ROBSERVATIONS: Hit the ground running … 1981 Halloween horror! … Roughriders-Lions playoff history

The Saskatchewan Roughriders hope to be goblin up yardage on Halloween.

Controlling the football along the ground would be especially beneficial in Saturday’s CFL Western Semi-Final against the host B.C. Lions.

“It’s who we are,” quarterback Trevor Harris told reporters in Vancouver on Friday. “The reason you bring in A.J. Ouellette and the reason you have him is for these games in late October, early November.”

The veteran running back has been a productive player in all four of the Roughriders’ post-season games — including the 2025 Grey Cup win — since signing with Saskatchewan as a free agent in 2024.

Over those four must-win games, Ouellette has rushed 58 times for 317 yards — averaging 5.5 yards per carry — and three majors.

Versus B.C. in the 2024 Western Semi-Final, Ouellette rushed 14 times for 70 yards and two TDs following an injury-plagued regular season. One of his scoring runs was a 30-yarder.

He carried the ball 17 times for 113 yards in the 2025 Western Final win over B.C. Then came a 17-carry, 83-yard performance in the Grey Cup.

“If we set the tone running the ball, it makes 7’s job a lot easier,” said Ouellette, referencing Harris. “It makes the receivers a lot bigger of a threat. It allows them to give our fans something to cheer for.”

Historical data underlines the need for a potent running game.

Since the CFL adopted the sudden-death playoff format — dispensing with best-of-three series or two-game, total-points affairs — Saskatchewan has won 13 times on the road, dating back to 1972.

The Roughriders have outrushed the foe in 10 of those 13 victories.

Saskatchewan dwarfed its opponent in total rushing yardage (1,956-1,043) over that span of games. The Roughriders enjoyed a significant edge in average yards per carry (5.6-4.8).

There is also a correlation between winning and the ability to force turnovers.

Saskatchewan has won only one of the aforementioned 13 road playoff games while relinquishing the football more frequently than the opposition.

That was on Nov. 2, 1997, when Saskatchewan (three turnovers) defeated the Calgary Stampeders (two) 33-30 in the Western Semi-Final.

Over 13 games, Saskatchewan has won the turnover battle nine times. The turnovers were even on three other occasions.

Here’s a surprising stat: Passing yardage doesn’t seem to matter, most of the time.

Saskatchewan has led that category only twice over the 13-game sample that provides the basis for this (hyperbole alert!) ground-breaking statistical study.

The opponent has generated nearly 1,000 more aerial yards (3,064-2,693) over the course of 13 home playoff losses to Saskatchewan.

In terms of touchdown passes, the numbers are even. Saskatchewan has thrown more TD passes in six of the 13 wins. The opposition threw for more scores six other times. In the other game, the teams were even.

So concludes the nerdiest item ever to appear in this cherished space on Halloween. How do you like those apples?

GHOSTS OF HALLOWEEN

Today, the Roughriders will play an Oct. 31 game in B.C. for only the second time.

Once more, the losing team will be eliminated.

But the first Halloween meeting was not a playoff game.

The Roughriders and Lions collided 45 years ago today — Oct. 31, 1981 — with a playoff berth at stake. The winner would finish third in the CFL’s Western Conference and carry on into the post-season. The losing side would be done.

Halloween 1981 was, from this perspective, a horror show.

Vancouver’s Empire Stadium looked like a wading pool.

Torrential rains limited the combatants to a combined 261 passing yards. The cumulative net offence was a paltry 384.

Saskatchewan slotback Joey Walters, who amassed a Club-record 1,715 receiving yards in 1981, was limited to 22 in the season finale. Only two of his 91 receptions on the season were registered on Oct. 31. Sigh.

Saskatchewan outgained the Lions (258-126), but it mattered not. B.C. eked out a 13-5 victory and I emitted an “eek!” (perhaps something stronger) from the recliner at 4428 Acadia Drive, Regina, Saskatchewan.

The visitors were clinging to a 5-4 lead when the Roughriders, backed up to their nine-yard line, ill-advisedly tried a reverse on first down.

Fumble!

B.C. defensive lineman Nick Hebeler pounced on the loose ball on the two-yard line.

On play after Hebeler’s splashdown, there was a game-winning touchdown — on a two-yard run by Larry Key.

That sequence of plays was the difference as the Lions finished with a 10-6 record. The Roughriders (9-7) were finished, period.

It still rankles me.

