Saskatchewan Roughriders kick off 2025 CFL season with 31-26 win over Ottawa Redblacks
The Saskatchewan Roughriders won the CFL's first game of the 2025 season, but it was a costly 31-26 victory over the Ottawa Redblacks.
The Roughriders lost four starters to injury, including three in the first 17 minutes of Thursday's game.
Receiver Kian Schaffer-Baker appeared to injure his left ankle, tailback A.J. Ouellette suffered a suspected head injury and defensive back Rolan Milligan left the game with an apparent neck injury.
Offensive lineman Payton Collins in his CFL debut was injured in the third quarter when an Ottawa player rolled up the back of his right leg. None of the four injured 'Riders returned to the game.
Ottawa scored a touchdown on their first possession of the season. The Redblacks drove 87 yards on 10 plays with backup quarterback Dustin Crum reaching the end zone on a one-yard sneak.
Redblacks quarterback Dru Brown was seven-for-seven passing for 84 yards on the drive.
Saskatchewan responded with 17 unanswered points in the second quarter.
Quarterback Trevor Harris completed 19 of 26 pass attempts for 277 yards and two touchdown throws in the game.
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His backup quarterback Tommy Stevens scored on a one-yard run 13 seconds into the second quarter and Samuel Emilus hauled in a 10-yard touchdown pass from Harris seven minutes later to increase Saskatchewan's lead to 14-7.
A 17-yard field goal by Brett Lauther with 17 seconds left in the quarter gave the Riders a 17-7 halftime lead.
Emilus had an impressive first half with six receptions for 106 yards and one touchdown. He finished the game with eight catches for 133 yards.
Thomas Bertrand-Hudon took over for Ouellette in the Saskatchewan backfield and added two touchdowns in the third quarter.
He had a 15-yard reception for a major three minutes into the quarter and he scored on a six-yard run late in the quarter.
It was the second two-touchdown game of Betrand-Hudon's CFL career. He scored twice in a 33-26 loss to the B.C. Lions on Sept. 29, 2023, during his rookie season.
Geno Lewis, on an eight-yard reception, William Stanback, on a two-yard run, and Justin Hardy, on a 27-yard reception, also scored second-half touchdowns for the Redblacks, who cut the deficit to 31-26 with four minutes left in the fourth quarter.
Brown completed 34 of 41 passes for 413 yards with two touchdowns.
Hardy, with eight catches for 133 yards, and Bralon Addison, with eight receptions for 112 yards, led Ottawa's receivers.
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