‘It was our time’: Saskatchewan Roughriders defeat Alouettes to claim 112th Grey Cup

The Saskatchewan Roughriders are Grey Cup champions for only the fifth time in history. Donovan Maess has the story.

For only the fifth time in franchise history, the Saskatchewan Roughriders are Grey Cup champions.

The 25-17 victory over the Montreal Alouettes Sunday night in Winnipeg follows a 12-year drought for the team, who had not appeared at a Grey Cup since winning it at home in Regina in 2013.

“We talked about this moment since the first meeting in training camp, all the way down to the green and white confetti,” head coach Corey Mace told reporters following the win. “I was hoping that it was green and white, and it wasn’t just white or green, so we freaking nailed it, man. To the tee. This is exactly what we expected to be. It feels pretty good.

“It was our time.”

What was sure to be fresh in the minds of many in Rider Nation as they watched with anticipation on Sunday was the last time the Green and White faced off against the Alouettes in the Grey Cup.

The team lost back-to-back championships against Montreal in both 2009 and 2010.

• IN PICTURES: Roughriders beat Alouettes to take 112th Grey Cup
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This time however, the Alouettes would be the ones to experience the late game heartbreak, as a much needed touchdown in the final minutes of the fourth quarter failed to materialize and saw the Riders recover a fumble on the edge of the end zone.

From there, all the Riders needed to do was hold. And they did, with Alouettes QB Davis Alexander and the rest of the Montreal offense struggling to stay in the game in the final seconds of play. The saga was capped off with a long pass by Alexander into the Riders’ end zone that was knocked down.

For his efforts in leading the Riders’ offense, QB Trevor Harris was named the Most Valuable Player. The 39-year-old pivot was 23 of 27 passing for 302 yards and recorded a completion percentage of 85 per cent.

Speaking after the game, Harris elaborated on the team’s mantra of “It’s our time,” believing his teammates were able to manifest success all the way to the Grey Cup final with a good attitude and a lot of hard work.

“We’ve manifested it all year. And, I got these wristbands made in March. ‘S R time,’ Saskatchewan Roughrider time. But if you say it fast enough, ‘It’s our time.’ So we need to get some t-shirts printed up that says that it’s our time. And it was our time,” Harris explained.

“I was glad we were able to come through. We always knew who we were and we manifested it. We talked about it. We worked hard for it. And nobody ever wavered. Nobody flinched. We just continued noticing the grind and just work every day.”

Meanwhile, receiver Samuel Emilus was named the Most Valuable Canadian. Emilus had 10 catches for 108 yards.

Several Riders with deep roots in Saskatchewan also shared in the glory Sunday night.

Offensive coordinator Marc Mueller, a former University of Regina Ram and grandson of Roughriders legend Ron Lancaster, said the win was a family affair.

“It means so much to me because my family can be a part of it. They’re a huge part of it,” he said.

“And I just hope that this group has been special since we got here in December of 2023. And it starts at the top. Whether it’s the leadership of Craig (Reynolds) and J-O (Jeremy O’Day) and obviously Corey’s the man. But we got great leaders on this team and they worked so hard.”

Melfort’s own Logan Ferland also said his thoughts were with his family in wake of the win.

“My dad. I know he’s watching this right now. My family, my brother back home. My sister-in-law. Just my entire family, man. I just think of all the sacrifices they made and, they’re the reason why. Why I’m here right now,” he said.

However, the former member of the Regina Thunder also added that he was having trouble grasping that the win actually happened.

“It doesn’t feel real. Definitely doesn’t feel real. Is going to take a while to break in, I think,” he added. “I just couldn’t be more proud of the guys. Fought until the end.”

Former U of S Huskie Jorgen Hus joined the Green and White all the way back in 2015. Over his tenure, he’s seen plenty of ups and downs.

He said the realization of a championship win after more than a decade away makes it all worth it.

“I mean, ten years we’ve been striving for this. I remember my first season there, three and 15. Went through a lot of turnover. But you know what? You just got the right combination of guys together. What Mace has done here is an unbelievable. We follow him, and, he’s led us, and here we are. We’re champs,” Hus explained.

The long snapper also had a lot of love to give the fans that make up Rider Nation.

“It’s awesome. Like, we got the best fans in the country. My trainers from from day one were at this game,” he said. So like, it’s just everybody’s here. All my people are here. It’s just been it’s been incredible.”

Our live coverage of the game can be found below:

8:50 - Clock strikes zero

A valiant effort in the dying moments of the fourth quarter by Alouettes quarterback Davis Alexander was not enough to overcome the Riders’ eight point lead.

Final score: 25-17 for the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

8:35 - Turnover at the end zone

The ensuing drive sees the Als push to within three yards of the Riders’ end zone.

In an attempt to sneak it into the end zone for the second time of the night, Shea Patterson fumbles and the ball is recovered by Marcus Sayles.

The Riders fail to capitalize on their ensuing possession but keep their eight point lead.

8:28 – Lauther misses field goal

Attempting to increase the Riders’ lead back to double-digits, Brett Lauther’s 39-yard field goal attempt missed right.

