# BC Lions West Semi-Final vs. Saskatchewan Roughriders: Prediction, Depth Chart, Injuries, Odds, Keys to the Game, Players to Watch

Source page: https://profootballnewshub.com/cfl/news/zander-horvath-bc-courtesy-bc-lions-marcus-sayles-saskatchewan-courtesy-saskatchewan-rough

By Jonathan Clink · Published 2026-10-31 13:17 UTC · Updated 2026-11-02 14:17 UTC

**The BC Lions host the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the Western Semi-Final on Saturday at BC Place. Both teams finished 10-8, with BC having the tiebreaker, having won the season series 2-1. These clubs met last year in the West Final, which saw Trevor Harris connect with Tommy Nield for a game-winning touchdown with 12 seconds left to push Saskatchewan to a 24-21 victory.**

## **Game Details:**

Date/Location: Saturday, October 31, 2026 / BC Place, Vancouver, BC

Kickoff Time: 4:30 PM ET / 1:30 PM PT

Channel:

TSN (Canada), CFL+ (USA/Global)

Radio: 730 CKNW/Lions Audio Network/Sher-E- Punjab Radio AM 600

Odds (If you place bets, please do so responsibly in moderation):

**Spread: BC -6.5, Saskatchewan +6.5**

**Moneyline: BC -250, Saskatchewan +250**

**Over/Under: 58.5 (Over -110, Under -110)**

**B.C. Lions: The Lions are the hottest team in the CFL since late July. After opening the season 1-5, the Lions went on to win 9 of their final 10 games before resting starters in the final 2 games. Nathan Rourke returns as the starter after resting in Week 21. Zander Horvath leads the league with 18 rushing touchdowns and added 894 yards on the ground.**

**Saskatchewan Roughriders: The Roughriders path to defending the Grey Cup will go through BC and Edmonton. Trevor Harris threw for 5,370 yards and 32 touchdowns. KeeSean Johnson and Kian Schaffer-Baker both cleared 1,000 receiving yards. Saskatchewan finished 10-8 and enters as the road underdog after winning the previous two postseason meetings against BC, which were both in Regina.**

## **Lions' Keys to the Game**

### **Establish the Run Early to Draw in the Defense**

**Horvath led the CFL with 18 rushing touchdowns, and James Butler is also dangerous. Saskatchewan has a good run defense, and BC can gain some psychological momentum with some successful early run plays that will also help open up the pass.**

### **Efficient Passing**

**Rourke put on an absolute show, making some incredible plays in last year's West Final. He needs to play like that again for every game in these playoffs, and the Lions have a great chance to win the Grey Cup. He has an elite capacity to navigate pressure in the pocket while keeping awareness downfield to make plays.**

### **Get to Harris Quickly**

**The Lions' pass rush needs to get to Trevor Harris and break some plays with sacks and QB hits.**

### **Stop the Run**

**Ouellette has had a down year statistically, but he was phenomenal in the playoffs last year, and BC needs to prevent him from getting going.**

## **5 Lions to Watch**

**12 QB Nathan Rourke**

**Rourke completed 70.5% of his passes for 4,614 yards and 24 touchdowns with 11 interceptions. The reigning MVP finished 5th in passing yards despite missing 2 games to injury and resting in 2.**

**34 RB Zander Horvath**

**Horvath rushed 183 times for 894 yards (4.9 average) and a league-leading 18 touchdowns. Expect a good mix of Horvath and Butler in this game.**

**4 WR Keon Hatcher**

**Hatcher led the team in receiving with 1,147 yards over 74 catches and 8 touchdowns.**

**18 WR Justin McInnis**

**McInnis caught 63 passes for 1,060 yards and 3 touchdowns.**

**53 LB Darnell Sankey**

**Darnell Sankey finished second in tackles this season with 114 and also had 3 sacks, a forced fumble, and an interception. Sankey became just the second player in CFL history to have 100 tackles in 3 consecutive CFL seasons. It may have been 5 consecutive seasons for him had he not left the CFL for half a season in 2023, a year that saw him win both an XFL Championship with the Arlington Renegades and a Grey Cup with Montreal.**

## **5 Roughriders to Watch**

**7 QB Trevor Harris**

**Harris completed 70.1% of his passes for 5,370 yards and 32 touchdowns with 15 interceptions this season.**

**45 RB A.J. Ouellette**

**Ouellette rushed 108 times for 501 yards (4.6 average) over 8 games this season. Last postseason saw him rush 34 times for 196 yards (5.7 average in the Riders' Grey Cup run with 7 missed tackles forced by my count) and a touchdown in the Grey Cup.**

**3 WR KeeSean Johnson**

**Johnson finished third in receiving this season across the league with 108 catches for 1,328 yards and 8 touchdowns.**

**9 WR Samuel Emilus**

**Emilus caught 47 passes for 582 yards and 5 touchdowns over 9 games this season. He caught 19 of his 21 targets in the Riders’ postseason last year for 208 yards.**

**8 DB Marcus Sayles**

**Sayles had 60 tackles and an interception this season. He was essential in the Riders’ Grey Cup run last year. He had 4 tackles over 4 games and was a force in coverage. 9 targets came his way last postseason which resulted in 2 completions for 36 yards while generating an interception and a breakup by my count.**

## **Injury Report:**

## **Depth Charts:**

## **Score Prediction:**

**I predict the BC Lions to advance, 31-24. I expect Nathan Rourke to play some of his best football and lead his team to the next round, with home-field advantage bolstering the team.**

From Pro Football News Hub. More at https://profootballnewshub.com/llms.txt