In their 2009 season opener, the B.C. Lions were unable to capitalize on a sloppy effort by Saskatchewan, who committed seven turnovers, losing by a score of 28-24 on Friday night at Mosaic Stadium in Regina.

The Lions got an early boost from their defense, as Korey Banks came off the edge on a blitz and unloaded on Roughriders quarterback Darian Durant, stripping the ball and giving the Leos a turnover.

But B.C. gave the ball back on the next drive, with quarterback Buck Pierce getting drilled from behind by Riders veteran Eddie Davis, with Davis knocking the ball loose and giving Saskatchewan a second chance to score.

And score they did. Durant made up for his earlier miscue by taking the ball himself and scampering right down Main Street for an 11-yard touchdown. Punter Jamie Boreham boomed a 93-yard kick on the ensuing kickoff for a single point to give the Riders an 8-0 lead.

Saskatchewan looked as though they were primed for another scoring drive when Durant took off with the ball for a 27-yard gain to bring the ball into Lions' territory, but two plays later, he was picked off by Ryan Phillips, who ran the ball back 57 yards for a score.

Undaunted, Durant drove the Riders back down the field again on their next possession, making the score 11-7 with a 37-yard field goal by former SFU star Luca Congi.

Lions kicker Paul McCallum, who struggled mightily in the pre-season, missing three attempts in the final game against Edmonton, struggled early, ringing a 48-yard try off the goalpost early in the second quarter.

B.C. struggled mightily in their first four possessions, gaining only 39 total yards, with the aforementioned missed field goal and fumble along with two punts. At the half, B.C. only had 73 total yards, allowed four sacks, and turned the ball over four times.

On their fifth drive, Pierce lobbed a weak pass to his right, which was picked off by Omarr Morgan, who took the ball back to the Lions' 3 yard-line. Hugh Charles punched the ball in to swell the Riders' lead to 11.

Things went even further downhill for B.C. when McCallum fumbled the snap on a punt; the ball was scooped up by Stu Foord, who waltzed in for an easy touchdown.

After another fumble, this time by Saskatchewan, the Lions clawed back before the half, with Pierce spinning away from Tad Kornegay and throwing a dart to rookie wideout Emmanuel Arceneaux who got in for a 23-yard touchdown. He was hit hard on the scoring play by Morgan and missed the second half.

The first half featured sloppy play by both teams, with nine total turnovers, with five of those by Saskatchewan. The Lions scored all 14 of their first-half points off of Rider turnovers, but Saskatchewan was able to get 21 off B.C. miscues.

"We need to maintain ball security on offense," Roughriders head coach Ken Miller said after the first half. "I'm really pleased with how our defense has played."

Morgan picked Pierce off again early in the third, fighting off Lions' receiver Ryan Grice-Mullen to grab a deep bomb that had too much air under it. Fortunately for the Lions, Saskatchewan was unable to cash that pick in for points.

"The [turnovers] were devastating to us," said Lions coach Wally Buono. "But you've got to make the catches and stay on the field."

Ian Smart, the newly-minted starting running back for the Lions, caught a swing pass midway through the third and after a 21-yard gain, pulled up lame and had to run out of bounds. He left the game and was replaced by rookie Martell Mallett, who was a bright spot coming off the bench, carrying six times for 63 yards.

Durant was picked again in the third after driving the Riders down to the B.C. 30, again by Phillips, who dove and made a spectacular catch at the Lions' one-yard line. But the Lions were once again unable to capitalize on the turnover due to poor protection from their offensive line. Pierce was sacked nine times on the night.

On the next possession, B.C. middle linebacker Javier Glatt intercepted another Durant pass, for Saskatchewan's seventh turnover, and returned it to the Riders' five. Pierce was able to break two tackles and get into the end zone to bring the Saskatchewan lead to five. A two-point conversion attempt failed.

In the fourth, Wally Buono made the perplexing decision to punt through the end zone for a single point rather than attempt a 40-yard field goal with McCallum, but that play chipped the Riders' lead down to four; however, with eight minutes to go in the fourth, another Congi kick extended their lead to seven.

The Leos cut the lead back to four with McCallum kicking a 38-yarder with two minutes to go.

B.C. tried in vain to get the win, driving up the field and replacing Pierce with the stronger-armed Jarious Jackson for the final play, but his end-over-end toss was picked off by Saskatchewan safety James Patrick, sealing the win for the Riders.

[b]GAME NOTES:[/b] Jason Clermont, a Regina native and ex-Lion who played his first game as a Rider tonight, was a non-factor, catching one pass for nine yards. Pierce was inconsistent, completing 17 of his 33 attempts for 186 yards and a touchdown along with the aforementioned two picks and four fumbles. Saskatchewan got an outstanding game out of second-year receiver Weston Dressler, who caught seven passes for 154 yards and looked explosive on several occasions. Saskatchewan missed running back Wes Cates, who is out with a shoulder injury, as starter Hugh Charles was only able to gain 34 yards on 14 carries.