B.C. Lions bathe in bad blood, deliver bare-knuckle beatdown to Alouettes (& 14 other thoughts)

Photo courtesy: Steven Chang/B.C. Lions

The B.C. Lions and Montreal Alouettes renewed hostilities in the truest sense of the word on Saturday night in Vancouver, treating the 23,380 fans in attendance at BC Place to a wildly entertaining and chippy affair. In the end, it was the home side that exacted revenge for their loss last week, beating up the CFL’s top team in a 48-29 victory.

Here are my thoughts on the game.

Standard bearers

Talking points were not hard to find in Week 15, but before we get lost in the sordid details, it is important to acknowledge the Lions’ overall accomplishment. This was by far the team’s best and most complete victory, a statement that they are legitimate contenders for the stretch run. When the team talks about championship standards, this is what they look like.

It should come as no surprise that Mike Benevides’ defence was lights out yet again, holding the CFL’s most dangerous offensive attack to just two touchdowns and scoring one of their own. They made Davis Alexander, Tyson Philpot, and Tyler Snead look ordinary — a feat that virtually no other team has come close to achieving. A last-minute shuffle of the lineup appeared not to affect their dominance.

More impressive, in large part because it has been less routine, was the exceptional play of the offence. Though big plays down the field remained hard to come by, everything else came easier than it has all season. Montreal got their licks in, most of them courtesy of star linebacker Tyrice Beverette, but none came as a result of unforced errors, and there was always a response around the corner. Buck Pierce was sharp with his playcalling, and sharper on an early challenge, flipping the script by turning an end zone interception into a touchdown opportunity.

After providing me with an honest and insightful analysis of the state of the offence earlier this week, Nathan Rourke was everything he’s regretted not being this season. With the exception of an early slip, he was decisive with his arm and with his legs, seeing the field with incredible clarity. His legs seemed to set the tone, as he scampered for 77 yards and a spectacular touchdown, while he managed to go without an interception for the first time since the season opener. He finished 72.7 percent passing for 317 yards and a touchdown in easily his cleanest outing of the year.

If this is what we can expect from the Lions in the coming weeks, the rest of the CFL better watch out.

The best of enemies

While last week’s meeting between these two teams was billed as a duel between the CFL’s best young quarterbacks, Nathan Rourke’s face was scrubbed off the marquee this week in favour of Mathieu Betts. The two-time Most Outstanding Defensive Player’s heated exchanges with Davis Alexander in Montreal captured the national imagination, and their grudge match lived up to the hype.

It was Betts who drew first blood, chasing down the Alouettes quarterback after he was flushed from the pocket by Casey Sayles early in the first quarter. The sack helped to spell the end of the drive, though a holding penalty would have erased any gain regardless.

The Jaws theme song continued to play softly in the background until the two combatants met again late in the first half. Betts came around the horn and reeled in Alexander as he stepped up in the pocket, forcing an incompletion. The Canadian defensive end maintained a firm grip on the quarterback’s arm as they went to the turf, which prompted Alexander to deliver a few shots as he got up. It was a borderline dirty play from a player who lives on that razor’s edge, and I’m unsurprised it drew a reaction both in the moment and post-game.

From there, the officials came dangerously close to losing control of the football game, foreshadowing future chaos. As they gathered to sort out the specifics of the play, Alexander continued to jaw at Betts. Jason Maas challenged the play, believing that a fumble had been forced that Montreal had recovered for a first down, allowing more time for the 27-year-old to get in his veteran opponent’s face. The two sides converged, and a scrum nearly erupted before they were sent their separate ways.

The replay centre ruled an incomplete pass, but also determined that there was a horsecollar tackle by Betts. That is one of the few penalties which the replay centre can assess without a specific challenge, and it was the right call. However, it only gave Alexander another excuse to get in the Laval product’s grill, as he admirably tried to turn the other cheek.

Whatever words Alexander had to share will likely remain known only to the players on the field, but I can virtually guarantee he wasn’t congratulating Betts on his new contract extension. I have it on fairly good authority that the M.O.P. frontrunner wasn’t too happy with how his trash-talking ability was characterized by the pass rusher in an article I wrote earlier this week. He entered the game with a point to prove, and this gave him an excuse to air his grievances.

