REGINA – It didn’t come easy, but the Saskatchewan Roughriders took care of business at home in a win over the Toronto Argonauts to secure top spot in the West Division.
The Riders opened WestJet Thanksgiving Weekend with a 27-19 victory as a stellar outing by Samuel Emilus and a couple of clutch forced turnovers helped get the home team over the line.
CFL.ca brings you three key stats from the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ win over the Toronto Argonauts.
WESTJET THANKSGIVING WEEKEND
» Roughriders defeat Argonauts to lock up top spot in the West
» Depth Charts: TOR | SSK
» Game Notes: Argonauts at Roughriders
» Toronto, Saskatchewan by the numbers
142 – SAMUEL EMILUS RECEIVING YARDS
Trevor Harris and Samuel Emilus were in sync from the start on Friday evening, as the Saskatchewan receiver finished with a game-high 142 yards on six catches.
Emilus created a 50-yard catch-and-run in the first quarter which led to the Joe Robustelli touchdown and then also popped off for a 44-yard gain in the fourth quarter which helped get Saskatchewan to a Brett Lauther field goal, the final score of the ballgame.
2 – LATE TURNOVERS
Toronto only turned the ball over twice in Friday’s contest, but the timing of the takeaways couldn’t have come at a less opportune time for the visitors.
Jarret Doege couldn’t combine with Makai Polk on a third-down passing play before the three-minute warning, and then on Toronto’s final possession, Doege threw an interception to A.J. Allen. Those two turnovers sealed the win for the Riders as they held off the Boatmen, not allowing them to cut the deficit to less than five points in the fourth quarter.
5 – BRETT LAUTHER FIELD GOALS
Saskatchewan has struggled to find consistency from their kickers throughout the season but you wouldn’t know it looking at Friday’s box score.
In a game where 27 of the total 46 points were scored by the kickers, Brett Lauther made all five of his attempts to help edge his team to an important win at home. Though his longest make was from just 44 yards out, head coach Corey Mace will be relieved to see his kicker have a perfect outing as his team heads into the playoffs.