Photo courtesy: Mike Spowart/CFL.
Canadian receiver Jalen Philpot provided bulletin board material for the Saskatchewan Roughriders — Corey Mace and Kian Schaffer-Baker admitted post-game — as the Green and White went to McMahon Stadium and beat the Calgary Stampeders 40-37 in double overtime.
Trevor Harris completed passes to Samuel Emilus, Dhel Duncan-Busby and Schaffer-Baker to set up Tommy Stevens for the game-winning score in a thriller. The Riders improve to 2-0, as the Stamps fall to 0-2.
Questionable decision; fast learner
With Saskatchewan leading 23-7, Mace elected to have rookie Global kicker Alex Hale try a 47-yard field goal as time expired in the opening half going into a stiff breeze. The 28-year-old missed the kick wide left with Tyreik McAllister standing in the end zone — the wind pushed the football outside the goalpost just as it did three plays earlier when he missed a 32-yard point-after attempt — and he brought it back 120 yards for a touchdown.
That made the score 23-14 at halftime despite the Roughriders dominating the first half. The Stamps ran 17 plays for 52 yards through two quarters compared to the Green and White’s 35 plays for 316 yards.
Mace was aggressive with an extra possession after Hale’s kick-off hung up in the wind and bounced backwards to Canadian Kerfalla Exume, who recovered with 13 seconds left in the opening 30 minutes. He wanted to add to the advantage going into the locker room, but at least the reigning Coach of the Year learned from his mistake in hindsight.
During Saskatchewan’s first drive in the third quarter, the Riders faced a third-and-eight from Calgary’s 33-yard line going into the wind. Mace kept the offence on the field, and Harris completed a timing out route throw to Emilus on the right sideline for a first down. That led to a quick slant KeeSean Johnson touchdown, plus a two-point convert, which extended the lead to 31-17.
Critical sequence
After the Roughriders’ defence forced the Stampeders to punt on four straight drives to begin the game, Clarence Hicks fought around the edge to record a strip sack on Harris in the second quarter. That turnover led to a touchdown two plays later, as the hometown fans came to life.
However, Harris responded quickly. He threaded the needle between Kelechi Anyalebechi and Marquel Lee to hit Schaffer-Baker running an in route across the middle. No. 89 used his shake-and-bake moves to juke Damon Webb while picking up a block from Jaylen Johnson for a 53-yard touchdown. His major killed any momentum Calgary created from Hicks’ forced fumble.
Career first for Kian
Schaffer-Baker has recorded back-to-back 100-yard receiving games for the first time in his CFL career. The 28-year-old produced eight receptions for 130 yards with two touchdowns at McMahon Stadium. One week earlier at Mosaic Stadium, he posted 11 catches for 165 yards. Through two regular-season games in 2026, the University of Guelph product has 19 grabs for 295 yards with two majors.
His performance in Cowtown was capped by a fearless 11-yard reception across the middle in double overtime, even though he knew it was going to come with a physical price. Five-foot-eight, 194-pound Regina native Jackson Sombach delivered a blow, but the imposing target held onto the football to set up Stevens for a game-winning one-yard touchdown.
Harris has targeted Schaffer-Baker 22 times in two games, tying a team high. KeeSean Johnson has turned 22 targets into 14 receptions for 227 yards with one touchdown.
It’s the second time in Schaffer-Baker’s CFL career he’s scored two touchdowns in a single game; Week 2 in 2024 against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats was the other.
Trend bucked in Cowtown
For whatever reason, Harris has struggled to win against the Stamps during the regular season in his CFL career. He entered with a 3-13-2 record versus Calgary, which was his fewest wins against any opponent in the three-down league.
The 40-year-old quarterback turned in a second straight highly efficient effort as he completed 23-of-36 passes (63.8 percent) for 349 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. That was his 57th career 300-yard passing game.
At the same time, the Roughriders ended a three-game regular-season losing streak against the Stampeders.
Next man up
A.J. Ouellette limped off the field with one minute and five seconds left in the third quarter. CFL all-star defensive tackle Jaylon Hutchings brought him down on a zone run to the left, as he appeared to roll up on Ouellette’s right ankle, which got caught underneath the six-foot, 304-pounder. He finished with 18 carries for 84 yards and two receptions for 18 yards.
Canadian Thomas Bertrand-Hudon carried the load the rest of the way, rushing seven times for 30 yards.
American defensive back Juju Hughes suffered a non-contact injury while backpedalling in coverage and grabbed his right ankle immediately. He had to be helped off the field by two teammates and went into the white tent after starting for an injured Rolan Milligan Jr. Canadian rookie Malcolm Bell, selected in the first round, ninth overall, during the 2026 CFL Draft, came in at field cornerback as Marcus Sayles moved to boundary halfback and Tevaughn Campbell went to boundary cornerback. Sayles knocked down a corner ball intended for Philpot on the very next snap.
No blown coverages
The Roughriders lost twice in decisive fashion during the 2025 regular season to Calgary: 24-10 at Mosaic Stadium in Week 6 and 32-15 at McMahon Stadium in Week 12. The Stampeders outscored Saskatchewan 56-25 in two head-to-head meetings last year. Two big plays, an 81-yard deep ball to Damien Alford in Week 6 and a 46-yarder to Daylen Baldwin in Week 12, hurt the defence in those losses.
There were no such coverage busts in the first meeting against Calgary in 2026. Philpot, Erik Brooks, and Dejon Brissett recorded 20-plus-yard receptions, but none over the top. Joshua Bell’s defence kept the football in front of them, and it helped in the win.
Double OT forced fumble?
Three plays into double overtime, it appeared rookie CFL defensive end Desmond Evans forced Vernon Adams Jr. to fumble. He applied pressure off the edge on first-and-20, seemingly pushing the quarterback’s arm and hand forward while the ball appeared to come out.
That play was ruled an incomplete pass by the on-field officials, but there was an automatic review. Even though it looked like a game-changing fumble had been caused by Evans, the replay centre in downtown Toronto decided to stay with the initial call.
If Saskatchewan had lost, Rider fans would have been up in arms.
Odds and ends
Hicks beat left tackle Payton Collins twice for sacks. One caused a fumble, and the other came off an inside move after selling him on a speed rush up the field. Collins has been consistent since starting for Saskatchewan last year, but he was exposed on those two snaps.
Veteran defensive end James Vaughters notched a key sack late in the fourth quarter, beating left tackle D’Ante Demery. Bell called a pressure look, sending six on second-and-seven. It looked like cover zero behind, and the 32-year-old recorded a QB takedown for a second straight game.
During regulation, Saskatchewan scored 28 points into the wind, while Calgary scored 17 points with the wind. The Roughriders were with the wind in the first and fourth, the Stampeders were with the wind in the second and third.
Saskatchewan was 10-3 in 2025 when leading at halftime and improved to 2-0 in 2026.
