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Sheets, Roughriders down Lions

Oct 5, 2013 - 5:49 AM Vancouver, BC (SportsNetwork.com) - Kory Sheets rushed for a pair of touchdowns and 67 yards in his return from a knee injury, and the Saskatchewan Roughriders became the first team to win at B.C. Place this season with a 31-17 victory over the division rival British Columbia Lions.

Sheets paced the rushing attack with 13 carries after missing the team's last two games, helping Saskatchewan (9-5) end a four-game skid and into a second place tie with British Columbia in the Western Division standings.

Darian Durant was an effective 20-for-30 through the air for 221 yards and also threw a touchdown to Weston Dressler, who finished with five catches for 73 yards.

The Lions (9-5), who entered 6-0 at home, saw a late rally come to an abrupt halt, with their recovery of an onside kick eventually leading to a turnover on downs that officially snapped the team's three-game winning streak.

Thomas DeMarco was picked off three times, ending 19-for-36 for 286 yards and a touchdown. Nick Moore was the Lions' top receiver, catching five passes for 92 yards and a touchdown.

British Columbia's only lead of the game was 3-0, scoring midway through the first on a Paul McCallum 35-yard field goal. It fell behind by as many as 18 points in the fourth quarter, but had a chance with 2:13 left after Moore hauled in a 15-yard score to make it 28-17 and the Lions recovered the ensuing onside kick.

However, three straight incomplete passes from DeMarco turned the ball over on downs for the Lions, and Chris Milo booted through his second field goal of the game from 33 yards out to secure a comfortable 31-17 lead for B.C.

The Lions trailed 16-3 at the break, but their offense got going with their first touch of the third. Korey Williams broke off a 41-yard run on the first play, and Shawn Gore crossed the goal line two plays later on a 1-yard rush to make it a one-score game.

Sheets helped the Roughriders answer right back, however. After Durant completed a pair of long passes, Sheets got into the end zone on a 6-yard rush to give Saskatchewan a 23-10 advantage. British Columbia then surrendered a safety late in the third to increase its deficit to 15.

Saskatchewan hardly moved the ball offensively in the opening frame, but got going in the second thanks to a pass interference penalty on J.R. LaRose that put the Roughriders inside the goal line. Two plays later, Dressler hauled in a 6-yard pass from Durant for a touchdown to give the Roughriders a 7-3 lead.

DeMarco was intercepted by Dwight Anderson on the Lions' ensuing touch, and the Roughriders capitalized when Sheets scored on a 1-yard plunge. Durant then tossed to Dressler for the 2-point conversion to give the visitors a 15-3 edge.

Saskatchewan salvaged a single when Milo missed a 39-yard field goal as time expired in the first half. The kicker also missed a 44-yard try in the third, but converted a 45-yard attempt midway through the fourth for a 28-10 lead.

Game Notes

Chris Getzlaf had five catches for 70 yards for Saskatchewan and Williams caught four balls for 74 yards for British Columbia.