The B.C. Lions came back from the Crumback by ensuring Crum stayed on his back, avenging last week’s loss to the Ottawa Redblacks with a 38-27 victory in the second half of the home-and-home.
Here are my thoughts on the game.
Half as perfect, twice as nice
When it comes to the way the B.C. Lions started this football game, there is no need to nitpick. For the first 30 minutes, every snap that the offence took played like a note in a beautifully symphony, with the odd slip on the keys barely noticeable behind the melody.
Four drives all resulted in touchdowns as Nathan Rourke conducted from the pocket with poise and elegance. The Canadian completed his first 10 passes with ease and didn’t see a ball hit the ground until he had already found the end zone three times. It was beautiful to watch.
Even with the defensive doubters white-knuckling it through the remainder of this game, that early cushion was all the Lions needed. That didn’t stop their perfectionist pivot from taking issue with Side B of his latest album.
“Second half, didn’t feel like we played up to our standard. I think that first drive, I had some inaccurate throws. Kind of left a sour taste in my mouth a little bit,” Rourke said at the podium. “Good first half, but we can’t expect to play that way in the second half and win too many games.”
The Lions certainly could have generated more points and pushed the gas harder in the final two quarters to erase any hope of a repeat Crumback, but the flow of the game never forced them to press. A red zone miscue to Jevon Cottoy that forced a field goal rather than a touchdown will stick in Rourke’s craw, but it was ultimately a blip in the broader narrative of his efficiency. At no point in the game did it seem as if B.C. couldn’t move the ball exactly as much as they desired.
Rourke finished 21-of-26 for 308 yards and a touchdown, while rushing for 36 yards and two scores. Those numbers feel like an undersell for anyone who watched the game, as the 27-year-old was as dialled in as he has been in any contest this year.
Now imagine if he had reached his own standards — opponents shudder at the thought.
Skate sharpening
The Lions have been plagued by a dull edge defensively this season, but a newly sharpened blade cut deep against Ottawa.
Mathieu Betts finally turned pressure into results, doubling his season sack total with an impressive four takedowns of Dustin Crum. Inside or outside the pocket, there was no place where Crum was safe. The six-foot-two defensive end almost looks like a beefed-up Bizarro version of the Redblacks’ quarterback as he loped after him with the same speedy upright gait.
After months of discussion regarding Betts’ lack of statistical production, this felt like the dam bursting. However, if the Laval product felt it was a turning point, he wasn’t letting anyone else know.
“People often talk about sacks. We all want them, but we just got to work hard and keep grinding, running your feet, work through the quarterback. Sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn’t,” Betts told the media post-game. “Obviously, happy — it feels good. I think it’s two consecutive weeks on the D-line that we had a really good game as a unit.”
It would be impossible to disagree with that last point, but after defensive tackle Jonah Tavai played the role of human bulldozer in Ottawa, it was outside pressure — or at least pressure from outside players — that won the day here. Mike Benevides moved his defensive ends around and even allowed them to rush from linebacker alignments, creating chaos amidst a seven-sack day.
In addition to Betts, Levi Bell was frequently noticeable in his second career CFL game and finished second on the team with six tackles. Newcomer Bradlee Anae, a former fifth-round NFL Draft pick, recorded two tackles and a nice bullrush sack while making his debut after two days of practice.
Full credit to general manager Ryan Rigmaiden and the rest of the Lions’ scouting staff for those additions. To be able to address such a glaring issue on your roster with not one, but two, impactful neg list signings at this stage of the season is a rarity. Really savvy work by the front office.
Finer points
Friday marked the sixth straight game that the Lions were able to surpass the 30-point threshold as a team, a feat that they achieved just four minutes into the third quarter. For context, the last time that happened was an eight-game run with Doug Flutie at the helm in 1991 — six years before I was born.
“It’s pretty cool. Obviously, Doug Flutie’s a pretty good player,” Rourke, who was born seven years after that season, admitted.
The difference between that stretch and this one — other than 34 years — is that the Lions went 6-2 behind the ’91 offensive explosion. This win merely brought B.C. back to .500 for their current run, as they have surrendered a double-digit lead on three occasions.
While the defence showed its fair share of flaws, that wasn’t on the table in the rematch with Ottawa. Yardage was made available to the opponent, but a grand total of zero big plays were surrendered on the ground or through the air. Everything was kept in front, and even though the Redblacks kept it respectable late, the dark cloud of inevitable collapse that has loomed over the Lions this season stayed at bay.
Statistically, there isn’t a ton that separates this week’s game from last week’s. Dustin Crum still threw for 307 yards and rushed for 58 more, once again out-gaining his quarterback counterpart in Rourke. The key difference, according to the various voices speaking after the game, was complementary football, in whichever way you choose to describe it. The offence’s early efficiency took pressure off the defence, and they remained in good position by winning the turnover battle.
