New faces in critical positions will be in the spotlight when the B.C. Lions host the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the season’s first meeting of the West Division rivals on Saturday in Vancouver, British Columbia.
The Lions (4-1) are 2-0 at home and coming off a bye week, idle since a 35-19 defeat of the visiting Montreal Alouettes on July 9.
The Roughriders (3-2) are coming off a 33-31 home loss against the Calgary Stampeders last Saturday. Saskatchewan is 2-0 on the road this season.
Rookie running back Shaun Shivers is expected to carry the load for B.C. while Taquan Mizzell recovers from a knee injury that kept him out of the Montreal game.
The 5-foot-7 Shivers, who gained nearly 2,000 yards from scrimmage playing college football at Auburn (2018-21) and Indiana (2022), had 136 yards of offense and a touchdown in his CFL debut against the Alouettes.
“The plan right now is Shivers,” Lions coach Rick Campbell said, per The Province. “I envision both those guys helping us the rest of this year, and I think there will be times we’ll put them both on. I don’t know if it would be this week, but we’ll have to see if they’re both healthy.”
Meanwhile Mason Fine takes over as the starting quarterback for Saskatchewan, with Trevor Harris sustaining a tibial plateau fracture in his right knee in the fourth quarter of the loss to Calgary.
“You don’t get very many opportunities, so you have got to make the most of it,” said Fine, who led two late scoring drives against the Stampeders.
“You have got to have the balance of not trying to do too much and putting that pressure on yourself. And I know those guys in that locker room believe in me and I just got to go out there and play my game.”
These teams will meet again in Regina on Aug. 20 and back in Vancouver on Sept. 29.
B.C. won two of three meetings against the Roughriders last season, with the visiting team winning all three games.
The well-rested Lions only have one player listed as out for Saturday, defensive back Patrice Rene (ankle).
The Roughriders will be without wide receiver Brayden Lenius (low back), offensive lineman Peter Godber (hand), defensive lineman Anthony Lanier II (leg), linebacker Matt Dean (leg) and defensive backs Rolan Milligan (back/foot), Jaxon Ford (ankle) and Rodney Clemons (ankle).
–Field Level Media