Death, taxes, and beating the Edmonton Elks.
The B.C. Lions delivered on the third of life’s certainties on Sunday night, obliterating the Green and Gold for the 10th time in their last 11 meetings by a 32-14 score that undersold their dominance.
Here are my thoughts on the game.
The Butler did it (again)
I have neither the time nor the desire to scan through the archives for a fact check, but if memory serves, the first time I used this particular sub-header came all the way back in June 2022. That’s when James Butler went off against the Elks for the first time in his career, racking up four touchdowns in the season-opener.
Sunday’s performance wasn’t nearly as productive in terms of points scored, but it was just as dominant. Against an underperforming Elks’ defence, the Lions’ offence took all the fun out of the murder mystery and put their running back in the dining room with a candlestick.
Butler toted the rock a whopping 30 times — more than half his season total entering this week — for a career-best 172 yards and a touchdown, averaging 5.7 yards per carry. He also caught three passes for 35 yards, pushing his yards from scrimmage total over 200.
The 30-year-old’s vision was impeccable as he pressed the hole, stayed north-south while cutting decisively, and bounced outside only when required. Only three of his runs went for more than 10 yards, but he converted exactly what he needed to, and Edmonton never seemed able to corral him on first or even second contact.
As spectacular as Butler was, the offensive line also deserves a tremendous amount of credit, especially given the circumstances. With starting centre Michael Couture joining the likes of Dejon Allen, Tyler Packer, and David Foucault on the six-game injured list this week, they had every reason to struggle. Instead, veteran sixth man Andrew Peirson stepped in seamlessly and took command, yet again showing the savvy and resilience that have allowed him to hang on for seven years as an undrafted player.
It wasn’t the most dominant road-grading I’ve ever seen up front or even particularly pretty at times, but they consistently kept a hat on every defender in the box and allowed Butler to make his reads. As hard as I’ve been on this unit for some of their pass protection deficiencies that haven’t shown up on the box score, this was the definition of good, technical football. There will be a lot to like on film this week.
Sometimes the best defence…
Much of the conversation entering this week centred around whether the Lions’ inconsistent defence would be able to replicate their Week 1 dominance over an Edmonton team that looked to be turning the corner. Lost on nobody was the fact that Justin Rankin compiled 174 yards from scrimmage last week, and that B.C. had been gashed on the ground by the likes of Winnipeg and Saskatchewan.
That wasn’t a problem in the opener, when Rankin ran for just 24 yards, and it was even less of an issue this week. All told, Edmonton’s backs combined for six yards on four carries, while Rankin never took a handoff in the second half. Mike Benevides had his unit entirely dialled in on Jordan Maksymic’s game plan, so much so that you have to wonder if the former Lions offensive coordinator accidentally left his call sheet in the B.C. facility when he left town.
As well as they held their gaps when called upon, the Leos didn’t exactly have to lock shields against a surging foe. The Elks gave up the ground game early of their own volition once they fell behind and didn’t really attempt to utilize Tre Ford’s legs either, despite a few early creases resulting in 47 yards on four carries. Instead, the dual-threat QB was called on to try and win a passing duel from the pocket, something he seemed ill-equipped to handle on this occasion.
This demonstrated one of the most important principles of CFL defensive game-play, one which the Lions have relied on for years. The best defence is often a potent offence, particularly early. B.C. was able to dictate the type of football game this would be and that took away half the burden of defending.
Even so, there was no caveat needed for the unit’s tackling this week, which felt exceptional in comparison to the veritable blooper reel that Edmonton put together. The Lions kept things in front, rallied, and executed in a great display of fundamentals across the board. Whether that will ever translate against an opponent not wearing green and gold remains to be seen, but it’s still nice to witness progress.
Dink and doink
I’m not the superstitious type, but I must admit that I worried the Lions’ social media had invoked some bad juju when they tweeted the statline to every Nathan Rourke start versus Edmonton this week. Four starts, four victories, never fewer than 360 total yards or three total touchdowns, and a completion mark of 80.9 percent — surely something had to give.
Well, Rourke did, in fact, post his worst career outing against the Elks, but that didn’t mean much. He was unflappable in the pocket and ruthlessly efficient, completing 26-of-30 passes (86.7 percent) for 345 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception, while rushing twice for eight yards. The Canadian standout still isn’t quite at full strength after his oblique injury, but still moved the ball at will. You could argue he got away with one on his touchdown pass to Stanley Berryhill III, which went right between Kordell Jackson’s hands, but that ball also had the velocity needed to whiz through the gap.