Betts mostly faded from the spotlight until late in the fourth quarter, when he was assessed a 25-yard penalty and disqualified. He was not made available to the media post-game, and it is unclear what drew the flag, as the only replay seemed to show a mild interaction with centre Cyrille Hogan-Saindon. Perhaps the referees had simply lost patience, though they should be criticized for not putting their foot down earlier.

I have no issue with a little lip between competitors, but frankly, I felt the Alexander was pushing the bounds of decency with his persistence. A flag should have been thrown to send a message.

Brawl ’til you call

It was only a year ago that the Lions and Alouettes exchanged pleasantries with a post-game dust-up in Montreal, and the legacy of that fight seemed to hang over this game. There is mutual respect between these teams, but no love lost.

That boiled over most aggressively in the third quarter, when Cristophe Beaulieu scooped up a loose ball on defence and raced down the Als’ sideline on the return. The Canadian defensive back, who was making his return to the lineup after recovering from a torn ACL suffered last year, stepped out of bounds after a sizeable gain, but was promptly blasted by an unlikely tackler in receiver Tyson Philpot. The hit was clearly late, and halfback Ronald Kent Jr. saw nothing but red, blowing up the CFL receiving leader from behind to defend his teammate. Next came Tyler Snead to clean Kent’s clock, followed by virtually every player on the field and half the Montreal bench.

Philpot, Kent, and Snead were all penalized for the brouhaha, though all of them remained in the game. For what it’s worth, Beaulieu did not believe that the hit was intentionally dirty, and Philpot and Kent buried the hatchet with each other post-game.

I’m sure several fines will be coming down the pipe next week, but the guiltiest party in this game may have been the officials themselves. Beaulieu never should have been hit along the sidelines because the play never should have been allowed to continue that far. Running back Stevie Scott III was clearly down by contact when the ball was popped loose by the ground, and the choice to hold the whistle resulted in dangerous circumstances for all involved.

All in all, I thought this game was especially poorly officiated by head referee Tim Kroeker and his crew, not because of any egregiously missed calls, but because it felt like they couldn’t keep a handle on the action. They laboured over every decision, and emotions bubbled to the surface during each delay. They never laid the hammer down or sent a message condemning the extracurriculars. To be frank, I’m surprised that there weren’t even more incidents.

If these teams meet again in the postseason, the bad blood will only have longer to stew. Whichever crew officiates that game will need a much firmer hand.

Coming up clutch

After suffering from a case of the drops last week, Keon Hatcher Sr. rebounded with a quintessential receiving performance that demonstrated his full range. He hauled in nine receptions for 137 yards and a touchdown, stacking up acrobatic grabs and tightly contested catches down the field. With some of the league’s best receiving talent playing in this game, he was the top dog, and it wasn’t particularly close.

The night nearly ended in disaster, though. Late in the fourth quarter, Jermaine Jackson came around the corner on a 20-yard end-around and took advantage of some brilliant blocking from Hatcher. As he went by, safety Nate Beauchemin missed the tackle and took out the 32-year-old from behind, rolling up on the back of his legs.

It was the type of play that often results in torn ligaments and season-ending injuries, and there was considerable concern for Hatcher as he remained down on the ground. Fortunately, the All-CFL standout was able to return to the field later that same drive, though not without an assist from third-string quarterback Chase Brice.

Rather than an Achilles tendon giving way, it was Hatcher’s cleats that apparently tore apart under the pressure, and Brice made a heads-up play to sprint to the locker room to fetch a new pair. Because of his hustle, Hatcher helped set up B.C.’s final touchdown with another tough catch.

Not for the faint-hearted

Middle linebacker Darnell Sankey was handing out fist bumps as he left the locker room after the victory, and I gained a new appreciation for the pain and suffering offensive players across the CFL experience weekly. My knuckles are still aching, and I fear that I need to go get an X-ray.

