The Saskatchewan Roughriders boast an 8-1 record for only the second time in franchise history.

The first time — in 2013 — the Green and White went on to win the Grey Cup.

Saskatchewan reached the midpoint of its 2025 CFL regular-season schedule by defeating the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 29-9 before Saturday’s sellout crowd of 33,350 at Mosaic Stadium.

“It’s really cool to have eight wins halfway through the season, but eight wins is not something that we had on our list of items to check off,” Trevor Harris said after completing 21 of 27 passes for 307 yards and three touchdowns.

“Us winning eight games is great, but all it is is eight wins. It’s 16 points and we’re getting toward our goals. It’s awesome that we’re able to do that and continue getting wins, but it doesn’t score us any points for next week.

“We’ll enjoy this one today, but there’s things we want to clean up and get better at next week.”

The Roughriders are to return to action next Saturday (Aug. 23) against the host Calgary Stampeders (6-3), who are second in the West Division. Calgary won 24-10 at Mosaic Stadium on July 12.

Saskatchewan enters the rematch against Calgary without having allowed a touchdown in more than two games (121 minutes 56 seconds).

A Roughriders opponent has been held without a TD for the first time since 1970. Saskatchewan opened the season with a 42-9 victory over the host B.C. Lions (July 28) and defeated Edmonton side 23-11 three days later at Taylor Field.

In 2012, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers did not score an offensive touchdown in back-to-back games against the Roughriders (Sept. 2 and 9). Winnipeg reached the end zone on a punt return in the latter game.

So, yes, this is quite a roll.

“The guys are just doing their jobs,” Head Coach Corey Mace explained. “It’s not anything cooler than that.

“We talk about complementary football in the three phases of the defence. When the back end needs to hold it down, the front’s getting the pressure. If there’s a bust in coverage, the front’s getting the pressure. Vice versa, (the defensive backs) are buying time for the front to do something.”

That formula has helped the Roughriders hold the foe to a single-digit point total in each of their past two games — also taking into account a 34-6 victory over the host Montreal Alouettes on Aug. 2.

Saskatchewan had not limited back-to-back opponents to a single-digit points total since the first two games of 2007 — the third championship season in franchise history.

“OK … that’s a big year,” linebacker A.J. Allen said with a smile.

The Roughriders’ defence cooled off a Hamilton offence that had been purring until Saturday.

Bo Levi Mitchell, whose 21 touchdown passes lead the league, did not throw for a score for the first time this season as Hamilton emerged with a 6-4 slate. He went 16-for-31 for 201 yards, with two interceptions.

On top of that, Saskatchewan limited Kenny Lawler, Tim White and Kiondre Smith — three top-drawer receivers — to a combined five catches for 91 yards.

“I think it’s attention to detail,” Allen said after registering one sack and a team-high seven defensive tackles. “It’s a matter of getting a good grasp of what’s coming at you on the football field and just communicating with each other.

“It helps us play faster, and playing faster equals no points.”

Not many of them, anyway.

“Our defence was awesome,” Harris said.

The Roughriders amassed six sacks — including two by Micah Johnson — and added two key interceptions on Saturday.

Sixteen of the Roughriders’ 27 sacks have come in the past three games.

“We’ve got a really, really deep team,” Johnson said. “It’s a bunch of dogs on this team, man, and I think it’s kind of showing on the field.

“You’ve got guys fighting and clawing to get tackles, sacks, stats. It’s a competition. Everybody’s really going to get it. It’s just a testament to the guys.”

The Roughriders led 19-6 at halftime after scoring 18 second-quarter points with an advantageous wind.

Harris threw touchdown passes to Dohnte Meyers (58 yards) and Tommy Nield (26) over the first 30 minutes. Brett Lauther added a 59-yard field goal on the final play of the first half.

The Roughriders led 26-6 after 45 minutes, thanks primarily to an 11-play, 90-yard, into-the-wind TD drive that devoured more than half the third quarter (7:52). The drive was ignited by a Rolan Milligan Jr. interception on the goal line.

Hamilton’s Marc Liegghio opened the fourth-quarter scoring with a 38-yard field goal at 3:13.

Lauther completed the scoring with a 12-yarder with 58 seconds left in the game. Shortly thereafter, the Roughriders officially secured their fourth consecutive victory — the longest active winning streak in the CFL.

