SURREY — The B.C. Lions are well aware of what they’re up against this week. When they host the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the CFL’s West Division semifinal on Saturday, it will be the fourth time this season the two teams have faced off. It will also be the third year in a row these squads meet in the playoffs. “We know what they’ll do,” said Lions defensive lineman Mathieu Betts. ”It’s just on us to execute better. And I think we have the players to be able to match well.” B.C. and Saskatchewan come in with identical 10-8 regular-season records. The Lions won the 2026 series 2-1, but the Riders have eliminated the Lions from the playoffs two years in a row. The defending Grey Cup-champion Riders are a fundamentally sound team that should never be taken lightly, said Lions head coach Buck Pierce. “Really, for us, being able to change the pace or dictate the pace on offence and how we want to play is key, right?” he said. “And if you look back at the games that we’ve had this year, (they’re) close physical ball games that are going to come down to the fourth quarter. And I’m expecting really nothing different.” The most recent matchup between the two sides came on Sept. 25, when B.C. took a 31-24 home victory in a game that saw star Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke pass for 375 yards with four touchdowns. That doesn’t mean Saturday’s contest will look similar, Rourke said. “They’ll have something different for us. They always do. They always have a wrinkle,” he said. “They’ll do their self scouting, they’ll have a plan for us. I think there might be some changes in the back end, trying to figure out who their personnel is and all that kind of stuff, getting some people who are healthy again. But ultimately we know that we’re going to have to play our best to beat these guys.” The very best athletes evolve in important moments, said Lions receiver Jevon Cottoy. “There’s different types of players that come playoff time,” he said. “We get excited for the playoffs, because we’ve talked about it since the off-season, since training camp, that this is where we want to be. So, big time players have to step up in these moments. We just got to make sure we do what we got to do.” Stepping up in big moments has become a theme for the Lions this season. The team struggled early and got off to a 1-5 record. Even then, everyone inside the organization expected B.C. to earn its way back to the playoffs, Rourke said. “Our year certainly didn’t start the way we wanted to, but we’ve always trusted our process,” he said. “We believe in our guys, believe in our locker room, believe in where we’re going.” The Lions rebounded from the tough start with a 9-1 run and clinched a home playoff game, then closed out the regular-season campaign with a pair of losses as the team sat several top players. The group’s resilience has become its defining trait, Pierce said. “Just proud of the way that we’ve continued to focus on ourselves and not let results define you, or not let success define you,” said the head coach. Now B.C. needs another victory on Saturday to keep playing. The winner of Saturday’s game will visit the Edmonton Elks in the West Division final on Nov. 7. The Elks finished first in the West to earn a bye this week. “This is just a step on the journey,” Rourke said. “And like every week that we’ve taken, we’ve taken it one step at a time. And we’re gonna give this all our attention and focus because these guys deserve it.” This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 26, 2026. Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press
