Riders defence look to contain Lions offence, Nathan Rourke

It’s no secret what type of challenge awaits the Saskatchewan Roughriders in Vancouver against the B.C. Lions in the CFL West semifinal.

Saskatchewan’s defence will look to stop a high-powered Lions offence that is helmed by quarterback Nathan Rourke, who is once again a finalist for the league’s Most Outstanding Canadian award.

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“He’s a good athlete and a good quarterback. He’s one of those guys who are pretty good at everything so, we have to be ready for everything,” said Riders defensive end James Vaughters. “Just continue to watch the tape, understand what we can expect out of him when he does break down coverages and make plays. Just looking for that.”

In the last meeting between the two, a 31-24 win for the Lions, Rourke connected on a number of big plays with his receivers, including two separate 70-yard drives that required only two plays to score touchdowns.

“We have to keep him in the pocket here,” said safety Jaxon Ford. “The last couple of games, he was scrambling on us and throwing those deep shots against us. We have to be top-down here and limit those explosives.”

The Riders are coming into the playoffs on a two-game win streak, though that run has come as both they and their opponents have rested players over the last couple of weeks.

Saskatchewan’s defence did put a lot of pressure on Edmonton Elks quarterback Taylor Powell in the Riders’ 16-9, recording six sacks in the game.

“We had some guys step up into roles in that game and they were hungry. That’s what you expect to see. I think in a game like that where the table isn’t completely set yet but when you have a lot of shuffling on both sides of the ball, it gives guys the opportunity to show what they can do in a one-on-one situation and what they can do in a passing situation so it’s a way to learn about a lot of your guys,” Vaughters said.

On the defensive side of the ball, head coach Corey Mace admits he has gotten more involved in recent weeks.

“It’s getting tighter here at the end of the year. I really wanted to make sure I gave Josh (Bell) the floor. I think it has been good from that standpoint. Now, as things are getting tighter, me and him are spending more time together. How we go out there, there’s not much different in the defence anyways,” Mace said. “Just some different things we see up front and different communications we can have. I think it’s all hands on deck from everybody.”

Kickoff for Saturday’s game is set for 2:30 p.m. The Green Zone pregame show begins at 12:30 p.m.