Saskatchewan missed the playoffs while two decidedly inferior teams — the Ottawa Rough Riders (5-11) and Montreal Alouettes (3-13) — contested a first-round game in the East.

Ottawa, in fact, advanced to the 69^th Grey Cup Game before losing a 26-23 nailbiter to Edmonton.

Kudos to the Rough Riders for their late-season surge, but the fact remains that the 1981 Roughriders posted more regular-season victories (nine) than Ottawa and Montreal combined (eight).

Where, oh where, was the crossover when we really, really needed it?

Only 12 days before the Roughriders/Lions swim meet, Rick Monday’s 10^th-inning home run had given the Los Angeles Dodgers a 2-1 victory over my beloved Montreal Expos in the deciding game of the National League Championship Series.

October 1981 was, for this then-youthful sports fan, a horror show.

(On top of that, I eked out a mark of 43 per cent on a Grade 12 English exam. I blame Hamlet.)

You may rightfully assert that I should stop living in the past but, hey, what else is a cobwebbed historian supposed to do?

Annnnyway … (ahem) … (sniffle) … here’s to a considerably cheerier Halloween in 2026!

IT ONLY TOOK 72 YEARS, BUT …

The Roughriders are finally visiting Vancouver for a first-round playoff game.

Today’s matchup is the first of its sort since the Lions debuted in 1954.

As it stands, the Roughriders have played only five post-season games in B.C., period.

In 1963, Games 2 and 3 of the best-of-three Western Final were held at old Empire Stadium. The latter game, won 36-1 by B.C., was played on Nov. 23, 1963 — the day after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas.

Forty-plus years elapsed before a flurry of Roughriders visits to B.C. in November. Saskatchewan and B.C. met in the 2004, 2006 and 2007 Western Finals. The Roughriders’ 26-17 victory in 2007 took place one week before the third Grey Cup victory in franchise history.

Until this afternoon at 2:30, the 2007 game will stand as Saskatchewan’s most-recent playoff game in B.C.

As a contrast, the Lions have travelled to Regina for nine post-season games.

Since 1954, B.C. is the Roughriders’ last-frequent playoff opponent (15 games, including today).

Calgary is the runaway leader at 28, followed by Winnipeg and Edmonton (both 18) and B.C.

The unlikeliest scenario over that time: Edmonton at Saskatchewan.

The teams met at Taylor Field in 1956, 1958, 1967 and 1976. And that’s it.

On Nov. 20, 50 years will have elapsed since Saskatchewan defeated Edmonton 23-13 in the Western Final. The teams’ subsequent seven playoff games have all taken place in the Alberta capital.

BEST OF B.C.

The top five Roughriders/Lions playoff matchups:

(1) Nov. 8, 2025: B.C. 18 at Saskatchewan 21 —Harris threw a three-yard, game-winning touchdown pass to Tommy Nield with 11 seconds remaining in the Western Final.

(2) Nov. 14, 2010: B.C. 38 at Saskatchewan 41 (OT) — The Lions forced overtime when Travis Lulay threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to Emmanuel Arceneaux on the final play of the fourth quarter. The second OT period concluded with a 24-yard TD pass from Darian Durant to Jason Clermont, who scored the winner against his former team.

(3) Nov. 14, 2004: Saskatchewan 25 at B.C. 27 (OT) — A five-yard TD pass from Henry Burris to Elijah Thurmon helped Saskatchewan assume a 24-21 lead at 13:55 of the fourth quarter. The Lions forced OT when Duncan O’Mahony kicked a 47-yard field goal with four seconds remaining in regulation time. O’Mahony’s 40-yarder settled matters in OT, sending the Lions to the Grey Cup.

(4) Nov. 10, 2013: The Roughriders trailed 25-16 before Durant seized control of the Western Semi-Final. Beginning with the final play of the third quarter, Doubles carried the ball four times for 91 yards. As well, Durant found Weston Dressler for the duo’s second TD pass of the day. It was the toughest post-season test for the 2013 Roughriders, who went on to dominate Calgary (35-13 in the Western Final) and Hamilton (45-23 in the Grey Cup).

(5) Nov. 20, 1963: Saskatchewan 13 at B.C. 8 — Ron Lancaster’s 32-yard TD pass to Dick Cohee at 9:16 of the fourth quarter erased an 8-3 Lions lead in Game 2 of the Western Final, necessitating a rubber match.

