The B.C. Lions have officially re-entered the Grey Cup conversation, beating up on the reigning champion Montreal Alouettes 37-23 to secure their second straight victory.
Here are my thoughts on the game.
Don’t get mad, get even
William Stanback made his first trip back to Montreal in a visiting uniform on Friday night and made a compelling statement as to why his former team should have kept him around.
The 30-year-old back called the province of Quebec home for five seasons before unceremoniously being allowed to walk this offseason, leaving behind a legacy that includes two all-star selections, an East Division M.O.P. nod, and a Grey Cup ring. The Alouettes honoured that service by refusing to even entertain the possibility of a contract extension and Stanback responded in kind by ramming the football down the throat of his ex-franchise at the earliest opportunity.
Stanback was already on a heater entering this game and has been the Lions’ most consistent offensive player this year. While he may have been at the centre of two of the team’s four turnovers — which we’ll discuss further in a moment — those errors were just blips on the radar of an incredible performance. 22 touches turned into 156 total yards from scrimmage and was highlighted by arguably the best touchdown of his career, as he busted off-tackle in the third quarter, broke six tackles and manhandled Titus Wall with a stiff arm to produce a 38-yard major.
“It solidifies who I am and who I continue to be for my team. This is why they signed me and this is what I do,” Stanback said of the play.
My thoughts on the replaceability of running backs are well-documented at this stage and I can’t be convinced that going with a younger receiving back in Walter Fletcher has made Montreal a worse team this year — he had 93 yards himself in this game, mostly through the air. What I have come around to is that the addition of Stanback by the Lions was worth the slight surcharge from last year’s inconsistent stable of rookies. He is the right type of player in the right type of system and he proved in Montreal that he has the right motivation as well: a burning desire to not only run through his former employer but spoil their hopes of a Grey Cup repeat.
Stanback got his wish this week and “stomped” the Alouettes. I still don’t think he’s satisfied.
Deflecting blame
The box score is a cruel trickster and it is disappointing that some segments of the CFL fandom will choose to spend the next week talking about this game as a three-interception performance by Nathan Rourke — the first of his career. Nine turnovers in four games isn’t exactly a flattering look, it’s true, but in some ways, the Canadian QB looked better on this pick-heavy evening than he did in his breakout last week.
No matter what the mouth-breathers on X tell you, Rourke’s first two interceptions of this game weren’t his fault. On the first, he rolled right on a play-action pass and drilled a throw right into the hands of Justin McInnis, who kindly acted as a volleyball setter for Bryce Cosby. On the second, Stanback couldn’t squeeze the ball on a quick hitch and deflected it skyward for Marc-Antoine Dequoy. Neither of those throws were 100 percent perfect but they were the right reads and hit the receivers in the hands — you can’t ask for much more than that.
Rourke was entirely at fault on his third interception, a long out thrown inside of Alexander Hollins that he was lucky Dionte Ruffin didn’t take to the house. He’ll want that throw back but it was the only real blemish on a night when he connected on 22-of-28 passes for 304 yards. The 26-year-old looked completely in control throughout the game and got the ball out with remarkable efficiency. A couple of the wide field throws were sensational, his ability to extend plays continued to shine through, and his touchdown pass to Ayden Eberhardt was a perfect bullet that might have lodged in the receiver’s face mask if he didn’t get his hands up.
Reducing turnovers will continue to be a focus for Rourke but don’t let this statline fool you — his upward trajectory still hasn’t peeked.
Life of the party (in the backfield)
In every social grouping, there seems to be that one friend who makes the whole thing work. The party simply can’t start until they walk in and their energy brings people together. The ice is broken, casual acquaintances loosen up thanks to their shared camaraderie, and the social flow continues even after the lynchpin has walked out.
It feels like Mathieu Betts is exactly that for the B.C. Lions’ defensive line. It’s not as if he has taken over the two games he’s played since returning from the NFL, but his presence seems to have the rest of the group playing faster and looser. The pressure he generates off the edge creates chances for others, sure, but his energy and motor seem to be infectious even when he has rotated to the sidelines.
Betts took down Cody Fajardo once in this game, making a great play on an RPO, but was ultimately not awarded a sack as the quarterback made it to the line of scrimmage. Four other Lions did get home in what was the defensive line’s most complete outing of the year.
