AJ Allen was AJ Yellin’ Saturday at Mosaic Stadium.

“All I wanted to do was scream and lose my voice,” the 26-year-old Saskatchewan Roughriders linebacker said after a 28-19 CFL playoff victory over the Saskatchewan Lions. British Columbia.

“If I have a voice after that match, it’s because I didn’t do a good job of yelling, because it was just electric.”

The credit should go figuratively 13^th Fan — represented 26,229 times during the West Semifinal — for responding to the players’ exhortations.

“The guys got the crowd excited and they responded,” head coach Corey Mace said after drying off under a Gatorade shower. “I thought it was excellent all night.

“We are extremely grateful to everyone who showed up, especially at this time of year. We called for a playoff in Saskatchewan and boy did it look like playoff football in Saskatchewan.

It looked like that too.

“Rider Nation is the best nation in the world,” Allen said.

“It’s just amazing to play for this team and these fans, because they show up in the cold and the wind. No matter where they are, they show up.

“All you can do is show love. I appreciate every one of these 26,000 people.

The appreciation was mutual as fans praised the Roughriders’ impressive efforts.

The gallery had reason to applaud.

• A solid ground game led by AJ Ouellette, who ran 14 times for 70 yards and two touchdowns and helped Saskatchewan take a clear advantage in terms of time of possession (34:48).

• Precise passing and uncanny anticipation from Trevor Harris, who went 26-for-33 for 279 yards with a touchdown.

• Tough catches and determined running after receiving from Samuel Emilus, KeeSean Johnson, Kian Schaffer-Baker and Jerreth Sterns. Their efforts contributed to an offense that was an excellent 16 of 24 on second-down conversions. (BC was 8 out of 18.)

• A strong performance from a resilient offensive line that lost left tackle Trevor Reid to injury during the game. With Reid sidelined, Peter Godber entered the game to play center and Logan Ferland – the standout offensive lineman in the West Division – moved to right tackle. Trevon Tate, who started Saturday’s game at right tackle, crossed the line to the far left. Despite juggling the line, the Roughriders ran the ball efficiently and allowed just one sack.

• Three sacks, courtesy of defensive linemen Malik Carney, Miles Brown and Caleb Sanders. The latter player, a 287-pounder, wowed the crowd by chasing and sacking Vernon Adams Jr.

• Seven tackles from middle linebacker Jameer Thurman, recently selected to the CFL divisional team.

• Interceptions by Marcus Sayles, Nelson Lokombo and Rolan Milligan Jr. Sayles’ pick set up the Roughriders’ first touchdown.

• Special teams tackles limited the Lions to 6.5 yards per punt return and 14.6 yards per kickoff return.

• Four successful field goals in as many attempts by Brett Lauther. BC’s Sean Whyte, the West’s special teams MVP, missed a field goal attempt (38 yards) and a convert (32).

Mace rightly praised his appreciation for “complementary football” after the Roughriders once again achieved their oft-stated goal by the head coach to “go 1-0 this week.”

This time of year, there’s only one option.

“There’s no next week (otherwise),” Allen said. “We won’t have a chance to make up for it if we don’t get a 1-0.

“It is important that the mantra endures and becomes a discipline and motivation.”

Additional motivation comes from memories of back-to-back six-win seasons leading up to the 2024 campaign.

“Man, it’s amazing,” said Allen, a third-year Roughrider. “Going by the last two years and not making the playoffs, I feel like I’m on top of the world.”

Being at the top of the championship would be enough.

“I’ve worked my whole life to become a champion,” Brown said. “Playing football is fun but, to me, it doesn’t mean much unless you win things and put up banners somewhere.

“You want things that are going to come to fruition for you in the story. It’s incredible to have the opportunity to try for the championship.

Next stop: Winnipeg, where the Blue Bombers will host Saskatchewan in the West final on Saturday (5:30 p.m., TSN, CKRM). The winner will access 111^th Gray Cup game, scheduled for November 17 in Vancouver.

“We will celebrate this one,” Allen concluded, “but the work is not done.”