On the rare occasion that someone did slip up, another unit had an answer. The defence scored their own points after the offence settled for a field goal, and bailed out the special teams after a surprise onside kick. The offence gave them the breathing room to play how they wanted without fear of a slow erosion. It was perfect harmony.
Sticky fingers
I made my way to the locker room post-game to speak to Deontai Williams about his remarkable defensive touchdown, but I kept one hand firmly on my wallet. You simply can’t be too safe with an elite pickpocket around.
Known for his hellacious hits, the Lions’ nickel demonstrated ridiculous sleight of hand to pluck the ball from the grasp of Crum while blitzing free off the left side in the third quarter, gaining complete control without getting a second limb involved. If it wasn’t for Robert Carter Jr.’s one-handed interception, Williams would have been a serious candidate for B.C.’s Play of the Year. And much like Carter, he’s done this once before in his senior year of college against Penn State.
“I did the same exact thing — strip sack for a touchdown. I’m on the record books playing for Nebraska, so it was just the same movement, same exact thing that happened,” Williams told me. “The quarterback had the ball low, so it was my opportunity to take it from him.”
Palming the ball away from a player at full speed is one thing; finishing the play is another. After rolling into the backs of several teammates, Williams was able to regain his footing before anyone had taken a breath and broke free to the outside. Once there, he found himself one-on-one with Crum again and broke his ankles with a stutter step that hit the QB harder than any tackle in the game.
“I’m actually surprised he was able to juke him out,” Mathieu Betts laughed. “Pretty smooth from Deontai, I didn’t think he had those moves in him.”
When it comes to free rushers going after the quarterback, we spend a lot of time pontificating on the difficulty of lowering the strike point and avoiding illegal hits. I’m sympathetic to those points, but a play like this one really puts into perspective how much control these athletes have over their bodies when they decide to use it.
Old habits die hard
When somebody has a serious problem with a substance or self-destructive activity, cutting back is rarely good enough. That’s the situation that the Lions find themselves in with penalties these days.
Under normal circumstances, a night with just four penalties would be lauded. While it does represent a marked improvement for the team, the fact that three of those were major infractions and extended Ottawa touchdown drives undercuts what Buck Pierce described as better emotional intelligence.
“We’re gonna stay diligent with that and make sure that we improve,” the head coach promised. “Winning is too hard at this level. The margins of victory are too thin to make those types of penalties at those critical times.”
B.C. is clearly making addressing undisciplined play a priority, as Marcus Moore found himself benched until the fourth quarter after he was flagged for unnecessary roughness behind the play on a Mathieu Betts’ second-down sack. However, Levi Bell got his own sack erased due to a sloppy horse-collar tackle, and Betts himself got called for roughing the passer on a third-down stop that would have ended the Redblacks’ night in the fourth quarter. The three flags directly resulted in 22 points surrendered.
While it won’t alleviate the frustration of fans on these impactful penalties, the oft-flagged Betts provided a compelling counterpoint on why complete discipline shouldn’t be the end goal.
“You don’t want to just say, ‘We have to be penalty free,’ because I feel like you’re not aggressive enough when you do that,” he said. “It’s definitely to be able to press when you have to press and to lay back when it’s time to lay back, and Buck does a great job talking about it.”
No need to wash
Over-shadowed by last week’s loss was the fact that the offensive line played a very strong game despite some changes up front. The same was true again on Friday, especially when it came to pass protection.
Grinding out hard yards with the jumbo package ensured that Nathan Rourke got a little grimy, but his jersey was kept clean whenever he was in the pocket. There was some heat to force his first incompletion of the night, and Bryce Carter got the better of Chris Schleuger on one edge rush that forced the QB to toss him like a sack of potatoes before scrambling, but Rourke’s average dropback could have included a nap and a lunch break.
I must admit that I was somewhat skeptical when American guard Ilm Manning, who had been playing at a very high level, was benched in favour of Canadian Anu Una, who had not been good to that point. I also had doubts that going back to Michael Couture at centre was the right move, particularly after Andrew Peirson’s insertion seemed to galvanize the front. Both players have exceeded my expectations through two weeks, though tougher tests are on the horizon.
Campbell’s revenge
If I ever claim to be good at my job, gently remind me that I wrote a whole article last week without mentioning the fact that it was the first game for ex-Lions head coach Rick Campbell against his old team.
