Former Rider Paul McCallum dooms his old team with last-second field goal in Regina

Much of the hype heading into Sunday's B.C. Lions-Saskatchewan Roughriders clash was about how former B.C. slotback Geroy Simon would do against his old team, but although he and fellow former Lion Ricky Foley played well, it was a guy who went the other way who had the last word in this one. B.C. kicker Paul McCallum, who was infamously targeted by Rider fans following a missed field goal for Saskatchewan against the Lions in the 2004 West Final, proved to be the crucial presence here, making a 41-yard field goal at the buzzer to give B.C. a 26-24 victory. It was a wild finish, and one that continued the Lions' ascension while handing the Riders their third-straight loss and their second-straight home loss, raising questions about how they're going to get back to the level of play that saw them lead the CFL standings for most of the first part of this season.

Of course, this wasn't about just the last-second field goal. B.C. quarterback Thomas DeMarco, filling in for the injured Travis Lulay, had to make multiple exceptional throws on the final drive (which started with less than 40 seconds left) to put the Lions in solid field-goal position, including a dazzling narrow-window throw on third down to Courtney Taylor near the sidelines. While DeMarco's stats on the day weren't spectacular, as he only completed 18 of his 33 attempts (54.5 per cent) for 208 yards and two touchdowns, he made his throws when he needed to, and that was crucial to B.C.'s victory. The Lions' defence also stepped up, holding Saskatchewan running back Chris Garrett to 30 yards on nine carries (3.3 yards per carry), keeping Darian Durant to 326 passing yards with a 67.3 per cent completion rate and forcing him into two lost fumbles as well. It was a solid team effort from B.C., and that was critical here.

The last-second comeback almost wasn't needed, either. B.C. had a six-point lead inside the final minute, and it looked like they'd stopped Saskatchewan when Rob Bagg was drilled short of the first-down marker on a third-down throw, but defensive end Chris Wilson was called for roughing the passer. That gave Durant and the Riders new life, and they were able to convert, with Durant finding an uncovered Weston Dressler in the end zone and Chris Milo nailing the extra point to give the Riders a 22-21 lead. With a few other breaks, this could have been a much more comfortable Lions' win, but their ability to overcome late adversity says something positive about them, particularly on the road, where they were just 1-4 heading into this week.

For the Riders, this one should cause some thorough self-examination. They've now lost three straight games, the last two at home, and while each of these recent losses was close, they weren't overly impressive showings. The biggest problem they're facing is their inability to establish the ground game without the injured Kory Sheets. With him out, Saskatchewan's attempted to transition from the CFL's most run-heavy team (they were averaging a league-high 24.5 rushing attempts per game heading into this week) and a team that used the run to set up the pass into a team that's focused on the pass first, second and third. When the Riders did try to run Sunday (they only rushed 12 times, with only nine of those coming from Garrett and the other three coming from quarterbacks Durant and Drew Willy), they weren't successful, picking up just 39 rushing yards on the day (3.3 per carry). Without the ground game being a factor, the Lions were able to key in on the pass and limit the damage Durant did through the air. Saskatchewan clearly isn't the same team without Sheets, and the strategies they've tried to replace him thus far simply aren't working. We'll see if they can adapt or if he can return sooner rather than later, but these last two offensive performances without him aren't promising. This is a good win for McCallum and the Lions, who improve to 8-4 and are now tied with the Riders for second in the West, but it's a problematic loss for Saskatchewan, and one that should cause some internal revaluation.