Lions hit with shrapnel in watermelon smash and 10 other thoughts on beating the Riders

The B.C. Lions muscled out a 19-9 victory against the Saskatchewan Roughriders and their backup quarterback on Saturday night in Vancouver, but only after the visitors levelled the playing field in the worst way possible.

Here are my thoughts on the game.

The Watermelon Smashes Back

On a night advertised for the Lions’ ability to smash watermelons, the proverbial fruit inflicted the most damage.

Mid-way through the first quarter, Vernon Adams Jr. was forced to evade pressure from a blitzing Larry Dean, who was completely unblocked as four offensive linemen slid right to block three defenders and failed to recognize the late rush on Andrew Peirson’s left side. The quarterback ran headlong into defensive end Pete Robertson, twisting his left knee awkwardly as he was spun to the ground.

VA picked himself up and went to the sidelines under his own power, but his night was over. After an extended stint in the medical tent, he attempted to test his movement ability on the exercise bike but couldn’t even mount it without retreating back inside in pain.

“The initial indication is we’re talking about something that’s a week or weeks, it’s not season-ending or anything like that,” head coach Rick Campbell told the media post-game. “It would be misguided for me to speculate further than that, other than it doesn’t seem crazy serious, we’ll put it that way.”

No matter how much time Adams misses, it will be a serious loss for the Lions. It wasn’t the only impactful casualty of the game either, as receiver Dominique Rhymes did not see the field at all in the second half. The star pass catcher sneakily missed practice on Wednesday with a veteran day that was not declared on the injury report and Campbell elected to pull him because he “wasn’t running real well” in this game, citing no specific injury.

That B.C. was able to scrounge a win without arguably their two best offensive players is impressive in its own right, but perhaps the team would be better off avoiding bad karma with their next catchy slogan.

Unceded Celebration

The injury to Adams was devastating to the team and CFL fans at large, putting yet another star passer on ice. However, it also created a unique situation that is worth celebrating.

With Dane Evans duelling Mason Fine for most of the game, both of the quarterbacks on the field on Saturday were Indigenous.

Evans is a member of the Wichita tribe, where his great-grandmother was the last fluent speaker of the language, while Fine hails from the Cherokee Nation, both in present-day Oklahoma. They each have been vocal throughout their CFL careers about the importance of their Indigenous heritage and strive to be leaders in the league on issues regarding reconciliation.

“I think that’s kind of special. Two kids from Oklahoma, all the way up here in Canada, just doing what they love, especially Indigenous kids,” Evans remarked at the podium, revealing that he took Fine aside after the game.

“That dude’s a warrior, literally, and I’m always rooting for him. I told him anything he needs, whatever it is, I’ll help him in any way I can. That’s my guy and I thought he battled pretty well.”

It is likely impossible to know if two Indigenous passers have ever faced off before, as the CFL has historically done a poor job of recognizing players of that background. There have been a few individual exceptions, namely Hall of Famer Jack Jacobs, and those of Samoan descent, like Joe Paopao or Jeremiah Masoli, are certainly an Indigenous group in their own right, but a battle between two prominent members of continental First Nations groups has never occurred in my lifetime.

With the Lions taking tremendous strides recently in their Indigenous activism and initiatives, it was rather fitting for such a special moment to take place on the unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) at BC Place.

Dane to be Different

When it comes to being a steady hand coming off the bench, there may be no more seasoned pro in the CFL than Dane Evans.

While he flopped as a starter with Hamilton in 2022, prompting his offseason trade to B.C., the 29-year-old was only in that position thanks to a couple of great seasons playing in relief of Jeremiah Masoli. The Ticats advanced to the Grey Cup on both of the occasions he was forced to step in.

So when the injury to Adams could have sent the Lions into a tailspin, Evans felt right at home, comparing it to 2019 when Masoli tore his ACL.

“It was so eerily similar, just the deflation of a sideline. And I totally understand that because that’s our guy; VA is our guy,” he explained.

“When you come in and that’s the situation, it’s hard. I just tried to come in and make positive plays. Thankfully we strung together enough plays to get a win. An ugly win is still a win, especially when you’re going against the West.”

Evans readily admitted to reporters that his performance left much to be desired, with the B.C. offence going quiet for a long stretch in the first half. He also took full responsibility for his lone interception to Amari Henderson in the third quarter, which came when he overthrew Alexander Hollins after the receiver beat his defender and throttled down in the open space on the sideline.

But for all his imperfections, the six-year veteran came in cold and engineered an uplifting 101-yard scoring drive, complete with a 53-yard strike to Keon Hatcher over the middle and a 27-yard dime of a touchdown throw to Hollins. He was a pedestrian 16-of-25 for 219 yards, but it was all B.C. needed.

