After two weeks of stewing over their loss in the regular-season finale, the B.C. Lions exacted their revenge on the Calgary Stampeders in dominant fashion and rolled to a 41-30 victory in the Western Semi-Final.
Here are my thoughts on the game.
Aerial Ad-VA-ntage
For all he’s done this year, Vernon Adams Jr. still had a lot of questions left to answer about the type of player he is.
No matter how many yards he puts up, there are still those around the CFL who call him a “head case” while casting doubt on his consistency and mental toughness. The way he ended the regular season didn’t help anyone advocate on his behalf, as he floundered through the second half against Winnipeg and then came out lame against Calgary.
Saturday’s performance won’t silence the well-entrenched critics, but it certainly undermined their legitimacy. To say Adams was spectacular in his dissection of those same Stampeders that perplexed him two weeks ago would be an understatement. He was a picture of otherworldly efficiency, seemingly at one with the turf around him as he effortlessly sliced through their zone coverage and toyed with them on the ground.
“I thought he was a stud tonight,” head coach Rick Campbell said at the podium, still underselling the performance. “He was on top of his game with his throws and his reads and then the bonus was in using his legs to buy time to find receivers or run for first downs.”
Adams connected on 28-of-39 passes for 413 yards and two touchdowns through the air, while running seven times for 54 yards and a trio of rushing majors. From almost the very beginning he seemed to exist on a different plane from his competitors and logged what should be considered the defining performance of his career to notch his first playoff victory as a starter.
That was a far cry from the Week 20 collapse or even this week of practice, where the quarterback admitted the defence was “whooping his butt.” There were plenty of whispers in the press box that a textbook Bad VA outing was imminent given the stage and what preceded it, but those predictions could not have been more wrong.
“I just had a lot on my mind in that last game — goals, my knee, things like that — so I wasn’t really all there,” Adams acknowledged, hinting at his unsuccessful quest for Most Outstanding Player. “They pretty much did the same stuff tonight that they did that night and I was just more locked in. I knew it was a playoff game.”
Thanks to the reset in priorities, Adams got the ball out on time with impressive regularity and punished the defence when he held it longer. He delivered darts to the appropriate receiver regardless of how tight the window was, with a third-quarter throw to Keon Hatcher on a corner route standing apart from the rest.
But it was his feet that stole the spotlight routinely, both for his ability to extend passing plays and gain yardage on the ground. It’s an element of his game that is always present, yet was somehow sharper this week, with a 24-yard scramble on a first-and-20 in the third quarter feeling like the dagger.
Adams credited his father, who was in attendance and is well-known for advocating for his son’s rushing ability, for inspiring that change. Everyone in BC Place or watching on television benefitted, as it became painfully clear which team was led by an elite quarterback and which had just another guy under centre.
Laying the Lumber
The Lions lost an important piece of their defence on the game’s third series when Garry Peters secured a momentum-shifting interception and took out the knees of Canadian middle linebacker Ben Hladik in the process. The UBC product, who collected a team-leading 102 tackles this season, was down for an extended period and did not return to the game.
The loss of such a central player might have crippled other teams, but the Lions’ linebacker depth is unmatched. American Josh Woods, who was given the start at weakside linebacker over Bo Lokombo, slid over and his veteran Canadian backup stepped in, with the team’s top rookie Ryder Varga assuming a larger rotational role.
Throughout the past two seasons, that package role has usually been held by Woods. His playing time has expanded down the stretch and it is safe to say that he has now graduated from that category, as the 27-year-old had one of the best games I’ve ever seen from a CFL backer.
Normally, middle linebacker stats are artificially inflated due to proximity to the ball, but all of Woods’ game-high 11 takedowns came at more than full value. He was everywhere on the field at once, flying into the backfield for three tackles for loss, wrapping up receivers in the open field, and going sideline-to-sideline to take down runners he had no business being anywhere near. He also ended one drive with an impressive pass breakup, though a roughing the punter penalty on Amir Siddiqi gave the Stampeders new life.
