SASKATCHEWAN (CBC) - The defending Grey Cup champion Saskatchewan Roughriders overcame injuries to three starters Friday night to remain undefeated.

Tailback Wes Cates was a one-man wrecking crew, rushing for 55 second-half yards and a touchdown while totalling 138 offensive yards in a 26-16 victory over the Lions in B.C.

Used sparingly in the game's first 30 minutes, Cates was pressed into action in the second half with the Roughriders forced to play third-string quarterback Darian Durant.

He snapped a 16-16 tie five minutes into the fourth quarter, following up a 20-yard run with a 15-yard scamper to the end zone.

"We don't have any quit in us," said Cates, who had 16 carries for 83 yards. "We played all four quarters.

"We started off rough. We just reload, regroup and keep coming at you. If you ain't ready to play four quarters, you probably aren't ready to play with us."

The Riders scored 13 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to improve their record to 2-0 under first-year head coach Ken Miller, but it was a costly victory.

Saskatchewan starting quarterback Marcus Crandell strained his right hamstring in the first half, while defensive back Leron Mitchell and slotback D.J. Flick suffered a suspected broken leg and broken ankle respectively.

Flick was rushed to hospital with a gruesome looking leg injury while Mitchell was taken off the field in a cart.

Crandell was replaced by backup quarterback Steven Jyles. Jyles managed a 10-yard touchdown pass to slotback Andy Fantuz, but also threw two interceptions in one quarter.

Jyles was replaced by Durant to start the third quarter. Durant completed five of 11 passes for 56 yards.

"We weren't moving the ball very well," said Miller. "We had turned it over a couple of times. I just wanted to get a fresh start."

While the Riders basked in their gutsy, come-from-behind victory the Lions wallowed in their own frustration.

"We can't play any worse than we've played the last two weeks," snorted wide receiver Paris Jackson, who had four catches for 49 yards. "We're a veteran core but we're just not playing well."

The Lions, who were upset 26-17 by the Riders in last year's West Division final after winning a franchise-best 14 games in the regular season, hurt their chances Friday with penalties, turnovers and failed second-down conversions.

Minutes after Cates put Saskatchewan up 23-16, halfback Lance Frazier picked off B.C. quarterback Jarious Jackson, who struggled to move the Lions offence in the second half.

Frazier returned the ball 50 yards to the B.C. 40-yard line, setting up a Luca Congi 27-yard field goal with five minutes left in the game. He also booted field goals of 11, 32 and 41 yards.

From there, the Roughriders held off the vaunted Lions offence, limiting 2007 CFL rushing champion Joe Smith to only 27 yards and two touchdowns.

Jackson, who got the nod after Buck Pierce started the season opener in Calgary, completed 16 of 33 passes for 154 yards but also coughed up two fumbles and threw an interception. His turnovers resulted in 13 Saskatchewan points.

"I started to settle down at the end of the first quarter," sighed Jackson. "But after that it was dropped ball, mistakes or too many men. It was just something every time."

A furious Lions defence kept the Riders in check early with defensive end Cameron Wake collecting four of B.C.'s six sacks, but it wasn't enough.

"We'll have to go back, look at the film, and try to correct the things that we missed," said Wake, the CFL's top rookie in 2007.

The Lions have dropped 11 of 16 games to Saskatchewan since 2003, while fashioning a 24-11-1 record in that span versus the rest of the West.

Roughriders wideout Matt Dominguez returned after recovering from knee surgery and caught one pass for five yards.

With files from the Canadian Press

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