If Evans performs at this level every week that Adams is out, it might be cause for concern. For now, he can only be credited with delivering consistency in one of the toughest situations in pro sports.

TFL-on Defence

Facing a backup quarterback in Mason Fine, most expected the Lions’ defence to massacre their opponent. Frankly, the result wasn’t far off, though it came in a form much different than originally anticipated.

Fine was allowed to complete 32-of-41 passes for 284 yards in what was a pleasantly positive performance for the youngster, with his two turnovers coming while trailing in the fourth quarter. None of that yardage did any real damage to B.C., however, as Saskatchewan mustered just two drives of over 30 yards, settling for a combined three points on those two successful series. Ryan Phillips’ unit was more than happy to allow their inexperienced opponent to complete meaningless passes underneath while holding yet another team without a touchdown this season.

Given the strength of the Lions’ defensive line, I might have predicted a sack parade. That wasn’t the case as the league’s top front took down Fine just three times, only one of which came at face value. Instead, it was that group’s play against the run that truly shone, as Jamal Morrow was held to an embarrassing 11 yards on 12 carries.

The stops were often of a spectacular variety. Sione Teuhema contained Morrow beautifully on one big first-half loss, Woody Baron shot through with intention to kill the first drive of the second half, and Josh Woods wrapped up the back again for a turnover on downs. Even Global stalwart Tibo Debaillie got in on the action, standing up Morrow in the red zone.

As a result of that tremendous play in the trenches, the Riders were haplessly one-dimensional. Fine was only ever able to generate one big play through the air, a 44-yard strike to Tevin Jones late in the final frame, and the Lions quietly logged another top-tier defensive performance.

Hog Roast

The injury to their franchise signal-caller was simply the exclamation point on a horrific overall performance from B.C.’s offensive line in the first half. The team was plagued by protection issues and Adams was hit on four of his five dropbacks.

“It’s horrible. That’s our number one job, is to keep him upright and we’re not doing that consistently,” said centre Michael Couture of the injury. “Fortunately, we have a fantastic roster and a great defence that came and saved our ass.”

The first drive of the game was killed after Andrew Peirson was knocked to the ground conceding a pressure that forced a desperate throwaway, while Couture was bullied by Micah Johnson for a big sack on their second series. On the play before his injury, Adams narrowly avoided another sack by stepping up and falling forward for a two-yard rush. It delayed his fate only momentarily.

Even once Dane Evans took over, the big men up front struggled to keep him upright. On his second snap, DeMarcus Christmas split a lazy tandem block from Couture and Sukh Chungh for what would have been a safety, if not for a high tackle that drew a roughing the passer penalty. He wasn’t so lucky on future drives, when a near identical blitz from Dean resulted in a strip sack or when Canadian rookie Lake Korte Moore knocked Kent Perkins back far enough to collapse the pocket and generate a sack for Miles Brown in the shadow of the Lions’ goal post.

“Personally, I gotta look at myself. My first half was brutal. It’s one of the worst halves of football that I can remember, to be honest,” Couture said of the performance. “We got the win, a win’s always good, but there’s definitely gonna be a lot to evaluate on the film and then we’ll fix those issues.”

The line got better in the second half and Evans wasn’t sacked again, though he was forced to evade pressure on a couple of occasions. Still, the overall poor line play continued, as they failed to generate any space for running back Shaun Shivers.

Evans suggested after the game that the group’s poor production was a result of a Saskatchewan defensive line filled with perennial all-stars, but he was far off-base. The Riders were bottom of the league in sacks entering this game and were playing short-handed without their star Anthony Lanier. This was not a front four that should push anybody around, but the inherent weaknesses of B.C.’s interior trio of Peirson, Couture and Chungh were badly exposed. They need to be protected by the scheme and weren’t on this occasion.

Late to the Pick Party

It’s somewhat shocking given the fact that B.C.’s defence is near the top of the league in nearly every other category, but the team sat tied for last in the CFL with just two interceptions entering this game. They doubled that total in the fourth quarter alone, thanks to a brilliant snag from Garry Peters and a ball thrown directly into the chest of Jalon Edwards-Cooper.

“Once you get one, they start coming back to back. I even had another play in the endzone where I kind of dropped it at the end of the game,” Peters said. “It’s good to just get one on paper, because all the other guys feed off it as well. I feel like in the next couple weeks, you’ll see a lot more of that.”

The Lions’ secondary has a well-established prior reputation as ball hawks to live up to. They badly need the floodgates to open while Adams is out.