Hladlik’s injury did not appear to be as serious as initially feared and Campbell told the media he could be available to the team next week. With him alongside Woods, the Lions have the best young linebacking duo in the CFL but it may not last long. Both players are pending free agents and will command hefty pay raises in the offseason if B.C. wants to keep them around.
Straight Cash, Homey
Despite the big numbers put up by VA, it was a shockingly quiet day for several members of B.C.’s star-studded receiving corps. Aging speedster Lucky Whitehead was benched in favour of Canadian Justin McInnis and never saw the field, Dominique Rhymes managed just two catches, and all-star Alexander Hollins had arguably his worst game of the season.
The same was not true of fellow West Division honouree Keon Hatcher, who pulled in nine receptions for an astounding 195 yards and a touchdown. He showed up to the post-game media conference decked out in his signature diamond chain and donning a vintage Randy Moss Minnesota Vikings jersey, garb that was appropriate considering the way he played.
“When I put it on, I was like, ‘Man, you gotta ball today,'” the receiver said, standing up to show off the outfit.
Hatcher may not have ‘Mossed’ anyone as the Hall of Fame NFL receiver was oft to do, but his ability to find open space and settle in the voids in Calgary’s zones was second to none. The third-year receiver still hasn’t reached true superstar status in this league despite finishing second in receiving yards, but this primetime outing should change that.
False Start
A lot of emphasis was put on the need for a fast start by the Lions, but the team fell flat on their face out of the gate.
After a hellacious hit from Joshua Archibald on the opening kickoff initially seemed to set the tone, the B.C. defence kindly took all that energy and sucked it right out of the stadium. A clear coverage bust on the first offensive play had both boundary halfback T.J. Lee and strongside linebacker Emmanuel Rugamba drive to cover Marken Michel on a swing on the wide side, leaving Reggie Begelton open on a post over top for 43 yards. Then Mike Jones got burnt like frozen pizza in a college dorm down the left sideline, allowing an easy 32-yard score by Michel. Three plays into the game and the Lions trailed 7-0.
Things did not improve on the following offensive series, as Jevon Cottoy dropped a second-down conversion attempt that VA effectively rifled between two defenders. Stefan Flintoft was forced to come on to punt and promptly shanked the ball out of bounds — one of two bad kicks on the day — resulting in Calgary starting their second drive at the B.C. 52-yard line.
It was a nightmarish start that could well have derailed them against a team built to grind out a victory on the ground. Instead, Garry Peters broke on a meandering in-breaking route from Begelton and came up with a huge interception — proving what this writer has been saying all along about him being the team’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player.
Handling adversity was a point of contention for the Lions in their previous blowout loss to Calgary and Rick Campbell praised his team’s much-improved poise for generating the victory.
“I think the bye week treated us well. We did make some adjustments, but I think our players played better,” the head coach said.
“I think the last game that was played here, Calgary was literally playing for their playoff lives and we weren’t; maybe that was reflected a bit in the urgency level of the whole thing. I’d like to think that’s not the case, but it’s probably a little human nature.”
After the interception, B.C. scored touchdowns on four straight drives and didn’t allow another major against until late in the fourth quarter.
Double Clutch
Speaking of bouncing back, Jevon Cottoy made amends for his drive-ending drop in a big way — though he never looked comfortable while doing it.
The hulking Canadian receiver had three catches for 21 yards on the subsequent drive, including the tying touchdown, though he seemed to have difficulty corralling each of the balls before hauling them in. Whether it was cold fingers or playoff jitters, Cottoy double-clutched his way through the game and never dropped another pass, finishing with six receptions for 63 yards.
Others weren’t nearly as successful at avoiding balls hitting the turf, specifically Alexander Hollins. The second-year standout grabbed just four of the nine targets thrown his way for 44 yards, letting a couple of passes he should have caught slip away.