Score remains 25-17 Roughriders with less than seven minutes left in the game.

8:22 – Als draw closer with FG

The Montreal Alouettes have life after a Jose Maltos Diaz field goal.

The points capped off a Roughrider penalty aided 10-play, 57-yard drive.

Montreal now trails 25-17.

Should the Alouettes complete the comeback behind as much as 18 points in the third quarter, it would be the second-largest deficit overcame in a Grey Cup game. Edmonton holds the Grey Cup record for the largest comeback victory when they overcame a 20-point deficit in 1981 to beat Ottawa 26-23.

8:05 – Alouettes look to mount comeback

Looking to stay within striking distance, the Montreal Alouettes are trying to claw back into the game.

After a Brett Lauther field goal for the Riders, Alouettes quarterback Davis Alexander would lead a eight-play, 70-yard touchdown drive to score Montreal’s first points since the first quarter.

Inside the red zone, a Saskatchewan penalty would give Montreal life before Stevie Scott III’s 11-yard touchdown run.

Jose Maltos Diaz’s extra-point attempt was converted.

Saskatchewan leads 25-14 headed into the fourth quarter.

7:55 – Campbell’s interception leads to FG as Riders’ lead swells

Roughriders’ DB Tevaughn Campbell had his Grey Cup moment in the third quarter, picking off Davis Alexander to get Saskatchewan the ball back.

Five plays later, kicker Brett Lauther would send it through the uprights from 48 yards to add three.

Saskatchewan’s lead swelled to 25-7 with the kick.

7:40 – Super Mario gives Riders short field to start second half

The Saskatchewan Roughriders wasted no time scoring to begin the second half.

Getting the ball to start the third quarter, Riders’ star return man Mario Alford returned the kickoff 38 yards and across midfield.

Saskatchewan would need just four plays to go 48 yards and score their third touchdown of the game.

A Trevor Harris 34-yard pass to Tommy Nield got the Riders to the one-yard line.

Short yardage QB Tommy Stevens would come in to finish the job again, punching it into the end zone for his second touchdown of the game.

The score ties the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ franchise record for TDs in a Grey Cup game (2).

In 2013, Kory Sheets had two rushing TDs, while Geroy Simon had two receiving touchdowns.

Saskatchewan leads 22-7 with 12 minutes remaining in the third quarter.

6:45 – Ouellette rumbles down the field as Riders extend lead

Saskatchewan running back A.J. Ouellette lead the offense down the field and into the endzone to extend their lead to eight.

Ouellette was given the ball four times on the drive, highlighted by a 12-yard rush and a 32-yard catch and run to get the Riders deep into Montreal territory.

The 11-play, 92-yard touchdown drive finished off by the running back driving it four yards into the endzone.

Brett Lauther’s extra-point attempt was good, Saskatchewan leads 15-7 with 2:38 remaining in the first half.

6:30 – Mace’s challenge leads to Saskatchewan touchdown

As the Riders looked to respond to Montreal’s touchdown, quarterback Trevor Harris led a drive down the field.

With two big plays, a 29-yard pass to Meyers, got the Riders into enemy territory. Two plays later, Sam Emilus would catch a crossing route and run for a gain of 24 yards to get Saskatchewan closer.

Down to the goal line, Montreal believed they had stopped Saskatchewan and turned the ball over on downs.

However, Riders’ coach Corey Mace challenged for pass interference on the play. It was reviewed and the call was overturned to call the penalty.

On the very next play, Saskatchewan short yardage QB Tommy Stevens would punch it across the line – capping off an eight-play, 73-yard drive to give the Riders a 8-7 lead.

6:16 – Als find the end zone to take the lead

Following a Saskatchewan two-and-out, Montreal got good field position with four and a half minutes remaining in the first quarter starting on the Riders’ side of half.

The ensuing six-play, 54-yard drive would finish in the endzone as the Als would get the first major of the game. Capped off by short yardage quarterback Shea Patterson – who is a former Roughrider - sneaking his way across the goal line.

The drive was highlighted by a 37-yard pass by Davis Alexander to Tyson Philpot.

Following the extra-point conversion, the Alouettes lead 7-1 with less than a minute remaining in the first quarter.

6:00 – Riders strike first with rouge

After a Marcus Sayles interception got Saskatchewan the ball, the Riders were unable to march down the field for a major.

The five-play drive ending with a Jesse Mirco punt into the endzone to score a rouge for the first points of the game.

Saskatchewan leads 1-0 in the first quarter.

5:53 – Riders steal early momentum

With Montreal getting the ball to start the game, Saskatchewan’s defense stepped up early.

On the third play of the game, Alouettes quarterback Davis Alexander aired it out.

The pass was picked off by Marcus Sayles, giving the Riders great field position for their first offensive drive of the game.

5:43 p.m. - Riders win coin toss

Saskatchewan won the coin toss, calling tails and elected to defer to the second half.

Montreal opted to receive the ball and will begin the game with possession.