“I’ve been here through some of the tough times, so to see everything come together and for us to play football like this together — getting coached hard and playing well — it feels incredible,” said Allen, a Roughrider since 2022.

LAUTHER’S LAUDABLE LENGTH

Lauther’s 59-yard field goal put him in a tie for the third-longest three-pointer in Roughriders history.

Paul McCallum kicked a CFL-record 63-yarder against Edmonton on Oct. 27, 2001 at Taylor Field. McCallum’s record was recently tied by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ Sergio Castillo.

McCallum broke the CFL and league record of 60 yards, set by Dave Ridgway against the visiting Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Sept. 6, 1987.

Lauther and Paul Watson are the only Roughriders with 59-yarders. Watson kicked what was then the longest field goal in team history on July 12, 1981 against Winnipeg at Taylor Field.

Lauther exceeded his previous best by two yards. He kicked 57-yarders on June 20, 2019 (at Ottawa REDBLACKS) and July 2, 2022 (versus Montreal).

Ridgway’s 32 field goals of 50-plus yards are the most by a Roughrider. McCallum (29) and Lauther (23) are next in line.

SHORT SNORTS

• Meyers has four of the Roughriders’ five receptions of 50-plus yards this season. He has a 58-yarder in back-to-back games.

• Nield has a TD catch in each of his first two starts with Saskatchewan. He had two TDs over his previous 41 CFL games (including 40 with the Toronto Argonauts).

• Harris has thrown at least one touchdown pass in each of his past 12 games (playoffs included). Kent Austin set the Roughriders’ TD-pass streak record of 14 games in 1993. As well, Harris extended to 12 his CFL standard for consecutive regular-season games with a completion percentage of at least 70.

• The Roughriders have had a 100-yard receiver in all eight games Harris has played this season. The latest to hit triple digits is KeeSean Johnson, who caught eight passes for 117 yards on Saturday. Johnson nearly duplicated his stats from the Roughriders’ previous game against Hamilton. He had eight receptions for 124 yards at Hamilton Stadium on June 14.

• A.J. Ouellette registered the Roughriders’ first run for a two-point convert since July 2, 2022, when Jamal Morrow accomplished that feat against Montreal — in the same game Lauther kicked a 57-yarder. Saskatchewan’s next eight two-pointers resulted from completions.

• Three of Mitchell’s first five interceptions this season have been against Saskatchewan. Milligan Jr. and Tevaughn Campbell picked off Mitchell with the wind at his back in Saturday’s third quarter. Milligan Jr. had a 64-yard interception-return TD on June 14 in Hamilton.

• Campbell and Milligan Jr. are tied for the team lead with three interceptions.

• Along with Johnson’s two sacks, the Roughriders got singles from Mike Rose, A.J. Allen, Shane Ray and Caleb Sanders.

• Kosi Onyeka had a team-high three special teams tackles. Benoit Marion added two special teams stops.

• Middle linebacker Jameer Thurman needs nine defensive tackles to reach 500 for his career.

SUMMARY

FIRST QUARTER

Ham — FG Liegghio 11 4:41

Tiger-Cats moved 63 yards in five plays.

Ham — FG Liegghio 20 9:52

Hamilton moved into field-goal range after a diving interception by Talbert.

Sask — Single Lauther 48

Harris hit Ouellette, Johnson and Meyers for first downs.

SECOND QUARTER

Sask — TD Meyers 58 pass from Harris (Ouellette run for two-point convert) 4:15

Meyers got wide open on a double move.

Sask — TD Nield 26 pass from Harris (Lauther convert) 1:55

Saskatchewan won a challenge and a 31-yard pass interference penalty resulted.

Sask — FG Lauther 59 15:00

Lauther’s career-long field goal tied him for third-longest in franchise history.

THIRD QUARTER

Sask — Single Lauther 47 10:07

Roughriders had advanced to the 30-yard line before being penalized 15 yards for a chop block.

Sask — TD Robustelli 15 pass from Harris (two-point convert attempt failed) 14:06

Robustelli ran a slant pattern and caught the ball near the goal line for his second career TD.

FOURTH QUARTER

Ham — FG Liegghio 38 3:13

Allen’s sack of Mitchell forced Hamilton to settle for three points.

Sask ­— FG Lauther 12 14:02

Lauther was 2-for-5 on three-pointers; two of the misses were against the wind and another attempt hit an upright with the wind.