A.J. Allen was A.J. Yellin’ on Saturday at Mosaic Stadium.
“All I wanted to do was scream and lose my voice,” the 26-year-old Saskatchewan Roughriders linebacker said after a 28-19 CFL playoff victory over the B.C. Lions.
“If I have a voice after this game, then I haven’t done a good job yelling, because it was just electric.”
Credit should go to the figurative 13th Fan — represented 26,229 times over during the Western Semi-Final — for responding to the players’ exhortations.
“The guys were amping the crowd up and they responded,” Head Coach Corey Mace said after drying off from a Gatorade shower. “I thought it was excellent all night.
“We’re extremely grateful for everybody who showed up, especially at this time of year. We asked for playoff football in Saskatchewan and, boy, that felt like playoff football in Saskatchewan.”
Sounded like it, too.
“Rider Nation is the best nation out there,” Allen said.
“It’s just incredible to play for this team and these fans, because they show out in the cold and they show out in the wind. No matter where it is, they show out.
“All you can do is show love. I appreciate every single one of those 26,000.”
The appreciation was reciprocal as the fans saluted an all-around impressive effort by the Roughriders.
The gallery had plenty to applaud.
• A robust ground game led by A.J. Ouellette, who rushed 14 times for 70 yards and two touchdowns and helped Saskatchewan earn a decided advantage in time of possession (34:48).
• Precise passing and uncanny anticipation by Trevor Harris, who was 26-for-33 for 279 yards with one touchdown.
• Tough catches and determined running after the reception by Samuel Emilus, KeeSean Johnson, Kian Schaffer-Baker and Jerreth Sterns. Their efforts contributed to an offence that was a stellar 16-for-24 on second-down conversions. (B.C. was 8-for-18.)
• A strong performance by a resilient offensive line that lost left tackle Trevor Reid to injury during the game. With Reid sidelined, Peter Godber entered the game to play centre and Logan Ferland — the West Division’s Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman — moved to right tackle. Trevon Tate, who started Saturday’s game as the right tackle, moved across the line to the far left side. Despite the line juggling, the Roughriders ran the ball effectively and allowed only one sack.
• Three sacks, courtesy of defensive linemen Malik Carney, Miles Brown and Caleb Sanders. The latter player, a 287-pounder, wowed the crowd by chasing down and sacking Vernon Adams Jr.
• Seven tackles by middle linebacker Jameer Thurman, a recent selection to the All-CFL divisional team.
• Interceptions by Marcus Sayles, Nelson Lokombo and Rolan Milligan Jr. Sayles’ pick ignited the Roughriders’ first touchdown drive.
• Special teams tackling that limited the Lions to 6.5 yards per punt return and 14.6 yards per kickoff return.
• Four successful placements in as many attempts by Brett Lauther. B.C.’s Sean Whyte, the West’s Most Outstanding Special Teams Player, missed a field-goal attempt (from 38 yards) and a convert (32).
Mace duly lauded his appreciation for “complementary football” after the Roughriders once again attained their goal, oft-stated by the head coach, of “going 1-and-0 this week.”
At this time of year, there is only one option.
“There’s no next week (otherwise),” Allen said. “We’re not going to get a chance to make up for it if we don’t go 1-and-0.
“It’s important that the mantra continues through and becomes a discipline and becomes a motivation.”
Additional motivation is derived from recollections of back-to-back six-win seasons that preceded the 2024 campaign.
“Man, this is incredible,” said Allen, a third-year Roughrider. “Going from the past two years and not making the playoffs to being here, it feels like being on top of the world.”
Being on top of the league would suffice.
“I’ve worked my life to be a champion,” Brown said. “Playing football is fun but, to me, it doesn’t mean a whole lot unless you’re winning things and you’re putting banners somewhere.
“You want things that are going to concrete in you in history. This is amazing just to have an opportunity to have a shot at the championship.”
Next stop: Winnipeg, where the Blue Bombers are to play host to Saskatchewan in Saturday’s Western Final (5:30 p.m., TSN, CKRM). The winner will advance to the 111th Grey Cup Game, set for Nov. 17 in Vancouver.
“We’ll celebrate this one,” Allen concluded, “but the job is not done.”