Proper Valuation
The annual angst around the Lions’ run defence was in full swing ahead of this game, but that narrative proved to be just as unimportant this year as it was in 2022. That is even though the Stampeders stuck to their guns for much longer and still fed Ka’Deem Carey while playing from behind, enjoying reasonable success with 14 carries for 75 yards.
That far exceeded the ground game output of B.C.’s own back, Taquan Mizzell, who had 11 carries for 28 yards, but it didn’t matter. The home team made a couple of crucial stops even after long rushing gains and Calgary’s old-school game plan was as ineffective as usual.
“It is annoying, just hearing, ‘You guys can’t stop the run.’ And then we do it and it’s nothing,” Josh Woods admitted.
For all his spectacular plays, Woods misses the point with those comments, though his head coach vocally grasped it at the podium. In a passing league, it is almost impossible to run your way to victory if you have not already established a lead. There is no doubt in my mind that Carey could have easily crossed the century mark in this game but he wouldn’t have added enough points to win.
Should Brady Oliveira and the Bombers’ ground game scare B.C. next week? Absolutely. But the boogeyman will only come out from under the bed if the Lions’ offence has already wet it — as they have whenever this issue has come up.
A much larger amount of attention should be paid to preventing a slow start like this week and avoiding the deep ball busts that have plagued them when Winnipeg has max-protected this season.
Down and Out
A scary situation played out midway through the fourth quarter when rookie linebacker Jack Hinsperger hustled down the field on kickoff and had a bone-rattling collision with returner Peyton Logan. The hit was as hard as any I’ve witnessed in the sport, with the high speed and height disparity between the two players resulting in unintentional helmet-to-helmet contact.
It was clear immediately that Hinsperger had been knocked unconscious by the blow and he lay face-down on the turf, completely motionless. Both men were down on the field for a painfully long time and the teams cleared their benches to take a knee around their fallen teammates. Logan was helped to the locker room first, followed later by Hinsperger — who waved off the spinal board and ambulance.
Campbell informed the media that Hinsperger had been deemed “medically safe” by the doctors and would only need treatment for a concussion. Here’s wishing him a speedy recovery, as the Waterloo product has been an excellent teamer since breaking into the lineup down the stretch.
Moo-t Point
The Lions continued their increasingly creative in-game engagement efforts by poking some fun at the road team, welcoming Calgary’s famed World’s Fastest Cow to the BC Place.
A game day staple at McMahon Stadium, this runner in a dollar store cow costume races fans during breaks in play and seldom loses, despite affording his opponents a substantial head start. On this occasion, he was catching up to the lucky Lions’ fan when team mascot Roary stepped off the far sideline and tackled the bovine speedster.
Frankly, the bit went way over the heads of the 30,149 fans in attendance — the gross majority of whom had no clue that a Holstein imitator sprinting 110 yards is a Calgary tradition. This one was a swing and a miss, but the large crowd was still a testament to how well the Lions’ sales team and game-day staff have done their jobs this season.
Short No More
B.C. made a significant but long-overdue change to one of their offensive packages in this game, keeping Vernon Adams Jr. on the field for every short-yardage play. While sneaking with your starter long ago went out of vogue due to the injury risks, this had to happen because of the complete ineffectiveness of Dominique Davis this season.
I never want to see VA plunge forward on third-and-one again after these playoffs are over, but this team is too good to be denied a shot at a Grey Cup by inches.
Moving to the Adults’ Table
After avenging their most embarrassing loss of the season, B.C. will travel to Winnipeg for a second straight season in the hopes of correcting their most impactful.
In a lot of ways, this feels like deja vu. While the quarterback may be different, this team was in the very same position a year ago with most of the same narratives heading into the West Final. Look forward to another week of talking about regular-season stumbles, a bruising running back, and who the better quarterback is.
This is the hurdle that the Lions have been staring down all season and they can’t be taken seriously until they leap over it. Until then, they are still the West Division’s kid brother, staring up at the adults’ table.
J.C. Abbott is a University of British Columbia graduate and high school football coach. He covers the CFL, B.C. Lions, CFL Draft and the three-down league's Global initiative.
