Ouellette had a strong half, gaining 69 yards on 13 carries. He finished with 83 yards on 18 carries.

NEXT

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.