QB Harris embraces playoff pressure as Roughriders prepare to face Lions in semifinal

Big games are where Trevor Harris believes he shines.

The American quarterback is eager to show it when his Saskatchewan Roughriders take on the B.C. Lions in the CFL’s West Division semifinal on Saturday.

“It’s one of those things where you win or go home. And I feel like I’ve always thrived in those situations,” said Harris, who led Saskatchewan to a Grey Cup title last season. “When the moment gets big, some people can shrink a little bit. And I’m excited for that moment.”

The Lions and Riders come into the contest with identical 10-8 records in regular-season play.

B.C. earned hosting rights by taking the season series 2-1 with a 31-24 home victory over Saskatchewan on Sept. 25.

But the Riders have bounced the Lions from the playoffs two years in a row.

“Really, the last three years, I feel like we’ve played B.C. every other week,” said Riders head coach Corey Mace. “It’s going to be a great matchup.”

Saskatchewan will need to contain the Lions’ potent offence come Saturday.

B.C. was second in both overall net yards (416.7 per game) and rushing yards (118.7) across the regular season, and finished third in passing yards (314.9) as Canadian quarterback Nathan Rourke threw for 4,614 yards and 24 touchdowns.

“They’re a really good offence,” Mace said. “Obviously Nathan’s playing at a high clip, the receivers, I think they almost had four guys go for 1,000 (receiving yards), their running backs are really good, their O-line’s playing well, (head coach Buck Pierce is) a great play caller.

“So yeah, man, they’re a really good offence. They’re a really good team.”

Going up against a team for the fourth time in a calendar year can still bring surprises, said Harris, who threw for 5,370 yards during the regular season.

“There’s probably going to be some things that they do that they haven’t done yet,” he said. “That’s been par for the course. Every time we’ve played them, they’ve given me different looks and tried to fool me with certain things, people they put in positions.

“It’s going to be a lot about execution, but who can game plan and who can make those big-time plays in those big-time moments. And you never know when that moment comes. So you’ve always got to be on your toes, ready to rock.”

The winner will advance to face the Edmonton Elks (13-5) in the West Division final on Nov. 7 at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 30, 2026.

Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press