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Nathan Rourke was 20-for-30 for 290 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He also ran for two touchdowns.
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Published Nov 08, 2025 • Last updated 4 hours ago • 6 minute read
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B.C. Lions defensive back Robert Carter Jr. tackles Saskatchewan Roughriders receiver Joe Robustelli during CFL West Division final in Regina, on Saturday, November 8, 2025. Photo by Heywood Yu /The Canadian PressArticle content
The B.C Lions’ bid to make it back to the Grey Cup for the first time since 2011 fell agonizingly short Saturday.
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Saskatchewan Roughriders quarterback Trevor Harris found receiver Tommy Nield just inside the end zone from three-yards out with 0:11 remaining and it proved to be the winning score in a 24-21 decision over B.C. in the CFL Western Division final at Mosaic Stadium in Regina.
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Saskatchewan will face the Eastern champion Montreal Alouettes in the Grey Cup next week in Winnipeg. B.C. hasn’t been to the CFL’s Big Dance since winning it at all at B.C. Place in 2011. The Lions came into the game on a seven-game winning streak. Saturday marked their first loss since Sept. 5.
This is Saskatchewan’s first trip to the Grey Cup since winning at home in 2013.
B.C. went up 21-14 Saturday with 6:35 left thanks to a two-yard touchdown ramble by quarterback Nathan Rourke. The series featured more of the Rourke magic, as the pivot — with a Saskatchewan defender draped all over him — managed to somehow sidearm a pass to running back James Butler that turned into a 15-yard gain. It was a play reminisce of that Rourke NFL preseason moment that got so much attention.
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Saskatchewan cut the lead to 21-17 Saturday with a Brett Lauther 13-yard field goal. The Lions got the ball back with 2:35 remaining, but went two-and-out. Saskatchewan followed with their own two-and-out, giving the ball back to B.C. with 1:40 remaining. It was another two-and-out for B.C., and Harris, after getting the ball with 1:03 left, wound up marching his team 76 yards on seven plays for the clinching score.
Rourke was 20-for-30 for 290 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He also ran for two touchdowns. Butler, who was a game-time decision after being a limited participant in practice all week with ankle issues, ran 12 times for 58 yards and also had five catches for 43 yards.
Harris was 26-for-38 for 305 yards, with two touchdowns. Running back A.J. Ouellette carried 17 times for 113 yards.
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We live blogged the game. Here are the updates.
6:25 p.m. Harris connected with Nield in the end zone from three yards out for a touchdown with 0:11 showing on the clocking, giving Saskatchewan a 24-21 win and a spot in next week’s Grey Cup. Saskatchewan got the ball their 34-yard line with 1:03 to go needing a major.
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6:06 p.m. Lauther kicks a 13-yard field goal for Saskatchewan with 2:40 remaining, cutting B.C.’s lead to 21-17. B.C.’s T.J. Lee’s tight coverage on Kian Schaffer-Baker at the goal line on the play previous kept Saskatchewan from scoring a major and tying the game.
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5:54 p.m. Lions go up 21-14 with six minutes left on a Nathan Rourke two-yard touchdown run. Rourke made a play earlier in the drive similar to the NFL pre-season one that got him so much attention, as he shovelled a pass sidearm to Butler with a Saskatchewan defender draped all over him. Butler went for 15 yards.
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5:40 p.m. We’re tied 14-14 early in the fourth quarter, thanks to a 19-yard touchdown strike from Rourke to Keon Hatcher. There’s 13 minutes left to decide things.
5:32 p.m. With the third quarter winding down, Saskatchewan’s Lauther boots a 34-yard field goal to make it 14-7 for the home side.
5:23 p.m. Ball bounces out of Hatcher’s hands to former Lions defensive back Marcus Sayles at the Saskatchewan four-yard line and we have another turnover.
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5:21 p.m. Ouellete, who has tried to hurdle defenders more than once today, gets the ball stripped when he’s making a leap and B.C. recovers.
