‘Work ahead of us’: Riders reflect on division-winning regular season ahead of playoff run

Saskatchewan Roughriders' head coach Corey Mace reflects on a division-winning regular season

The Saskatchewan Roughriders wrapped up the 2025 regular season with a 27-21 loss to the visiting B.C. Lions Saturday night.

Saskatchewan finished the season 12-6, good enough for first place in the Canadian Football League’s West Division and earned the right to host the Division final in two weeks.

“We know how much work is ahead of us,” head coach Corey Mace told reporters following Saturday’s loss. “[The team] is excited about that. I’m excited about that. I’m proud of the way we trusted and leaned on each other to this point.”

• Download the CTV News app to get breaking news alerts sent to your device

The Roughriders have not hosted a West Final since 2019 and have not been past the division championship since 2013, when Saskatchewan won the Grey Cup.

Mace says he realized in training camp this group had what it took to have postseason success.

“We were able to retain a lot of really good players,” he said. “And to have that continuity on the roster in year two of a system was going to be better.”

Coach Mace says, the team will take a few days off to recover before returning to practice next week.

“They’ve earned it,” he said. “Then we’re going back to work.”

Final tune-up

Saturday’s matchup against the Lions was the Riders’ final opportunity for game reps before a week off.

Many starters also sat out last week against Winnipeg.

“The last two weeks, the way our team went out there and scrapped, I’m proud of that,” Mace said. “Truthfully, that’s some of the DNA you’re going to have to have going into these playoffs.”

“Certainly solidified what I figured I knew about this team: they’re going to go and scrap till the end,” the coach added.

Quarterback Trevor Harris played into the second quarter, but back-up Jake Maier took over the offense mid-way through the second frame.

Harris finished the night 10/11, 112 yards with no touchdown passes or interceptions.

Maier had 154 yards through the air on 16 completions, throwing an interception in more than two quarters of work. He also dropped a fumble on a rush attempt.

“We came out humming and I thought Trevor played awesome,” Maier said. “The first half, we played really well.”

“But I thought the group in the second half, starting with me, need to do a better job of putting one touchdown drive together to win us that game,” he admitted.

Other starters like A.J. Ouellette, Kian Schaffer-Baker, Micah Johnson and more saw limited time on the field in the second half.

“It doesn’t matter who’s in there at any point, any time, We all know what the expectation is,” Schaffer-Baker told reporters. “Our goal is always to go one and oh. And sadly, that’s not how we finish today.”

Third-string quarterback Jack Coan was the lone Rider to find the endzone, doing so twice in short-yardage situations.

Prior to Saturday, the second-year pivot had just one touchdown run, two total in his career.

Lions QB Nathan Rourke played the entire game under centre for B.C., finishing 23/28, 368 yards passing, three touchdowns and one interception.

The performance capped off with an eight-play, 73-yard game-winning touchdown drive in the fourth quarter.

With the win, the Lions improved to 11-7, meaning they finished second in the West and host the Calgary Stampeders in the semi-final next week.

Saskatchewan’s next test is against the winner of B.C. and Calgary on Nov. 8 at Mosaic Stadium in the West Division Final.

Hughes’ debut

In his first professional start, kicker Michael Hughes was perfect, going 2/2 on field goal attempts from 42 and 28 yards. He also made both of his convert attempts.

“It feels good. It feels good to be back in pads and to be playing again,” he said. “Super excited for what’s to come over the next few weeks with all the guys.”

Hughes, granted the opportunity to play after it was announced Thursday Brett Lauther was unavailable due to a back injury.

The Appalachian State University product was signed by the team just a few weeks ago.

“I did take a moment of gratitude [pre-game] and that was something I was really looking forward to,” Hughes said. “It’s hard for me not to get emotional because of the journey I’ve been on over the last ten years. Super special moment.”

In the second quarter, Hughes sent a kickoff through the opposite uprights and into the end zone, leading to a rouge.

“I didn’t even know what a single [point] was until I got up here,” he joked. “I didn’t even mean to [kick it through] but that’s how it worked out. So, it was good to get a rouge.”

“I told Kent [Maugeri], ‘drive that joker,’ and he drove it for the singe,” Mace said about the kick. “It was good for him to settle in and be able to help the team. He’s been showing that throughout the weeks of practice, too. [I’m] happy for the kid.”