Stevens Delivers Overtime Drama in Rivalry Win

The Saskatchewan Roughriders survived a tense Labour Day Classic and knocked off the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 32-26 in overtime at Mosaic Stadium. The finish matched the moment, with a record crowd of 34,352 watching the venue host its largest CFL audience ever.

A Game That Turned on the Final Seconds

Winnipeg refused to go quietly and forced the extra period with the clock already expired. Zach Collaros found Dorian Singer on a five-yard touchdown pass as time ran out in regulation, sending the stadium into a late scramble and setting up one more decisive possession.

Saskatchewan answered first in overtime when Tommy Stevens powered across the goal line from one yard out. It was his third touchdown of the day and his 15th rushing score of the season, though the Riders could not add the two-point conversion that followed.

That miss kept the Bombers alive briefly, but Saskatchewan’s defense shut the door on third-and-six from the 31. Jameer Thurman made the key stop behind the line, ending the comeback attempt and sealing the home team’s win.

Quarterback Play and Offensive Rhythm

Trevor Harris handled the bulk of the passing work for Saskatchewan, finishing 23 of 33 for 362 yards and a touchdown. He said the offense did not fully settle in early, but the group eventually found a better flow after a rocky opening stretch.

“It’s obviously huge. It’s important for us to get these wins at this point in the year,” Harris said. “We’re down some prominent guys, and so the fact that we’re able to kind of grind through it and get these wins is huge for us. We didn’t start out tremendous offensively but thought we really found a rhythm in the middle of the second quarter on.”

That victory lifted Saskatchewan to 8-4 and kept the club in second place in the West Division, behind Edmonton at 8-3 entering Monday’s meeting with Calgary. Winnipeg dropped to 6-6 with the loss.

Depth Players Keep Saskatchewan Moving

With Samuel Emilus and Kian Schaffer-Baker unavailable, Dhel Duncan-Busby stepped into a much larger role and made it count. The third-year receiver caught 10 passes for 140 yards, both career highs, and repeatedly came through on important downs late in the fourth quarter. His season totals now stand at 35 catches for 504 yards.

“I just knew that I had to be patient. Obviously, we have a great receiving corps. We’ve got a lot of different guys and, unfortunately, with all the injuries and stuff like that, people have had to step up, and I’m just glad that today was my time,” Duncan-Busby said.

On defense, Aubrey Miller Jr. made his first career start at linebacker and said the offense gave the group the spark it needed. Derick Roberson and Seyi Oladipo also added sacks, while Winnipeg running back Brady Oliveira was held to 28 yards on nine carries after entering with 956 rushing yards.

Milestones, Numbers, and What Comes Next

Harris also moved up the CFL’s all-time passing list on a 72-yard strike to Daniel Wiebe in the second quarter. That throw moved him ahead of Doug Flutie into 10th place, after Harris began the night 127 yards shy of Flutie’s 41,355-yard total.

He framed the achievement as a reflection of the people around him rather than a personal accomplishment. Harris has now thrown for 41,590 career yards, leaving him behind Matt Dunigan’s 43,857 in ninth place. Anthony Calvillo still leads the league with 79,816.

KeeSean Johnson also reached a meaningful benchmark by topping 1,000 receiving yards for the second straight season. He finished with four catches for 32 yards, giving him 81 receptions and 1,022 yards on the year, just behind his 2025 pace of 86 catches for 1,159 yards.

Winnipeg’s Sergio Castillo was perfect on four field goal tries, while Saskatchewan’s Alex Hale made just one of three. The teams will meet again on Saturday, September 12, this time in Winnipeg.