HAMILTON – The Saskatchewan Roughriders did enough to make it two wins out of two, getting the better of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Saturday night, who fell to 0-2 with the result.
A quiet first half on offence from the Riders made way for an impressive second half performance in which the visitors put up 22 of their 28 points and held the Ticats to just 16 points. Two big plays from A.J. Ouellette and then Rolan Milligan Jr. got the Riders rolling in the Hammer, while KeeSean Johnson came up with four catches on a pivotal fourth quarter drive to see out the game for the away team.
CFL.ca brings you three key stats from the Roughriders’ win over the Tiger-Cats.
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47 – YARD TOUCHDOWN BY A.J. OUELLETTE
Rider Nation will be thrilled to see number 45 back on the field and looking like his best self. A.J. Ouellette was forced from Saskatchewan’s season-opening victory early in the first quarter but was able to make a recovery for the Week 2 outing in Hamilton.
His 47-yard touchdown run gave his team life at the end of the second quarter when it was looking like the Riders might be shutout in the half. But Ouellette put the team on his back to put his team on the board, producing perhaps his most impressive score as a Rider after years of haunting the Tiger-Cats as a Toronto Argonaut.
1 – ROLAN MILLIGAN JR. PICK SIX
The 2024 Most Outstanding Defensive Player played up to his reputation at Hamilton Stadium. Milligan Jr. came up with a 64-yard pick six in the third quarter to give his squad their first lead of the ballgame.
With Mitchell looking to connect with Tim White after the duo combined for a first-quarter touchdown, his pass across the middle only found the waiting arms of Milligan Jr. He then made a number of Ticats miss en route to the end zone.
4 – CATCH DRIVE BY KEESEAN JOHNSON
With receiver Kian Schaffer-Baker placed on Saskatchewan’s injury list prior to Week 2, someone else in the Roughriders’ receiving group was going to need to step up in the Hammer. That someone on Saturday was Johnson.
Johnson caught eight balls on 11 targets for a team-high 124 yards and a touchdown. The sophomore slotback made four catches for 69 yards on a momentum-swinging fourth quarter drive he finished off with an impressive 15-yard touchdown snag. That score midway through the fourth quarter would prove decisive, as the Ticats were unable to claw back from the seven-point deficit.