Christian Covington continued to show a side to his game that was absent for the first half of the season, taking down Fajardo with an inside twist early. Global Tibo Debaillie did a compelling mop-up job after a blitz from Emmanuel Rugamba and Jonah Tavai opened the second half with a strip sack when he beat Betts on a race to the QB. Sione Teuhema also lambasted Fajardo after flying in from an off-ball position on a draw play, and unheralded Josh Banks had the best play of them all when he tackled Walter Fletcher for a loss in the third.
The Alouettes have one of the only elite offensive lines in the CFL and the Lions took them to the woodshed all night. It’s truly remarkable what a difference a few weeks — and one key addition — can make.
Hollins back ballin’
The Lions continue to be a receiver-by-committee team with Nathan Rourke at the helm but it was great to see Alexander Hollins leading the team through the air once again. The 27-year-old has alternated between dreadful and invisible since Week 6 but he was a difference-maker in Montreal, catching six passes for 78 yards.
Offensive coordinator Jordan Maksymic had a wonderfully balanced game plan in this one, but his top mission seemed to be getting Hollins the ball early. Rourke obliged and Hollins went to work on the perimeter, making a number of great plays on out-breaking routes. His most impactful play wasn’t even a completion, as he came up just short on a deep post after being interfered with by Marc-Antoine Dequoy and the ensuing penalty set up B.C. for a score.
Hollins tends to wear his emotions on his sleeve and you could see a noticeable improvement in his body language after the early touches. He was consistent throughout the game and exploded with energy after every catch. If that can continue, it will go a long way to making B.C. the most dangerous offence in the CFL yet again.
Clear and oblivious
The Alouettes trailed this game by just four points at the half thanks to a 3-0 turnover margin, but the final takeaway that set up their first touchdown should never have been awarded.
William Stanback turned a catch in the flats up the right sideline for a 13-yard gain before being mobbed by defenders. As he was tossed to the turf, Kabion Ento pulled the ripcord and the ball came loose, but the runner was ruled down by contact. Jason Maas threw the challenge flag and the play was overturned on review — seemingly breaking with the command centre’s newfound emphasis on clear and obvious calls.
While there was no question that the football came out, I would challenge anyone to show me a video angle that shows when Stanback actually lost control. It was impossible to tell on the broadcast whether or not that was before his ample butt cheeks planted into the ground. Given that lack of evidence, the call on the field should have stood in accordance with the directives the league has given to video officials. There was no clear, unobstructed view and the correct outcome certainly wasn’t obvious.
A second challenge thrown by Maas in the third quarter was correctly rejected on review, as Ronald Kent Jr. arrived with bang-bang timing to disrupt Cole Spieker in the end zone. However, the review guidelines were made public a couple of weeks ago because fans are demanding consistency. The officials missed that mark in this one.
Stunt doubles
The heart of the Lions’ defence this year was supposed to be a dynamic linebacking duo, with Josh Woods serving as an over-achieving Robin to Ben Hladik’s Canadian Batman. That never really got a chance to manifest, as Woods was lost for the season after just four games and Hladik’s brilliant start to the campaign has been derailed by injuries as of late.
It’s taken a while for those down the depth chart to find similar footing but Friday was as good of an imitation of the starters as I’ve seen this year. Second-year Canadian Ryder Varga played like his hair was on fire, finishing with nine tackles and a brilliant knockdown in the end zone. Rookie American Ace Eley was quieter statistically with just five tackles but easily looked the best he has in the role to this point.
If you squinted hard enough, you might have thought you were watching B.C.’s original starters — and it wasn’t just clever camera angles. These two stunt doubles are ready for prime time, which should make for some interesting roster decisions down the line.
Caught in a super Nova (Scotian)
The Lions’ biggest question mark this week was the left side of their offensive line, where Canadian David Knevel was stepping in at left tackle for the injured Jarell Broxton and rookie Kory Woodruff was making his first career start at guard in place of Tyler Packer.
The make-shift unit was about as good as you could have expected, with Rourke’s mobility and clever play-calling doing a lot of heavy lifting to protect them. However, there were still some ugly busts up front and whenever they occurred there seemed to be one man in the backfield: Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund.
The Canadian defensive end — who might have been a Lion if not for a draft day trade that ultimately landed the team the pick they used on Nathan Rourk — was a regular presence in the face of his classmate. It started on the third drive, when Adeyemi-Berglund split the two new starters and forced a fumbled exchange on a running play already thrown into chaos by a bad snap. Rourke recovered and Sean Whyte kicked a field goal but the tone was set.
