The B.C. Lions will have some significant pieces back in the lineup when they face the Ottawa Redblacks on Friday night.
Centre Michael Couture is the most notable addition after the bye week, stepping back in with the starting unit after missing the last six games with a hand injury. His return bumps Andrew Peirson back into a backup role, while former first-round CFL Draft pick Anu Una has been promoted to starting right guard, and American Ilm Manning has been sent to the practice roster for ratio reasons.
Defensively, Jalon Edwards-Cooper makes his return to the boundary halfback spot as the team re-shuffles its secondary yet again. Deontai Williams moves back to the nickel and takes over for Patrice Rene, while Ronald Kent Jr. and Robert Carter Jr. swap responsibilities. Boundary corner Garry Peters is a question mark, though, as he is listed as a game-time decision after being limited by a knee injury in practice.
The situation along the defensive line is less kind, as starting edge rusher Sione Teuhema and Canadian defensive tackle Christian Covington have both been placed on the six-game injured list. Interior pass rusher DeWayne Hendrix is also out this week with a nagging hip injury, drawing Marcus Moore back into the lineup. Newcomer Levi Bell will make his debut in the defensive end rotation, as Canadian Anthony Bennett goes onto the practice roster. Canadian linebacker Adam Auclair returns from injury to beef up the special teams.
The B.C. Lions (5-6) will visit the Ottawa Redblacks (3-8) at TD Place Stadium on Friday, September 5 with kickoff slated for 7:30 p.m. EDT. Both teams were on a bye this past week.
The weather forecast in Ottawa calls for a high of 21 degrees with cloudy conditions and a 30 percent chance of showers. The game will be broadcast on TSN in Canada, CBS Sports Network in the United States, and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune-in on 730 CKNW in Vancouver and TSN 1200 in Ottawa.
Graphic courtesy: B.C. Lions
