Saskatchewan Roughriders clinch first in West as Corey Mace refuses Gatorade shower

Photo courtesy: Electric Umbrella/Liam Richards/Saskatchewan Roughriders.

The road to the 112th Grey Cup will run through Mosaic Stadium, but Corey Mace isn’t ready to celebrate quite yet.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders officially clinched first place in the West Division with a 27-19 victory over the Toronto Argonauts on Friday night. However, their second-year head coach remained laser-focused in the aftermath, sensing an incoming Gatorade shower from Micah Johnson and Shawn Bane Jr. and turning it away with a forceful stiff arm.

“Yeah, nah. Not for me. Not for me,” Mace told TSN reporter Brit Dort of the interaction.

“There’s a lot we still need to improve on. We’ll check the tape, and we’ll keep pushing on. The goal still remains the same. We’ve got a game to win next week.”

Haha this is awesome! “Na that’s not for me!” Corey Mace in avoiding the Gatorade bucket! I really like him doing this. Shows he doesn’t have to go with the flow/the norm of accepting it. #SaskRiders clinch 1st in #CFL West, a good advantage on way to #GreyCup. #CFLGameDay… pic.twitter.com/NiZ0SAIUv9

— Myk Aussie (@MykAussie) October 11, 2025

Quarterback Trevor Harris threw for 340 yards and two touchdowns in the victory, which came down to the final few drives. Up by five in the dying minutes, short-yardage QB Jack Coan was originally stopped short on a third-down gamble, before Mace challenged to overturn the spot. Brett Lauther hit a field goal to extend the lead to eight, and A.J. Allen picked off Toronto quarterback Jarret Doege on his final pass to all but seal it.

Saskatchewan originally clinched a playoff spot back in Week 15 — the very first CFL team to do so. They have now earned a first-round bye and will host the West Final on Saturday, November 8.

“Happy for the guys, happy for our fan base. Rider Nation, we’re going to be able to host the West Final here. I’m expecting a packed house, and hopefully we’ll give you something to cheer about,” Mace said. “So proud of everybody in the organization. These guys work hard for this.”

Saskatchewan lost the West Final to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers as the visitors in 2024, falling 38-22. They last hosted the game in 2019, also losing to the Bombers by a score of 20-13.

The Roughriders (12-4) will return to action on Friday, October 17, when they visit Winnipeg in a game that will mean nothing for the standings.