There is no way around it: the BC Lions are dealing with their first dose of adversity. The halfway mark of the 2024 regular season arrives on Sunday for the 5-3-0 squad who will aim to get back in the win column when they visit the 1-7-0 Edmonton Elks. Following two straight defeats- including the ugly 25-0 setback in Winnipeg last week- Garry Peters and company are anxious to prove their true identity. The hunger to turn it around has been evident all week long.
“We need a win. Whatever it takes. Guys are out here practicing desperate,” said the All-Star defensive back following the team’s final practice this week.
“We’ve been in the meetings, super locked in this week, because we know it’s at stake. This Western Division is getting closer. It’s time for us to separate.”
The Lions enter this one with a chance to overtake Saskatchewan by one point for top spot in the division while also increasing their gap on third-place Calgary to four points. The idol Winnipeg Blue Bombers sit at 3-6 with a crucial rubber match in that season series going down next Sunday at BC Place. But they first must take care of business against the Elks
Coming off their first victory in the tough environment of Saskatchewan, Edmonton has once again hitched their wagon to Canadian quarterback Tre Ford. And why not?
The Waterloo product has been behind centre for each of the Elks’ past five wins dating back to last season and the athletic pivot has given a patient fanbase the hope that they can stay relevant in this tight West Division race. Peters and the Lion defence know it presents a nice little challenge although they can hang their hat on the fact they beat Ford once in each of the past two seasons.
“I mean, you always look to see what we did well that we can take into this game but every game is a different beast in itself,” explained Peters.
“Tre is good at escaping the pocket and finding open guys downfield, or if nothing’s there, making a play with his feet. So, it starts with containing him. No matter what, we have to contain him. If we do that, we’ll be in good shape. Most times, everything else works out for itself, and then for us, we’re just focused on winning two facets of the game, whatever those two are. That’s huge.”
2024 CFL Week 9: BC Lions at Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Steven Chang/BC Lions.
Jake Dolegala leads the Lions’ offence into this battle as Vernon Adams Jr.’s knee injury will keep him out of the starting lineup for at least one week. Following a long training camp and nine weeks of practice, the consensus within the room is the former Saskatchewan Roughrider is up to the task.
“Obviously, there is going to be a little bit more pressure when you’re actually out there doing it,” explained Dolegala.
“Practice is going to be different, taking all the reps. But you’ve got to go about the actual mental side of it the same way and be as ready as you can.”
Added Rick Campbell: “He’s the exact reason we sign a guy with experience, is for these situations,” said Rick Campbell. What we always talk about in the off-season is it takes two to get it done and it’s no different this year. I know he’s going to be excited.”
And if the stingy Lion defence can force a couple of turnovers or key plays to set them up with a short field, advantage to the visitors. Their versatility could pay massive dividends.
“We’ve got a guy like Manny (Rugamba) coming back; that’s going to help us tremendously. You’ve seen it out here at practice. Having those extra couple of days off has meant guys are flying around every day,” said Peters.
“Christophe Beaulieu, AG (Adrian Greene), these guys are all interchangeable. We only carry seven or eight guys in this secondary. You have to be able to play every spot out there.”
2024 CFL Week 9: BC Lions at Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Steven Chang/BC Lions.
The Quarterbacks
# 9 Jake Dolegala- ironically, two of Dolegala’s finer performances with Saskatchewan last season came against BC. His first start came at Mosaic Stadium where the Riders held off a furious Lions comeback attempt before they held on to win 34-29. One month later, he recorded a career-high 409 passing yards when the Riders fell 33-26.
# 2 Tre Ford– the Canadian pivot has been behind centre for each of the last five Elk victories dating back to last season. Against the Riders last week, he went 18/22 for 252 yards and two touchdown strikes while adding 46 rushing yards on five carries for an Edmonton offence that was just as dangerous on the ground.
3 Lions To Watch
RB # 31 William Stanback- his impact on the offence is bound to increase. Establishing the run might serve the offence well and take some pressure off Dolegala and the passing game.
WR # 13 Alexander Hollins- who will emerge as the favourite target for Dolegala? Hollins has been quiet during this losing streak with only four catches for ten yards in the last two contests. We predict a breakout sooner rather than later.
DB # 33 Manny Rugamba- as Peters said, Manny returns at his familiar SAM linebacker spot after missing the last two weeks due to a knee injury. Rugamba’s athletic prowess is expected to be a welcome addition as the defensive unit looks to neutralize Ford and the run-pass option capability of Edmonton’s offence.
Extra Yards
Viewers can tune in on TSN in Canada and CBS Sports Network south of the border with streaming available on CFL+. Bob Marjanovich and Giulio Caravatta have the radio call on 980 CKNW and the Lions Audio Network beginning at 3:00 pm. Punjabi listeners can tune in on Sher-E-Punjab Radio AM 600 as Harpreet Pandher and Taqdeer Thindal are on with the pre-game show starting at 3:30 pm.
The Lions are riding an eight-game winning streak against Edmonton with the last loss coming back on August 19 of 2021. That week three contest served as the Lions’ home opener and the first game of Amar Doman’s tenure as team owner. The quarterback matchup that night featured Trevor Harris outduelling Michael Reilly.
The eight Lion victories since then have featured six different variations of starting quarterbacks between the two teams. The only repeat matchups featured Nathan Rourke vs. Taylor Cornelius and Adams Jr. vs. Ford (twice each). The other four matchups are as follows: Rourke vs. Nick Arbuckle, Adams vs. Cornelius, Dane Evans vs. Cornelius and in week three of this season we saw Adams vs. McLeod Bethel Thompson. Sunday features yet another new matchup with Dolegala and Ford duking it out.
Jevon Cottoy returns to the lineup after a rib injury kept him out of action for three games. Tibo Debaillie returns after missing the same amount of time with a chest injury that sent him to hospital in Hamilton on July 7. Fellow defensive lineman Juliano Falaniko makes his debut in place of Amir Siddiqi (knee).
Despite being held without a catch in Winnipeg, Justin McInnis still entered week 10 as the CFL’s leader with 780 receiving yards.
Although he is now backing up Rugamba on defence, Patrice Rene should make an impact both in certain defensive packages and on special teams. Rene has at least one special team tackle in seven of eight games this season.