The native of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia hauled Rourke down with one arm for a sack on an effort rush against Kent Perkins. He generated pressure off the other side on the drive that led up to Ayden Eberhardt’s touchdown catch and forced B.C.’s quarterback to flee the pocket. He helped force a field goal when Knevel didn’t pick him up on another run play in the red zone and blew past the heavy-footed veteran for a second sack later in the game.
With all due respect to Adeyemi-Berglund, he isn’t exactly in the upper echelon of CFL pass rushers. The fact that the Lions — and particularly their spot starters — had such difficulty with him is a pretty good indication that those positions need to be reinforced when Chris Schleuger becomes available next week.
Mack talk
I have been a huge supporter of David Mackie’s usage as a short-yardage quarterback this season and Friday’s game provided us with the greatest highlight so far. The versatile fullback set up on second-and-one on the game’s first drive and broke free off the right side, scampering for a 23-yard touchdown run.
Mackie is one of the most underrated athletes in the league — if you want a fun watch, go back and check out his Western University highlight tape — and his run had shades of Rourke’s infamous short-yardage touchdown from 2022, albeit much shorter. The Alouettes were missing a body off the edge which helped create the mismatch but a lot of credit goes to Riley Pickett. The former defensive lineman turned sometimes long snapper, sometimes fullback executed a beautiful double team and climbed to seal the linebacker, allowing his teammate to go untouched.
Not to be outdone, Rourke managed to put the game away with an 18-yard short-yardage run of his own in the fourth quarter. This one was meant to go up the middle until David Knevel got knocked on his backside, but the dual-threat QB kept his feet and bounced to the left. Receiver Keon Hatcher got the assist here, giving his signal caller some exceptional downfield blocking.
The big plays were particularly well-timed given that they came against an Alouettes team using Dominique Davis to run their jumbo package — the man who was in charge of sneaking for B.C. last year. The veteran was a whole lot more effective at his job in this game than he was for the Lions in 2023, nearly busting for two big runs of his own off the edge. He was just tripped up by T.J. Lee while marching early in the second quarter and then stopped by Varga at the goal line in the fourth, scoring up the middle a play later.
Not for nothing
If anyone was expecting the Alouettes to take things easy after clinching a playoff spot by default last week, you were seriously mistaken. Jason Maas was the boldest he’s ever been with his decision-making in this game — and that’s saying something.
That trend started at the end of the first half when Maas dialled up an end-zone fade to Cole Spieker with five seconds left, overcoming great coverage from Ronald Kent Jr. for a major. If the throw had been incomplete, time would have expired and the Alouettes would have wasted a shot at easy points in a close game. His thought process of touchdown-or-bust frankly should be used by more coaches.
Early in the fourth quarter, Maas could have elected to kick another easy field goal but went for it on third-and-three in the red zone. Fajardo found Jose Barbon to convert and it set up a Davis’ touchdown sneak. The Alouettes followed that up with a surprise onside kick which they recovered on a good bounce, although it would not result in points.
Those coaching decisions were both audacious and well-executed, which is the reason Montreal has a championship ring in their lockers and 10 wins under their belts. However, the way the Lions responded was equally impressive. Whether it was Maas rolling a nat 20 or the bevy of turnovers, there were plenty of opportunities for this game to slip away against a team known for their comeback ability. It never did and B.C. never even seemed uncomfortable.
Throughout the recent losing streak, head coach Rick Campbell kept preaching that nobody was coming to save this team, they had to save themselves. Every time the offence needed to be bailed out in this game, the defence had a bucket in hand. When the defence needed a life raft, the offence blew one up with a decisive drive. They became self-reliant through complete and complimentary football and it was a pleasure to watch.
Coming up for air
With two straight victories over what are statistically the top teams in the CFL, the Lions are back on track and could end the week in first place in the West if Saskatchewan can upset Winnipeg in the Banjo Bowl.
B.C. finally has their head above water and a win over the Toronto Argonauts at home next Friday would put them on dry land. They follow that up with a bye week and clashes with the moribund Tiger-Cats and Stampeders — both highly winnable games. The path to double-digit victories is clear if they can follow it and avoid falling back into the murky abyss.