Every time the 31-year-old gets a chance to initiate contact, he makes his presence felt. Unfortunately for quarterbacks and running backs in this league, it’s usually in a more substantial manner than a simple greeting. He came through hot to drill Davis Alexander on a couple of occasions with clean hits he’ll feel into next week.

Sankey finished this game with nine defensive tackles, though it sometimes felt as if he was in on every single one. For the fourth time in two games against his former team, he came over the top of the pile to stuff Terry Wilson on short-yardage and force a turnover. He also added a pair of knockdowns, one of which was nearly intercepted. It was pure excellence from start to finish, which is what we’ve come to expect from him as the leader of the CFL’s best defensive unit over the last third of the season.

Big boys ball too

Everybody loves it when a big man scores, and this game offered a two-for-one deal on jumbo-sized touchdowns. Whichever team you cheered for, there was something for everyone.

The first came courtesy of the Lions early in the second quarter, as blanket coverage downfield kept Alexander pinned in the pocket. Levi Bell was relentless in pursuit of the QB, fighting off left tackle Des Holmes and a chip from the running back to apply late pressure, but Alexander managed to get the ball out. Unfortunately for him, veteran defensive tackle Casey Sayles had dropped off his rush and was waiting for the outlet pass to fullback Jacob Mason.

The interception was the first of his decorated CFL career, and he rumbled 43 yards to the end zone to add his first career touchdown. It seemed like the 290-pounder was searching hard for somebody to lateral to, but nobody was stealing his glory.

Not long after, it was Montreal defensive tackle Mustafa Johnson who followed Sayles’ example. Tyrice Beverette timed up his pressure perfectly off the right side and drilled Rourke before he knew that he was hot on the play, forcing a fumble. Johnson scooped up the loose pigskin and rumbled the rest of the way, with bodies flying behind him.

His play was more luck than skill, but the six points count the same — especially when you weigh three bills.

Closer to history

After being shut down last week, Zander Horvath had a bit of a revival on home turf, finishing with 69 total yards from scrimmage. There were some key plays in the mix, notably a back-breaking 17-yard reception in the fourth quarter that also drew a facemask penalty, but his real contribution came at the goal line, where he punched in three touchdowns.

It was Horvath’s sixth multi-touchdown game of the 2026 season, his third hat-trick performance, and it ups his total to 19 on the year. Just four more and he will tie Milt Stegall’s single-season CFL touchdown record, which feels very plausible now that he has five games to do it.

Stretching decency

Can someone please explain to me why Davis Alexander is allowed to lie on the ground and get medical attention on the field of play, but he doesn’t have to come out for three snaps?

The Alouettes’ quarterback utilized an injury stoppage in the third quarter, when Nathan Cherry went down, to get a trainer to stretch out a cramp in his leg. This wasn’t a situation where a teammate lent a helping hand in between whistles; it appeared to be actual medical treatment and should have counted as taking a knee. Just because another player went down first doesn’t mean you should be able to utilize a loophole.

As is often the case, the football corrected for the injustice of its own accord. Sankey nearly picked off Alexander on the very next play, then Tyson Philpot dropped a potential touchdown catch in behind the defence. Seems like poetic justice to me.

Unfortunate finish

If there was one flaw in the Lions’ performance on Saturday, it was the special teams coverage units, which struggled mightily to contain DeVonte Dedmon throughout the night. The 30-year-old had a couple of notable returns, including a 64-yarder, but saw his night end dramatically in the fourth quarter after Josh Hagerty went flying into his knee on a late kickoff.

Dedmon somersaulted in the air and came down hard on his legs. He remained down for a considerable amount of time before being stretchered off the field, with the training staff clearly fearing a break. That would be devastating news for a veteran who has had terrible injury luck lately, and I wish him the best.

Lights out

Generally, when a team flicks a switch on their first touchdown of the night, it means they have metaphorically started to perform better. Whoever was running the lights at BC Place on Saturday seemed to favour a more literal interpretation, as they cut the overheads immediately following Zander Horvath’s touchdown plunge at the end of the first quarter and punctuated the darkness with a strobe light display.