While Rourke threw just four incompletions, the Edmonton defence didn’t even force half of those. His interception came on a freak play where he drilled the ball off the back of Jevon Cottoy’s helmet as he stayed in to block, with Jake Ceresna reeling in the deflection. Rourke even performed a textbook tackle to strip the ball from the All-CFL pass rusher, but an unlucky bounce left it in the arms of Edmonton’s Tyrell Ford.
The 27-year-old also had a red zone attempt bang off the left upright, which officially gave Commonwealth Stadium more pass knockdowns than the team that calls it home. When your hardest opponent is a metal tube, you know it’s been a pretty good game.
Dodging bullets
For all the praise that they deserved, the Lions’ defence narrowly avoided a few major busts down the field. Edmonton managed just one completion of more than 30 yards — a garbage-time touchdown pass from backup Cody Fajardo to Kurleigh Gittens Jr. — but they easily could have had four if their quarterback had been on point.
The first Elks miss went directly in B.C.’s favour, as Ford underthrew Steven Dunbar Jr. on an early post route. Veteran cornerback Garry Peters made a tremendous play to rip the football away for an interception, but he was trailing on the play and got bailed out when the pass hung in the air.
Ford also had two bad overthrows in the first half. He completely whiffed on a toss to Justin Rankin as he toasted Micah Awe on the corner, and also out-gunned Zach Mathis when he had a step on Ronald Kent Jr. down the right sideline. You could argue that solid pressure from the Lions’ front led to those errant passes, but the secondary still got a big break with each miss.
There is not a lot to complain about when you hold a CFL team to just 112 yards passing, with just 34 yards coming from the starter. It still doesn’t erase the mistakes that could have produced a different result.
The Manimal
Keon Hatcher continued to be the Lions’ undisputed top receiver on Sunday, hauling in all nine of his targets for a team-leading 130 yards, but it still felt like Canadian big man Jevon Cottoy was the player with the hottest hand.
The six-foot-five, 230-pound slot caught six passes for 74 yards and a touchdown, and seemed to steal a little piece of Edmonton’s will to live every time he touched the ball. He set up his own major when he bodied safety Royce Metchie, who later left the game injured, up the seam, then took it in for points on a 16-yard outlet pass where he busted through three potential tackles. On every catch, he finished falling forward, generally with at least one dazed defender lying underneath him.
We usually get one or two of these dominant performances per year from Cottoy, though last year seemed to be an exception. I’m thrilled to see Buck Pierce making him more of a focal point in the early going, because there aren’t many weapons more unique in this league.
Unlucky number Seven
The good news? B.C. finally got a spark in the return game. The bad news? It didn’t count.
Seven McGee took back over from Jermaine Jackson as the primary returner in this game, as the Lions continue their quest to find anyone able to generate consistent yardage. It did not appear to be making much of a difference until late in the second quarter, when the rookie from Albany was stonewalled on his way up the right sideline on a punt but managed to keep his feet. He shook off two would-be tacklers as he reversed field and broke free, racing 92 yards to paydirt.
Unfortunately, this long-awaited return magic was fruit from the poisoned tree. Garry Peters was called for a block in the back of gunner Leonard Johnson right at the point of attack, bringing everything back. It was undoubtedly a bit of a sales job from the Elks’ defender, who took great pains to box out Peters while coming to gather, but it was also a legitimate call. You have to wonder if a special-teams guru like Mark Kilam saw something on film and instructed his team to act accordingly.
B.C. played a cleaner game than last week but still finished with 10 penalties for 89 yards. This one was particularly costly, both in terms of real-world impact and emotional drain on the fan base, and will only extend their status as the most frequently penalized special-teams unit in the league.
Uncut gems
The Lions have been absolutely decimated along the defensive line and were missing four impact performers in this game, with Jonah Tavai, DeWayne Hendrix, Tibo Debaillie, and the suspended Kemoko Turay all out of the lineup. That did not stop them from having a strong outing in Edmonton.
While Mathieu Betts led the way per usual, I’ve become increasingly impressed by rookie Tomasi Laulile over the past two games. The BYU product is an effective penetrator with the twitch to play inside and out, which bodes well for his CFL future. He was almost as fast as Betts when it came to tracking down Ford and drew the holding call that earned the Lions a safety. I believe he has earned the right to stay in the lineup once other bodies return.