The Ottawa Redblacks’ current special teams coordinator made his return to the city where he was fired for making the playoffs in this one. Unlike in Week 14, when his unit was victimized by B.C.’s first return touchdown of the year, this time Campbell got one over on his former squad. A surprise onside kick late in the third quarter caught Jacob Bond and Adam Konar unawares, resulting in a bonus possession for the visitors.
While the Lions ensured the recovery was fruitless with a firm defensive stand and stopped Ottawa from repeating the feat later on, Campbell must have felt pretty good about the result for a fleeting moment.
Saved by the drop
There is a ton of positives to be taken from this victory, but the story of Friday’s game can’t be told without acknowledging that B.C. got incredibly lucky on the first play from scrimmage.
Rookie cornerback Cam Stone, playing just his second game, bit hard on a double move and fell flat on his face while trying to recover, leaving Luther Hakunavanhu wide-open for a certain deep-shot touchdown. The Canadian receiver proceeded to drop the ball without a single Lion within 30 yards of him.
If that pass had been caught, there is no telling how momentum could have spiralled against a defence struggling for confidence. It was the TSN Turning Point on the opening snap.
Costume party
An awful lot of fans at BC Place on Friday night came dressed as empty seats, as the reported crowd of 19,083 looked painfully thin.
While flashy concert kickoff numbers get the majority of the attention, Amar Doman’s ownership tenure has been a boon for attendance overall. This week, it appears that the public just wasn’t buying what the Lions were selling, despite some unique marketing initiatives like a Pamela Anderson lookalike contest.
I’d love to say that this was an organized revolt against the Lions for holding their Campus Clash theme night at the exact same time that the only local university football team was playing a home game, but the impact of the UBC Thunderbirds on Friday’s gate was negligible. Bryan Adams rocking out next door probably moved the needle a little bit, but the reality is that Ottawa isn’t a great draw and is even less so after beating you.
Fans didn’t trust this squad to provide a victory against an underwhelming opponent and stayed home as a result. Hopefully, a win changes that going forward.
Oblivious paparazzo
A special shout-out to Lions’ president Duane Vienneau, who vouched for me with security so that I didn’t have to wait 15 minutes for an elevator ride up to the press box after I was told it was being shut down for VIPs. Our handshake arrangement was that I speak kindly of the guests in my article, which I must admit was going to be quite challenging, as I didn’t have the faintest clue who they were.
This pop culture neophyte has since learned that I was riding with Bubbles and Randy from Trailer Park Boys, which I have been told by much cooler individuals is a very big deal. I trust their judgment, as the Lions do a great job with celebrity appearances and cameos. The full cast of the show will be performing at the Great Outdoors Comedy Festival at Brockton Point on Sunday.
Wasting time
Can anyone give me a reasonable explanation as to why the Redblacks called a timeout with two seconds remaining in the game? I’m all for fighting until the end, but even if Kalil Pimpleton had burst loose on the final punt return, it would not have closed the 11-point deficit or mattered in the standings.
There is no tie-break at stake here, as if the Lions and Redblacks are even in the crossover race, then the bid automatically goes to the Eastern team. It felt like Bob Dyce was wasting precious seconds of my life that I’ll never get back — similar to how you must feel reading this column.
The best of us
Any day football is played is a good day, but Friday took on a solemn tone across the CFL after the passing of Hamilton Tiger-Cats’ general manager Ted Goveia from cancer.
I was a bit disappointed to see that the Lions were the only team in the league not to publish a statement on social media about the tragedy, though they made up for it with a moment of silence before the game. Buck Pierce, who worked for many years with Goveia in Winnipeg, also opened his post-game press conference by sharing his condolences for the longtime scout’s family.
The former quarterback revealed that he used Goveia as a sounding board when he first landed a coaching job with the Bombers, and was visibly emotional when asked about his friend.
“He was such a hard worker and respected by so many people across the country, and will continue to be. A major factor for what we were able to do in Winnipeg. He’s won wherever he’s been,” Pierce said. “An extremely tough day for a lot of people, but the joy that he brought to people throughout his career and his life and the people that he touched is extremely special.”
Ted was one of the true gems of Canadian football and had ties to Vancouver due to his time as UBC head coach. He will be deeply missed.
Reunion invite
While righting the Lions’ wrongs against Ottawa, Nathan Rourke passed a familiar face for ninth on the franchise’s all-time passing yardage list: Vernon Adams Jr. The two quarterbacks now get set to meet for the first time since last season’s awkward coupling, as B.C. will visit the Calgary Stampeders next Friday, September 19.
The Lions face the Stamps two times in the next three weeks, with Toronto in between — a stretch of games that could make or break their season. This week’s win ensured that they remain in a playoff spot for now, but nothing is secure in one of the tightest races we’ve ever seen. Upsetting old friends would go a long way towards staying in the West.
