Roughriders ready for another shot at Lions quarterback Jonathon Jennings

REGINA — B.C. Lions quarterback Jonathon Jennings is going to look for any opening the Saskatchewan Roughriders give him on Saturday.

Jennings and the Lions face a Saskatchewan pass defence that has learned from the last encounter between the two teams. When they met in mid-July, Jennings scorched the Roughriders secondary for 429 passing yards and three touchdowns en route to a 40-27 come-from-behind win.

Saskatchewan’s secondary has seen a marked change since July. Head coach Chris Jones picked up starters Kacy Rodgers and Jeff Hecht, and Matt Webster has since returned from injury, rotating with Hecht at safety.

That consistency has led to improvements. As of Oct. 23, when playing Saskatchewan, CFL teams have the lowest pass completion percentage (64.7), lowest pass attempts (544) and lowest pass completions (352). The Riders also sit fourth in the league in average pass yards allowed per game (295).

“Defences are doing a good job of game planning and scheming against certain things, and they want to contain me,” said Jennings. “It usually opens up other things. I’m just trying to take what the defence gives us.”

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Jones admitted he was “a little bit hard-headed and stayed in some pressure (packages)” in the loss.

But he said absent 52- and 59-yard bombs from Jennings, the outcome may have been different.

“I mean it was a tie ball game at the end of the third quarter, nearly,” said Jones. “So I’ve got to do a good job of putting us in favourable calls in certain situations. And we certainly have to go out and do a good job of executing against a very good offence.”

The Riders (5-11) are coming off a bland 19-14 loss to Montreal last week. They’re hoping to close out a rebuilding year with a win and say goodbye to Mosaic Stadium with a victory before moving to their new home a few blocks west.

Jones also says he’s evaluating players for roster spots next year.

Despite having clinched a playoff spot, the Lions (10-6) will look to secure a playoff game at home and host the West division semifinal. If Saskatchewan wins and if the Blue Bombers beat the Ottawa Redblacks on Saturday afternoon, Winnipeg will host the West semifinal.

The Lions lead the league in rushing yards (1,754) and rushing touchdowns (22).

Meanwhile, Jennings is finding success in the air with 4,678 passing yards and 22 passing touchdowns, both landing him third among quarterbacks. The second-year QB has proven adept at throwing — accurately and deep — when he’s forced to scramble outside of the pocket.

Riders defensive back Ed Gainey isn’t taking Jennings lightly.

“Anytime you’ve got a quarterback that can create space and get out of the pocket and hold that ball a little bit longer, it’s going to be a hard job on us to plaster on (to receivers),” said the five-year vet. “He has a nice arm and he trusts it.”

This year is the first season Gainey has been on a team that’s missed the playoffs.

Still, he said the birth of his son on Oct. 21 is pushing him to finish strong.

“Going back to see my son (on Oct. 23), that was definitely a boost for me. And I think that’s going to be the motivation factor these last two games,” he said.

The Roughriders and the Lions will wrap up the regular season in their rematch Nov. 5 in Vancouver.

Evan Radford, The Canadian Press