Knights pull past Ticats with strong second half

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

The Riders, despite coming into the game against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats with a 3-1 record, were struggling defensively when it came to forcing turnovers. The physical, ball-hawking defense that led the CFL last year with 23 interceptions — along with 41 forced turnovers en route to a Gray Cup championship — hasn’t matched those impressive stats this season.

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

The chances were there in previous games and Mace admitted he was pleased to see the Riders get some breaks against the Ticats.

“I think the football gods said, ‘OK, we’re going to start playing in your favor’. It’s not for lack of effort or anything. We’ve been preaching it like crazy, but I’m proud of the boys,” Mace said.

“We talked about it all week, it might not have been an interception. We might have had to get the ball out, get the ball out. But it was good. It was another one earlier in the game and we couldn’t jump on it. That’s something we’ve come to expect as a defense, of course. And then you see, obviously, how that can turn the tide for this team.”

The Riders held an 11-7 halftime lead, but exploded for 27 unanswered second-half points powered by defense. In addition to Josh Woods’ pick-six, the Riders returned it 41 yards to the Hamilton one-yard line to set up a touchdown, while also stopping the Tiger-Cats twice on third down plays.

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 on a crossing pattern only to have Saskatchewan’s Antoine Brooks break through. Knights cornerback Marcus Sayles scooped 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 on a sneak attack on the ensuing play, giving the Riders a 24-7 lead. Striker Alex Hale then missed the mark.

The Riders sealed the win with 3:02 left 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 an opportunity to close the gap, Woods focused on Lawler, Hamilton’s leading receiver.

“You’ve got Kenny Lawler (out there). You know the ball is probably going to go there. I was just trying to study and be ready for it, play out, then hit,” said Woods, who has both of Saskatchewan’s interceptions this season.

He fell out of the end zone with his first tackle in Week 4 against the Toronto Argonauts, and he didn’t want that to happen with Sunday’s tackle.

“I think after the last one, everybody was holding me down, so I had to see if I could get in. Thank God I did,” Woods said.

The win allows the Riders to keep pace with the Edmonton Elks atop the West Division standings. Both teams have 4-1 records heading into a home-and-home set on July 23rd and August 1st. The loss drops the Tiger-Cats to 2-3 in the East Division.

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

“I thought 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 created scores. With the pick six and the (recovery) fumble to the (one-yard line), it’s basically two defensive tackles. It’s a good 1-for-5 pass, who 2 finished.” 211 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.

Harris has made two or more tackles in each of Saskatchewan’s five games this season, including three against BC and Calgary along with two against Toronto, Ottawa and Hamilton.

The game was Hamilton’s first without starting quarterback 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 ankle surgery on July 6 and is expected to make a full recovery. It is not known if he will be able to return this season.

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

“I never settled in. I didn’t execute 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 an exclamation point on the win with his second touchdown of the game on a 14-yard run with 1:22 left. It was a blistering run through Hamilton’s defense that came on the heels of a 26-yard run by Stevens on the previous play.

Harris enjoys watching the 6-foot-4, 245-pound Stevens — who has five rushing touchdowns this season — running the ball.

“He’s big. He’s fast. He’s faster than he should be for his size, and our offensive line likes that because they know it’s time to play 10-man or nine-man boxes and they’re going to be downhill. Tommy likes that,” Harris said.

The lone score in the third quarter came on an 18-yarder by Saskatchewan’s Kian Schaffer-Baker.

In a fairly pedestrian first half, the Riders jumped out to an 11-7 lead, statistically dominating the Tiger-Cats. The Riders led 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 half, hauling in a 10-yard pass from Harris with 1:39 left to give the Riders an 11-4 lead.

Hamilton responded with its biggest play of the half when Myron Mitchell took the ensuing kickoff 63 yards to the Saskatchewan 33-yard line. Seven plays later Marc Liegghio hit a 19-yard field goal with 24 seconds left in the half to narrow the gap to 11-7.

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

UP NEXT

Tiger-Cats: Host the Toronto Argonauts on Saturday.

Roughriders: Host the Edmonton Elks on Thursday, July 23.

This report from The Canadian Press was first published on July 12, 2026.