A.J. Ouellette’s first season with the Saskatchewan Roughriders hasn’t gone as planned, but the prized free agent answered the bell Saturday with two touchdowns in a 28-19 victory over the B.C. Lions in the West Division semifinal.
Signed on the first day of CFL free agency and coming off consecutive East Division all-star seasons with the Toronto Argonauts, a hip injury sidelined Ouellette for nine games including a stint on the six-game injured list beginning in mid-August.
While he was frustrated about being on the sidelines, Ouellette used the time to heal and prepare to return to the lineup.
“It feels good to finally be healthy at the right time going into playoffs. And I knew going into those six games where I sat, that I just needed to prepare every week like I was going to play,” said Ouellette, a member of Toronto’s Grey Cup winning team in 2022.
Riders quarterback Trevor Harris knew that Ouellette was locked and loaded for the playoffs.
“I asked him before the previous B.C. game how he was feeling, and he said, ‘They didn’t pay me to come here and run in June and July. They did so I could run in October and November so let's freaking go.’ That kind of like sent chills up my spine," said Harris.
"I never told him that but when I walked away from him, I was like, ‘This guy's frigging ready’ and you guys saw that tonight.”
Ouellette scored on a one-yard run in the second quarter and added his second major on a 30-yard run in the third quarter.
The second touchdown, which saw Ouellette take a deep handoff from Harris in the shotgun, was a play the Riders ran against the Lions in their final regular-season meeting. In that game, because of the defensive formation, Harris threw a screen pass to Ouellette. In Saturday’s game, Harris saw a different formation from the Lions, and he let Ouellette know he’d be running the ball this time.
“In the middle of the cadence, he's telling me he's handing the ball off. I already know I'm getting the ball,” said Ouellette, who swept around the left side of the line, broke one tackle and then rumbled into the end zone.
Holding a 20-19 lead in the fourth quarter, the Riders made it a nine-point game when Jerreth Sterns grabbed a 13-yard scoring pass from Harris with 3:30 gone in the frame. A two-point convert, with Harris connecting with KeeSean Johnson, gave the Riders a nine-point cushion.
The Riders sealed the victory with interceptions on consecutive B.C. possessions. Safety Nelson Lokombo grabbed his first CFL interception with four minutes remaining and defensive back Rolan Milligan Jr. slammed the door with a pick in the Saskatchewan end zone with 47 seconds left in the game.
Cornerback Marcus Sayles, who was cut by the Lions in training camp, also had an interception in the second quarter for the Riders.
It was a tough game for Lions quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. Although he completed 20 of 33 passes for 317 yards and two touchdowns, he also was intercepted three times by the Riders.
“That's a good team over there. They didn't really do anything we haven't seen, and I was just trying to make plays. On that end of the game interception, I was just trying to make something happen off the scramble. On that second interception stepped in the pocket and I saw my guy late and again, I was just trying to make something happen. It’s just a tough, tough part of the game,” said Adams.
The Lions got off on the right foot with a touchdown on the opening possession of the game. Adams completed four of five passes for 85 yards on the seven-play drive which culminated in a 56-yard touchdown pass to Jevon Cottoy.
Cottoy took a short pass on the left seam and sprinted between two Saskatchewan defensive backs en route to the end zone. Kicker Sean Whyte, who made 36 of 38 converts during the regular season, missed the point after attempt.
The Riders took a 13-6 lead on two field goals by Brett Lauther and a one-yard touchdown run by Ouellette.
Lions receiver Justin McInnis, who led the CFL in receiving with 1,469 yards on 92 receptions, had a slow start and didn’t make his first catch of the game until the 2:35 mark of the second quarter.
McInnis, who hauled in 14 passes for 243 yards in a 35-20 victory over the Riders on July 13, followed up with an 11-yard touchdown reception with 38 seconds left in the first half to tie the game at 13-13.
B.C. head coach Rick Campbell thought that late touchdown would give the Lions some momentum heading into the second half, but it didn’t work out that way.
“Going into the second half, the game's tied and it's all there for the taking. And we had some opportunities on offence and defence to make some plays to swing the game and we didn't. They did and we didn't That's what it came down to,” said Campbell.
It was an emotional defeat for Adams, especially given that with the return of Nathan Rourke from the NFL in August, the veteran may be suiting up elsewhere in 2025.
“It was tough in the locker room for me just now. It’s potentially my last game here as a B.C. Lion. We all worked so hard, dating back to the off-season, and dealing with the ups and downs through this year. It was tough. I love those guys, they gave it their all. We had too many missed opportunities on offence, and that's it. We didn't make enough plays,” said Adams.
The Riders will now travel to Winnipeg to take on the first-place Blue Bombers in the West Division final on Nov. 9. The winner of that game advances to the Grey Cup game on Nov. 17 in Vancouver.
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