Talk the ‘Bok
Perhaps the most unrecognized bright spot for the Lions this season has been the play of Global punter Carl Meyer, who arrived in camp last year as nothing short of a project. The South African rugby player has risen to the occasion since being handed the top job and entered this week as the CFL leader in net punting despite a sometimes suspect unit covering his kicks.
He wasn’t asked to do much this week, but will only improve his average with 44.7 yards of net on three punts. Even more impressively, he’s adapted rapidly to the nuanced role of holder and has done a good job of corralling some less-than-stellar snaps from Kyle Nelson this year, allowing Sean Whyte to remain effective.
What’s in a name?
Justin McInnis had a particularly quiet night on offence for B.C., catching just one pass for 12 yards. The CFL’s reigning receiving yardage leader hasn’t quite lived up to that pace this year but has still been very productive, making Sunday an anomaly.
Longtime readers of this column may recall that I tried to give McInnis the nickname “Moose” last year due to his physical dominance, imposing size, and gangly running style. It never stuck, mostly because the receiver did not like that moniker — or really any other nickname suggested.
Imagine my surprise, then, when a “Moose” dominated in CFL action this week, just not for the Lions. First-overall CFL draft pick Damien Alford was throwing up the antlers as he racked up 156 yards and two touchdowns in a breakout performance for the Calgary Stampeders, earning cheers from his teammates and a whole lot of buzz on social media. It stung even worse because the Stamps selected Alford specifically because his six-foot-six frame was identical to McInnis, giving former B.C. pivot Vernon Adams Jr. a familiar type of target.
I can only assume that by embracing his “Moose” title, which appears to stem from the rookie’s days at Syracuse, Alford has stolen the source of McInnis’ power. We’ll need to come up with a non-ungulate label for the receiver soon if he wants to return to form.
Judge, jury, and executioner
Deontai Williams is the hardest hitter in the CFL. If you need a second opinion, just ask Arkell Smith.
For the second time in as many matchups with Edmonton, B.C.’s nickel defender caught the Edmonton receiver completely unaware on a late fourth-quarter pass. Both parties managed to keep their helmet this time, though Williams was rightfully penalized for a high hit and Smith was forced into concussion protocol by the spotter.
After initial skepticism, I’ve come to embrace Williams’ role in this defence and admire his physicality. With that said, the size of his hits tend to increase once games are already decided. I wonder how his fellow players feel about that sort of conduct, which came at the expense of a vulnerable opponent on a meaningless play.
Twice is now a trend and I suspect the CFL will be calling collect with a fine later this week in order to send an equally forceful message.
Her majesty’s secret service
The Lions’ depth chart release came with a bit of a surprise this week, as territorial exemption Jacob Bond was included as the backup fullback despite not being officially announced as a signing. An outstanding linebacker for the Okanagan Sun, Bond was injured in training camp and released, but quietly returned to practice this week and was immediately given his first CFL game action.
The native of Terrace, B.C., didn’t get a ton of play at his new position but saw some action on special teams. He is still just 22 years old and has a bright future, especially given this team’s history of finding gems in the Canadian Junior Football League ranks.
In fact, four territorial exemptions plucked straight from BCFC teams suited up in this game, and the three oldest all made an impact. Cottoy was a weapon at receiver, Sean Whyte kicked three field goals, and Kieran Poissant had a special teams tackle.
Unfinished business
The Lions entered this game as a walking contradiction, the CFL’s leader in offensive net yardage but the worst in terms of scoring. Both halves of that equation will improve as a result of this game, but there is a lot of work still to be done.
B.C. once again came out slow, doubling their season total with just three points in the first quarter. They added to their league-worst 15 turnovers — which was already six more than any other club — with two more. One of those came in the red zone, where they’ve been under 50 percent when it comes to generating touchdowns this year.
This was a dominant performance in every phase for B.C. and they should be lauded for exceeding their average point total by more than 11. But a team that finishes with 519 yards of net offence, allows just 160, and controls the ball for nearly 43 minutes should probably generate more than three touchdowns. There was meat left on the bone here, and that will matter against leaner, meaner opponents.
Smash or pass
After three weeks on the road, the Lions (3-3) return home next Saturday, July 19, when they host the Saskatchewan Roughriders (4-1) for the annual Watermelon Smash game.
The Riders are reeling after a disappointing loss to Calgary, and the Lions are riding high after two straight wins. While Saskatchewan has already beaten B.C. once, that came without Rourke at the helm. A win here could be critical for the eventual West Division playoff hunt.
