Victoria was just what the B.C. Lions needed.
Mired in a five-game losing skid, the Lions needed something to snap out of their month-long funk and Touchdown Pacific was it.
Normally for road games, the visiting team will fly in the day before, play and then fly out immediately following the game. Touchdown Pacific was a different animal.
The Lions flew in on Wednesday to take part in the four-day festival and had some time to hang out with one another away from football.
The CFL season is a grind. Think about the fact that, at 11 games in, it’s already a full college season for most rookies, so getting three days in Victoria to see the sights and enjoy the city’s culinary stops was a great way for the group to recharge.
The end result was the Lions crushing the Ottawa Redblacks 38-12 at Royal Athletic Park on Saturday in front of a sell-out crowd of 14,727.
The venue was a story in itself as the fans were right on top of the action with the football configuration and were a factor in the win.
“There was great energy today. The fans were awesome — literally cheering us on the whole time. It was a real fun game and I feel lucky to be a part of it,” said Lions Head Coach Rick Campbell after the victory.
The Lions jumped on the Redblacks early and often scoring four touchdowns and a field goal on their five possessions in the first half to take a 31-6 lead after two quarters of play.
Quarterback Nathan Rourke finished the day going 21 for 30 passing for 325 yards and three touchdowns while running back William Stanback had his best day as a Lion in racking up 171 total yards with a touchdown.
A week earlier, the Redblacks defeated the Lions 34-27 in Ottawa and extended their unbeaten streak to six games.
So what was the difference this time around?
“Just execution. They didn’t change much. We didn’t change much. We just did a better job of scoring and not getting in our own way. That’s what it comes down to against good teams like this. It’s who wins their one-on-ones and executes better. We did a better job today and they did a better job last week,” said Rourke.
Defensively, the team that had been torched the week before in Ottawa for 451 yards of total offense held the Redblacks to 247 yards this time around.
The unit was sparked by the return of the CFL’s reigning Most Outstanding Defensive Player in Mathieu Betts. Betts, who was cut by the NFL’s Detroit Lions on Tuesday, signed a deal with B.C. and flew into Victoria on Thursday night.
The much-maligned front managed to pressure Ottawa quarterback Dru Brown most of the day with Betts, Christian Covington, Juliano Falaniko and Ryder Varga all recording sacks.
“When the schedule came out earlier this year, this was a game that I had circled on my calendar. It worked out great that I was here and to be able to enjoy this win,” said Betts.
But a bigger factor in the improved play of the defense may have been the reconfiguration of the secondary by Defensive Coordinator Ryan Phillips. The secondary has seen more combinations this season than a Lotto Max ticket but the one used against Ottawa just might be a winner for Phillips and the Lions.
Garry Peters and Ciante Evans remained at their respective corner positions while Manny Rugamba moved from the Sam linebacker spot to boundary half to work with Peters. Ronald Kent was inserted into the lineup as the wide side half in tandem with Evans while Adrian Greene moved from the wide side half to his more natural position of safety. T.J. Lee, meanwhile, was moved into the Sam linebacker position.
The end result was the Lions were able to cover checkdowns with Lee while the veteran also provided great support against the run in finishing the game with nine tackles.
“We came out with an edge that I hadn’t seen all season. I feel like we finally got it right in the back end. We had a lot of moving parts. I felt like this was the group we needed to have in the back end. Adding Betts, that was just an extra boost for us. With him coming off the edge, you don’t have to cover long. We came out with an aggression and a mindset that I’d seen all week in practice and I knew it was going to carryover,” Peters told TSN’s Farhan Lalji afterwards.
The CFL’s Western Division continues to be a tight race. Winnipeg and B.C. both have 6-6 records while Saskatchewan sits at 5-6-1. Calgary is 4-7 while Edmonton is 4-8. As we’ve pointed out earlier, this division will be won by the hottest team going into the playoffs – and that could be any of the five aforementioned teams.
“We are coming down to the last third of the season and we have to stay in the mix. The West is up for grabs and who knows what’s going to happen. Those other four teams have to play each other back-to-back these next two weeks. We just want to make sure we do our part and stay in the hunt,” said Campbell.
OVERTIME
* The Lions lost starting left tackle Jarell Broxton – arguably the team’s best offensive lineman – to a knee injury in the first quarter and he was replaced by David Knevel. Broxton is considered week-to-week and his spot on the roster will likely be taken by import Chris Schleuger. It will be interesting to see if the team sticks with Knevel, who was impressive in Broxton’s absence, or goes with Schleuger, who started six games earlier this season.
* Global punter Carl Meyer made his CFL debut and it created a rather odd situation with three kickers on the active roster – which this agent believes to be a first in Lions history. Sean Whyte handled the field goal attempts while incumbent punter Stefan Flintoft saw his role reduced to just handling kickoffs. That, combined with having two long snappers in Kyle Nelson (punts) and Riley Pickett (field goals), puts the Lions in a precarious situation should multiple injuries occur in a game as the team’s depth in other areas is razor thin. The team could have Meyer also handle kickoffs as he has a powerful leg but it means they would have to find another holder on field goal attempts to take Flintoft’s place.
* Next up for the Lions (6-6) is road trip to Montreal to play the Alouettes (10-1) on Friday night (4:30, 980 CKNW, TSN). It will be the first meeting between the two teams this season. B.C. swept the two-game set last year, winning 35-19 at BC Place on July 19 and then 34-25 in Montreal on Sept. 2.
*Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. (knee) is expected to practice this week and be available against Montreal. It will be interesting to see how Campbell handles the delicate quarterback situation. While Adams Jr. and Rourke have a tremendous amount of respect for one another, it’s just human nature that some players will have a loyalty to Adams Jr. while others might lean towards Rourke.
The best way to quash any issue in the locker room is simple – just win.
Veteran B.C. sports personality Bob “the Moj” Marjanovich writes twice weekly for Black Press Media.
READ MORE: B.C. Lions blitz Ottawa Redblacks 38-12 in Victoria, snap 5-game skid
READ MORE: THE MOJ: It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish, Campbell tells reeling troops
