Ford comes off bench to help Tiger-Cats rally past Roughriders

Canadian Tre Ford came off the bench to throw a touchdown pass and rush for 38 yards on four carries to help the Hamilton Tiger-Cats score 16 second-half points for a 26-19 comeback win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Saturday.

The win was the Tiger-Cats’ (4-6) first against the Roughriders (6-3) since 2018 and halted a three-game slide.

Ford, a University of Waterloo product, connected on 13 of 17 passes for 151 yards with no interceptions.

Tiger-Cats head coach Scott Milanovich replaced starting quarterback Harrison Frost with Ford of Niagara Falls to begin the second half. Frost completed 12 of his 16 attempts for 112 yards and a touchdown in the first two quarters.

Hamilton placekicker Marc Liegghio booted a 25-yarder, his third field goal, to give the home side a four-point lead with 3:52 remaining, and his fourth from 38 yards with 51 seconds left.

Alex Hale also kicked four field goals while quarterback Trevor Harris tossed his 20th touchdown of the season as the Roughriders suffered their first loss in four road games in 2026.

The 40-year-old quarterback completed 23 of 35 attempts with a touchdown and two interceptions, including a game-ending interception to Reggie Stubblefield.

Saskatchewan’s KeeSean Johnson caught four passes for 51 yards to depart with 203 career passes.

The Roughriders opened the second half with a lengthy drive, resulting in a 14-yard field goal. Hale connected again early in the fourth quarter from 52 yards for a nine-point lead. Liegghio then kicked a 34-yard three-pointer.

Ford was impressive on the next drive. He hit a stretched-out Keric Wheatfall for a 41-yard score, his first of the year, and a 20-19 lead.

It took the defending Grey Cup champions some time to get in sync. They trailed 7-0 and 10-3, but Harris found Johnny Johnson III across the middle for a 21-yard touchdown with 23 seconds remaining in the first half, giving them a 13-10 advantage.

Hamilton scored first, thanks to a Stavros Katsantonis interception that led to a 27-yard pass from Frost to Myron Mitchell for his first career CFL touchdown.

Hale sandwiched field goals of 48 and 37 yards around a Liegghio 15-yard three-pointer to pull Saskatchewan within 10-6, 5:30 into the second quarter.

The Roughriders have been dealing with several injuries, including to starters A.J. Ouellette, Kian Schaffer-Baker and Samuel Emilus.