Photo courtesy: Tim Matwey/CFL.ca
Saskatchewan sought revenge in Edmonton, and the Roughriders evened the season series between the top two teams in the West Division with a hard-fought 28-26 win at Commonwealth Stadium.
It was a heavyweight tilt with lots of physicality and emotion, fit for a postseason game — perhaps what played out was a West Final preview.
Not always Quali-ty
Quali Conley looked comfortable in his first two starts for the Green and White, but his third was inconsistent, even though he executed a spectacular play.
In the first quarter, Elks’ strong-side linebacker Kenny Logan Jr. beat him with an inside move for a sack. The 23-year-old rookie running back redeemed himself by cutting down national linebacker Joel Dublanko, who brought pressure with an inside stunt in the second quarter.
A.J. Ouellette has been praised by coaches and teammates for his high-quality pass protection. With the two-time 1,000-yard rusher put on the six-game injured list after suffering a knee injury in Week 8, Conley needs to be more consistent as a blocker.
That could also be said for Conley as a receiver. On first-and-10 with less than eight minutes left in the second quarter, he released down the right seam. Trevor Harris dropped the football in perfectly, but it went through his hands. If the five-foot-10, 211-pounder reeled in the pass, Saskatchewan would have had a sizeable gain and built even more momentum after taking a 14-10 lead.
Following a 67-minute weather delay, plus the regular 15-minute halftime break, Conley pulled off a reverse hurdle over Chelen Garnes for a 12-yard gain that will be replayed on highlight reels for years to come. It wasn’t as high as Saquon Barkley’s viral athletic feat, but it was the same calibre. Elite athleticism on display from the Fresno, Cal. native.
Conley carried the football 14 times for 61 yards and caught three passes for 36 yards.
Touchdown Tommy
Tommy Stevens continues to be an offensive weapon for the Riders.
The six-foot-four, 245-pound bruiser scored three touchdowns. His first was a third-and-one plunge, the second a second-and-one major, but the third was an adventure.
Late in the third quarter, it was second-and-goal from the four-yard line. Stevens gained steam off the right side, but rookie Canadian linebacker Dariel Djabome knocked the ball loose and American defensive back Kobe Williams recovered. However, Edmonton was flagged for too many men with 13 players on the field. Two plays later, No. 17 powered his way over the goal line.
That’s his second career game with three rushing touchdowns, although it’s not a single-game career-high. He rushed for four majors in 2022, his rookie CFL season with the Calgary Stampeders against the Elks in Week 14.
Stevens, yet again, helped burn the clock down to zeroes with less than two minutes and 30 seconds left. In total, he rushed 13 times for 29 yards, but appeared to get banged up late, which may have hurt his effectiveness.
Johnsons force multiplying
KeeSean Johnson has been the most impactful Johnson wearing a Roughriders uniform in 2026, but Johnny Johnson III was the best Johnson on Saturday in the Alberta capital.
Johnson III broke off an 87-yard kick return to help Saskatchewan answer Edmonton’s opening drive touchdown. He used key blocks from Regina native Ryder Varga and Josh Woods to spring a boundary return.
Jump to the fourth quarter, Johnson III made a 27-yard grab across the middle and followed it up with a 15-yard receiver screen, which put the Riders in the red zone. KeeSean Johnson finished what proved to be the game-winning drive with a four-yard touchdown from Harris on a corner route to the left. He added a corner route catch on the right-hand side for a two-point convert. That was the margin Saskatchewan won by.
Johnson III entered with three receptions for 40 yards in three games and recorded four catches for 48 yards in the win.
Hale-ing misses
If Alex Hale made a makeable field goal, the Riders’ lead would have been bigger. Instead, he pulled a 42-yard three-point attempt wide left.
The 28-year-old CFL rookie missed a field goal for a third straight game. In Week 8, he shanked a 42-yarder, and it cost Saskatchewan a possible win. Margins are thin in professional football, and the Global kicker is barely keeping his job.
Through seven games in 2026, Hale has made 12-of-17 field goal attempts. His 70.6 percentage puts him second-worst in the three-down league. While he is one-of-five from 40 yards or more in his young career.
The Roughriders hosting the West Final could come down to how well Hale performs or how long the team allows him to kick.
Ford needs to tighten it up
Jaxon Ford busted two coverages in Week 8, and another one happened in Week 9, albeit in a victory.
Ford took a bad angle trying to make a play on Justin Rankin down the left seam in the fourth quarter. That blown assignment and missed tackle led to a 51-yard gain and an Edmonton touchdown. That TD was a down the middle and may have been the starter safety’s fault as well.
The 25-year-old needs to clean up his play on the backend; teams are going to attack him until he stops giving up big plays.
Quick learner
Derick Roberson signed with Saskatchewan on July 20; less than two weeks later, he made his CFL debut.
The 30-year-old recorded two special teams tackles, one defensive stop and one sack at Corey Mace’s favourite position. If Mace and the coaching staff didn’t trust Roberson, he would not be in the game. The San Antonio, Tex. native rotated in at defensive end and looked sharp. His sack was a veteran play on Cody Fajardo, keeping contain with proper technique on a zone read play as he put No. 7 to the ground.
Roberson earned over $1.7 million USD in the NFL, and his skills have quickly translated to the three-down league.
Costly late QB hits
Veteran linebacker Jameer Thurman started it, and rookie defensive end Desmond Evans followed his lead.
Even though it was minimal, Thurman made helmet-to-helmet contact with Fajardo on the first offensive play in the game. That roughing the passer penalty added 15 yards to a nine-yard T.J. Luther completion, and Rankin finished the drive with a touchdown run.
After the three-minute warning in the second quarter, Evans hit Fajardo following a 17-yard connection with Kaion Julien-Grant. It was an inexcusable decision and helped Edmonton come away with a field goal during a quarter where Saskatchewan’s defence otherwise shut down the Elks’ offence — three two-and-outs while allowing a measly 15 total offensive yards.
Evans made up for his mistake by stunting inside and pressuring Fajardo on Edmonton’s final drive, but he missed the sack as Woods had to clean it up. Penalties and missed opportunities can hurt teams in playoff games, so the rookie defensive end needs to improve in both areas.
Add to the injury list
Ouellette and Rolan Milligan Jr. were put on the six-game injured list leading into the back-to-back match-up with Edmonton, and another starter could be added.
All-CFL cornerback Tevaughn Campbell was sidelined with an upper-body injury. He was shown on the sideline by TSN during the third quarter with his right arm in a sling. CFL rookie James Burgess Jr. entered the game for No. 26 and did not look out of place.
Star receiver Kian Schaffer-Baker jumped to catch a deep curl route in the third quarter and Logan Jr. chopped him down. It looked like his left leg bent awkwardly as he went to the turf. That’s a major injury to monitor.