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5:12 p.m. Harris and the Roughriders march the ball down the field to start the third quarter, and on a 3rd-and-3 from the B.C. three-yard line gamble Harris finds Schaffer-Baker in the middle of the end zone for a touchdown that gives the home side a 11-7 margin. There’s 10 minutes to go in the third quarter.
Drive included a 10-yard scramble by the 39-year-old Harris. He ran the ball just eight times for 53 yards in the regular season. For contrast, Rourke ran 61 times for 564 yards in the regular season.
4:46 p.m. Saskatchewan gets a 22-yard field goal from Lauther on the final play of the second quarter, and the teams go into the intermission with B.C. up 7-4.
The Lions have a 171-146 edge in net offence.
Rourke is 8-for-15 for 130 yards. Butler has nine carries for 42 yards so far. Harris is 10-for-15 for 91 yards for Saskatchewan, while Ouellette has amassed 52 yards on eight carries.
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4:34 p.m. Giving old buddy Jay Janower his say.
No question Nathan Rourke is #CFL Most Outstanding Player…had he not missed 2 games, the numbers between Rourke and Bo Levi Mitchell wouldn’t be close. #BCLions
— JAY JANOWER (@JayJanower) November 9, 2025
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4:31 p.m. B.C. takes a 7-1 lead with 3:52 to go before halftime, as Rourke rambles into the end zone from four yards out to wrap up a nine-play, 103-yard drive. Rourke gets the Saskatchewan defender to bite on the pump fake before darting past him.
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Series included a nifty catch and run by Hatcher that had Saskatchewan defenders losing their heads, so to speak.
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4:26 p.m. B.C. starting to move the ball. They’re leading 96-87 in net offence with six minutes and change to go in the second quarter. Saskatchewan still leads the scoreboard 1-0.
4:21 p.m. We’ll leave this right here.
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4:09 p.m. B.C.’s Sean Whyte dings a 42-yard field goal try off the right upright. It remains 1-0 for Saskatchewan. Whyte, of course, kicked the walk-off field goal last week against Calgary and he was 39-of-41 on field goals during the regular season.
4:06 p.m. We’re through one quarter, with Saskatchewan leading 1-0. The B.C. offence did seem to pick it up on this most recent drive. Drops by Butler and Stanley Berryhill have hurt Rourke’s first quarter numbers. Rourke’s 3-for-8 for 40 yards, and Butler is four carries for 17 yards. Saskatchewan offence has gained 63 yards.
3:53 p.m. B.C. offence had its struggles last week against Calgary and hasn’t come out like gangbusters today either, with three straight two-and-outs to start. Saskatchewan offence is only marginally better, so there’s that. We’re still 1-0 Saskatchewan midway through the first quarter.
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3:41 p.m. Saskatchewan goes up 1-0 with 11:40 to go in the first quarter on a 63-yard rouge from punter Jesse Mirco.
3:30 p.m. TSN analyst Milt Stegall asked on the pregame show whether a banged up Butler will be able match Saskatchewan bruising back Ouellette, because “this is what A.J. is built for,” in regards to the chilly weather.
“If they have to depend on Rourke dropping back and throwing the ball 30, 35 times, I don’t think they have an opportunity,” Stegall said.
3:13 p.m. Lee doing Lee things. His return midseason was one of the keys to the Lions turnaround. We wrote about it here.
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1:44 p.m. A numbers nugget from CFL stats guru Steve Daniel: Home teams have won the nine of the past 10 West finals, with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ triumph in Regina in 2019 the lone outlier.
1:41 p.m. It’s your mandatory pre-game fit check.
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1:37 p.m. It’s slated to be a sold-out crowd at Mosaic. Capacity is listed at 33,350.
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1:35 p.m. The weather in Regina doesn’t sound appealing. That said, B.C. had talked about building a team that could win in chilly climates this season, and head coach Buck Pierce learned all about that during his tenure on the coaching staff of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
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Lions, Roughriders prepare to square off in chilly West Division final
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