Yell, Gore help B.C. Lions top Roughriders

REGINA — Veterans Ronnie Yell and Shawn Gore scored touchdowns to lead the B.C. Lions past the Saskatchewan Roughriders 28-16 on Saturday in the first preseason games for both teams.

The game was delayed for nearly 45 minutes after a power outage across Regina shut off the lights at Mosaic Stadium for about 45 minutes.

Gore, a seven-year veteran of the Lions, hauled in a 24-yard pass from quarterback Jonathon Jennings late in the second quarter for the Lions’ first touchdown.

On the ensuing Saskatchewan possession, Yell snagged a deflected pass attempt and returned it 50 yards for B.C.’s second TD of the first half. Jeremiah Johnson scored a two-point convert.

Add that to a first-quarter Richie Leone field goal and the Lions took an 18-6 lead into halftime.

Tyler Crapinga, in his first full year in Saskatchewan, kicked two field goals (22 yards and 23 yards) for the Riders’ only scores of the half.

Veteran quarterback Travis Lulay played the entire second half for B.C. He engineered two drives, one in each quarter, that were capped with Leone field goals from 42 yards and 21 yards, respectively.

The Lions built a 24-9 lead early in the fourth quarter.

The Riders cut into the Lions’ lead when Brett Smith hooked up with veteran receiver Clarence Denmark on a 54-yard touchdown pass. Quinn Van Gylswyk kicked the convert to make it 24-16.

The Chris Jones era in Saskatchewan did not get off to a solid start. The new head coach and general manager, who joined the Riders after guiding the Edmonton Eskimos to a Grey Cup championship in 2015, has several newcomers to assess.

One veteran who stood out was Greg Jones, who made his presence felt for Saskatchewan on defence and on special teams. The Riders will see an entirely new cast in the secondary. The front seven will see a handful of new faces as well.

Eight of the 14 defensive backs who dressed for Saturday’s game are first-year pros and five of the seven linebackers are in their first year in the CFL.