Poor Sayles Job

The Lions’ victory in this game could have been far more dominant, if not for a few inexcusable self-inflicted errors. No play exemplifies this more than Marcus Sayles’ fumble late in the second quarter, which set up a Saskatchewan field goal.

The Riders originally lined up for their three-point attempt from 57 yards out, only to suddenly flex wide for a short onside punt instead. Sayles read the play perfectly and was there to get underneath the ball, generating what looked to be the start of a nice return. Only he inexplicably reversed field and was smoked by guard Evan Johnson, fumbling the ball for long-snapper Jorgen Hus to recover.

Sayles can thank the T.J. Lee pitch fumble in Week 1 for making his mistake only the second dumbest play by a veteran defensive back this year. However, he wasn’t the only culprit of a boneheaded play in this game.

Evans badly whiffed on a wide-open Shivers in the flats on a third-quarter drive, forcing the team to settle for a field goal. A few series later, Justin McInnis dropped a perfectly thrown ball in the end zone and Cottoy was called for an obvious hold on a Shivers touchdown run, turning seven points into three. In the fourth quarter, returner Terry Williams had a fumble of his own, setting up the Riders’ best drive of the game.

None of those mistakes fazed Campbell much, as the head coach dismissed the question when asked how he would address the errors to his locker room.

“My message to our team is I’m really proud of them. We’ve beat every Western team and we’re 5-1, that’s my message to them.”

A Bunch of Goombas

It won’t get a ton of press, but the Lions’ special teams unit held stud Riders’ returner Mario Alford to just 53 punt return yards on a night where the kicking game dominated long stretches.

For a team that has struggled to contain explosive athletes in the past, that is one hell of an accomplishment. He was the one player who could have single-handedly won this game for Saskatchewan and they completely neutralized him.

Rough and Rugamba

It was great to see strong-side linebacker Emmanuel Rugamba back on the field after a one-week absence due to injury. He delivered an exceptional performance in his return to the field, amassing seven defensive tackles, a tackle for loss, and a special teams tackle. Nobody seemed able to escape his clutches.

For my money, the 25-year-old defender might just be the most underrated young player in the league. He’s been a spark plug for the Lions ever since he stepped on the field last season.

Holding Court

If there was ever a game to praise the punter, it was this one. But as good as Stefan Flintoft has been at booting the ball down the field, I’ve developed a greater appreciation for another aspect of his game.

At the Lions’ coaching clinic this offseason, I happened to sit in on the field goal kicking session and was blown away as Flintoft provided an in-depth explanation on how to perfect your hold. You could have filled a textbook with what he presented on the most overlooked and unheralded job in all of football. It was incredible to watch him break down the minutiae of it and, quite unexpectedly, I was more riveted by it than any other seminar.

The Lions have a good developmental long-snapper in the self-taught Riley Pickett, but he hasn’t been perfect on every snap in his first year in the role. Flintoft ensures the ball is perfectly placed every time regardless and has kicker Sean Whyte clipping along at one of the best rates in the league. He went four-for-four again on Saturday and at least part of the credit goes to the hold.

One Big, Happy Family

Terry Fox Plaza was rocking pre-game once again and it was another stroke of brilliance from owner Amar Doman and the Lions’ gameday team to leverage the presence of the CFL’s most well-travelled fan base for a special event.

Rather than telling the visiting Riderville Tour to set up camp somewhere else, B.C. invited their opponents into the same pre-game party compound as their own festivities. While the presence of a giant inflatable green arch was slightly disconcerting upon arrival, the resulting atmosphere was electric and the area was packed with fans of both teams.

With each team’s respective merchandise vendors and activity booths facing off across the plaza, the fanbases met in the middle for friendly competitions based on the Watermelon Smash theme, including a watermelon-eating contest. Even commissioner Randy Ambrosie addressed the crowd — a speech I’m sure contained about as much substance as one of the empty green rinds strewn on the ground.

Ambrosie was back for half-time, when a comedic video message from actor Brent Butt welcomed Rider fans and queued up a skills competition between the two fan bases. Five average Joes in green were plucked out of the stands and asked to face off against a group of five Lions fans. The only catch was that the hometown squad included an NCAA runner, two Canadian college quarterbacks, former Lions’ receiver Shawn Gore, and Hall of Fame kicker Paul McCallum. It was a deeply amusing bit.

It can be easy to get defensive of your home turf when it comes to visiting fans — that is kind of the point of the sport, after all — but B.C. placed atmosphere above ego in this case. In the end, everybody benefitted and we got a taste of the great CFL camaraderie that is normally reserved for a Grey Cup.