Cramping.
That might have been the only way to stop B.C. Lions receiver Justin McInnis on Saturday at BC Place, but in the end, that malady only slowed him down.
McInnis was outstanding and a big reason why the B.C. Lions defeated the Saskatchewan Roughriders 35-20 in front of 30,803 fans in Vancouver.
In a game between the top two teams in the West, the Lions aerial attack was on full display as quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. threw for 451 yards while B.C. continued to show why it has the CFL’s top-ranked passing game.
The primary target for Adams this year has been receiver Alexander Hollins – and he was again on Sunday as Hollins was targeted 14 times. But in a rare off-day, Hollins could only muster five receptions and dropped a couple of passes including one in which he probably would have scored.
Enter McInnis, who was simply perfect with 14 catches for 243 yards and a touchdown.
Did we mention he was targeted 14 times?
“He’s a dude man. He’s been working ever since he got here. He’s got such strong hands, I’m throwing the ball a little bit behind him and he’s making great catches with DB’s all over him. He’s a huge part of this team and this offence. A great dude as well off the field. I’m so happy for him and all of his success,” Adams Jr. said afterwards.
The Riders had no answer for McInnis during the game, and had it not been for his calves cramping up in the second half, the club record of 270 yards receiving set by Tyron Gray in 1981 might have been broken.
“Man, if I didn’t have to sit some plays out in the third quarter, I might have been able to track that down,” McInnis joked during his post-game hit with us on CKNW 980.
“Both my calves were just fired up and every time I tried to run, they just locked up on me. I couldn’t really do much,” he added.
Now in his third year with the Lions, the trust and chemistry that is developing between Adams Jr. and McInnis is becoming next level stuff.
“That comes with just continuous reps in practice and talking about how we want things done in a certain way. It doesn’t always have to be how it looks on paper. VA always does a great job of giving me a chance to make a catch even if there is someone around,” McInnis told us on our post-game show.
One of the keys heading into the football game was ball security.
The Riders entered the game with +10 turnover differential, which was tops in the CFL, and had 14 takeaways on defence.
On Saturday, however, it was the Lions who won the turnover battle at +2.
Even though Adams’ streak of not throwing an interception ended at 200, the Lions came up with four turnovers of their own including a pivotal one early in the fourth quarter.
With the Lions clinging to a 22-20 lead, Riders’ receiver Samuel Emilus caught a pass and advanced to the B.C. 49-yard line on a 13-yard gain. Emilus was stripped of the football on a great effort by Lions defensive end Josh Archibald with halfback Manny Rugamba coming up with the recovery.
The Lions offense took over and Adams Jr. then scored on a 12-yard run to cap off a four play, 61-yard drive that was highlighted by a 47-yard reception by Hollins.
The touchdown gave the Lions a 29-20 lead, and more importantly, made it a two-score game which clearly deflated the visitors.
Lions head coach Rick Campbell was impressed with the Riders and also proud of the way his team battled throughout the game.
“I think they’re good. Just watching them live, I can see why they give people problems and create turnovers because they’re very athletic and very physical. I was just super proud of our guys for making plays. What it comes down to in this league is who makes plays in the fourth quarter - particularly in the second half of the fourth quarter. They were trying to fight their way back into the game and they came close. Our guys made major plays when they needed to win the game,” Campbell said.
OVERTIME
* Jonah Tavai made his CFL debut at nose tackle with Josh Banks (back) sidelined. Tavai stood out for his play both on defence and special teams. He was constantly pushing the pocket back and recorded two tackles, including a sack. He also delivered a devastating block on Jordan Herdman-Reed on the opening kick-off that left the Rider linebacker face down on the turf. At 5’10” and 283 pounds, Tavai has a great motor that allows him to get the most of his physical abilities. If the name sounds familiar, it’s because he’s the younger brother of J.R. Tavai, a defensive end who played in the CFL for five years including a stint with the Lions in 2021.
*mLions kicker Sean Whyte continued his excellent play as he tied a team record with seven field goals – a feat which the legendary Lui Passaglia did twice. Whyte hit from 16, 50, 28, 44, 32, 20 and 35 yards. Whyte’s streak of consecutive field goals is up to 39 after Saturday’s effort, which is now tied with Calgary’s Rene Parades for second-longest in CFL history. Ottawa’s Lewis Ward has the record of 69 consecutive field goals.
* It wasn’t a case of running up the score when Whyte kicked a field goal with no time remaining but just making sure the Lions took advantage of points that were available to them for tiebreaker purposes. The first tiebreaker between two teams is head-to-head. However, the Lions and the Riders only meet twice this season, so the next tiebreaker is aggregate points between the two teams. “That’s not about showing them up – it’s just being smart and about giving ourselves the best chance,” added Campbell, who talked to Riders’ head coach Corey Mace after the game and indicated that Mace fully understood what was going on.
* Former Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke was in attendance with his family and visited the Lions locker room after the game. Rourke continues to prepare for training camp with the New York Giants which starts on July 24.
* Next up for the Leos (5-1) is a trip to Calgary to take on the Stampeders (2-3) on Sunday, July 21 with kickoff at 4 p.m. (CKNW 980, TSN).
Veteran B.C. sports personality Bob “the Moj” Marjanovich writes twice weekly for Black Press Media.
READ MORE: B.C. Lions snap Roughriders’ undefeated streak with 35-20 victory
READ MORE: THE MOJ: B.C.’s Corey Mace coaching Saskatchewan to run roughshod
