A week away from the playing field turned out to be a lot better for Saskatchewan than Hamilton as the Roughriders rallied for a 31-20 Canadian Football League victory over the host Tiger Cats in a game played Thursday night at Tim Hortons Field.

The loss dropped Hamilton to 2-3 for the season, only a half-game off the pace of East Division leader Ottawa (2-2). Saskatchewan is tied for second with Edmonton at 3-2 in the West. Both teams trail unbeaten Calgary at 4-0 as the remaining six squads play through the weekend.

The last time the two teams met a fortnight ago it was the Roughriders who seized the day in Saskatchewan’s backyard with an 18-13 victory. But it appeared early on that Hamilton would protect home field as the Ti-Cats built a 14-3 advantage on a 98-yard punt return for a touchdown. Their first score was on a 6-yard touchdown scamper by John White. Kicker Lirim Hajrullahu hit both PATs.

Saskatchewan took an early 3-0 lead on a 28-yard field goal by Brett Lauther en route to trailing 17-7 at the half. But it was all Roughriders from there on out, as they outscored the Ti-Cats 24-3 after intermission, beginning with an 80-yard touchdown run by Marcus Thigpen and ending on a 61-yard punt return for a score by Christian Jones.

Meanwhile, Hamilton quarterback Jeremiah Masoli continued to struggle, failing to throw a touchdown pass out of the run-and-shoot offense for the second consecutive game. He hit 20 of 28 passes for 184 yards and one pick late on a desperation heave with 1:17 left in the game. Hamilton head coach June Jones has yet to play No. 2 quarterback Johnny Manziel, but if the Ti-Cats continue to struggle, the cry for the former NFL quarterback and first-round draft pick will only grow louder from the fan base.