RIDERS/LIONS RECORDS

Playoff bests, Roughriders versus Lions:

Touchdowns: Saskatchewan — 2 (Steve Molnar, 1973; Thurmon, 2004; Kenton Keith, 2006; Dressler 2010 and 2013; Ouellette, 2024); B.C. — 3 (Tony Cherry, 1988).

Passing yards: Saskatchewan — 416 (Burris, 2004); B.C. — 317 (Vernon Adams Jr., 2024).

Touchdown passes: Saskatchewan — 3 (Burris, 2004; Durant, 2010); B.C. — 3 (Dave Dickenson, 2006).

Rushing yards: Saskatchewan — 133 (George Reed, 1973); B.C. — 184 (Cherry, 1988).

Longest run: Saskatchewan — 38 yards (Reed, 1963 and 1973); B.C. — 53 (Stefan Logan, 2008).

Receiving yards: Saskatchewan — 150 (Dressler, 2010); B.C. — 183 (Ryan Thelwell, 2004).

Receptions: Saskatchewan — 9 (Samuel Emilus, 2024 and 2025); B.C. — 9 (Thelwell, 2004).

Longest reception: Saskatchewan — 75 yards (Durant to Dressler, 2010); B.C. — 78 (Casey Printers to Thelwell, 2004).

Field goals: Saskatchewan — 5 (Chris Milo, 2013); B.C. — 5 (Paul McCallum, 2006 and 2010).

Longest field goal: Saskatchewan — 45 (Milo, 2013); B.C. — 49 (Lui Passaglia, 1988)

Interceptions: Saskatchewan — 1 (Bob Ptacek, 1963; Gene Wlasiuk, 1963; Ted Dushinski, 1973; Lorne Richardson, 1973; Charlie Collins, 1973; Mike McGruder, 1988; Santino Hall, 2004; Eddie Davis, 2007; Maurice Lloyd, 2007; Lance Frazier, 2010); B.C. — 2 (Norm Fieldgate, 1963; Ryan Phillips, 2008).

Longest interception return: Saskatchewan — 42 yards (Davis, 2007; Frazier, 2010); B.C. — 54 (Ryan Phillips, 2008).

Sacks: Saskatchewan — 3 (George Wells, 1974; Terrell Jurineack, 2004); B.C. — 5 (Cameron Wake, 2007).

Defensive tackles: Saskatchewan: 9 (Jackie Mitchell, 2006); B.C. — 10 (Ben Hladik, 2024).

Special teams tackles: Saskatchewan: 4 (Tristan Clovis, 2007); B.C. — 3 (Jason Arakgi, 2008).

Longest punt: Saskatchewan — 63 yards (Martin Fabi, 1963); B.C. — 56 (Eric Guthrie, 1973).

Longest punt return: Saskatchewan: 17 yards (Dominique Dorsey, 2006; Ryan Grice-Mullen, 2010); B.C. — 31 (Yonus Davis, 2010).

Longest kickoff return: Saskatchewan: 56 yards (Jock Sanders, 2013); B.C. — 78 (Ian Smart, 2007).

SHORT SNORTS

• Two Roughriders regular-season records have been rendered unbreakable due to the changing field dimensions that will take effect in 2026. Longest kickoff return: 115 yards (by Bobby Thompson against the visiting Lions on Oct. 24, 1971). Longest missed field goal return: 129 yards (Tristan Jackson, also versus B.C., July 14, 2012).

• A happier Halloween memory: On Oct. 31, 1993, Saskatchewan defeated the host Toronto Argonauts. Kent Austin went 41-for-55 for 507 yards, setting an enduring Roughriders record for completions. Fifteen of his passes were caught by Don Narcisse, who established an as-yet-unsurpassed team record for receptions in a game.

• The Roughriders are 6-6 All-Time on Halloween. However, they are 1-6 since winning the first five times they played on Oct. 31.

• Saskatchewan registered at least one victory against all eight rival CFL teams during the 2026 regular season.

• The Winnipeg Jets have a better record at Mosaic Stadium (1-0) than at Princess Auto Stadium (0-1). Regina > Winnipeg!

ROLL CREDITS …

• Nice people who deserve a plug: Royal Harden, Stan Kulach, Mary Kulach, Alec Salloum, Cal Filson, Dan Clark, Nick Hebeler, Greg Fieger, Bob Poley, Mike Duffy, Mike Benson, KeeSean Johnson, Logan Ferland, Jermarcus Hardrick, Tevaughn Campbell and, with slightly belated 72^nd-birthday wishes, the wonderful Joey Walters. Long live #17!