The unexpected change in brightness was more than a little disconcerting, as I can’t recall the Lions ever making such a dramatic lighting change after a score. Adding to the confusion was the fact that the in-stadium announcing team had not informed the assembled crowd of Buck Pierce’s successful challenge on the previous play, which turned a Montreal interception in the end zone into a B.C. goal line attempt. Everyone in attendance was both figuratively and literally in the dark.

Switching off the light source likely didn’t play well with the television broadcast, as the overheads were merely dimmed for subsequent majors. However, there was another sudden blackout during the commercial break after the three-minute warning in the second quarter. That visual display was accompanied by a video stating that the “Friday Night Lions” were loading, which once again raised some eyebrows given that it was, in fact, Saturday night.

Of course, the montage and light show were meant to advertise the team’s upcoming home games, which will take place on Fridays, but it briefly appeared that the Lions had forgotten the day of the week. Honestly, that was preferable to when it seemed like they had lost power.

Hold your nose

This game marked the return of the CFL’s most controversial play, as Cole Spieker executed the onside pooch punt to help Montreal escape a second-and-20 situation in the second quarter. The resulting fresh set of downs set up a Davis Alexander touchdown pass shortly afterwards.

I’ve heard a lot of visceral opinions about this particular rule. Some deem it a bailout for the offence. Others a bad gimmick. At least one person on X stated that they left the game after witnessing it, which seems like an awful waste and the exact type of balanced emotional reaction you’d expect from someone on that particular social media platform.

I come down on the side of it being a wonderful quirk of Canadiana, though it is worth noting that the amateur rulebook in this country does not allow for a first down to be awarded on a pooch kick unless the ball crosses the line to gain. In the CFL, it must only travel past the line of scrimmage. The latter would solve some of the complaints from the peanut gallery, though the current version of the rule forces defences to account for every blade of grass. That means more potential for big offensive plays in second-and-long scenarios.

Ultimately, I wouldn’t be devastated by a tweak of the rule, though I’m not in favour of a change right now. For the most part, my willingness to accept the status quo is because almost nobody takes advantage of this apparently glaring loophole. Only the Alouettes have successfully executed the play over the past few years, and only on a couple of occasions. People also tend to forget the times that they have tried and failed to pooch it — the play is harder than it looks.

My suggestion to any CFL coach or team looking to get this out of the game: call it your damn self. So long as this remains an anomaly executed rarely by a single franchise, it is justifiable as evidence of their superior creativity and coaching. If it starts happening left and right, the ensuing chaos will spark a real conversation.

Tail of the tape

The Lions got rid of their usual block party near Terry Fox Plaza this week in favour of the team’s first-ever official tailgate at the Plaza of Nations. By all accounts, the initiative was a roaring success, as spots sold out well in advance and there was plenty of foot traffic.

The demands of Saturday’s quadruple-header rendered me unable to check out the event, but it certainly made for a much quieter walk-up experience. Everyone I spoke to was full of praise, and I’m hopeful that this can become a regular fixture in the future.

Tailgating and football go together like peanut butter and jelly; one is always better with the other. The best gameday experiences are always preceded by someone grilling out of a truck bed in a parking lot. If the Lions can create that culture while maintaining their downtown proximity, they’ll have the best of both worlds.

Call to the Wall

It’s tough to find a weak Wall of Fame induction class, but you’d be hard-pressed to identify one as strong as the duo of Ryan Phillips and Travis Lulay. The pair were enshrined at halftime, and both represent the pinnacle of excellence for this organization at their respective positions.

Phillips is probably the best ballhawk I’ve ever seen in the CFL, and has been the connective tissue binding eras of defensive excellence together for close to 20 years. It is tough to imagine this franchise without him in it, and his work as a coach continues to be exemplary.

Lulay achieved dizzying heights as the starting quarterback in Vancouver, winning a Most Outstanding Player award and a Grey Cup. To me, one of the greatest what-ifs in CFL history is what he could have accomplished had he stayed healthy, but he was always a consummate professional through the late-career injuries. Nobody was tougher or more resilient, even as he was robbed of so many of his unique gifts.

For people of my generation, which includes Nathan Rourke, Lulay is the indelible image of a B.C. quarterback. The current Lions pivot grew up watching him play and admitted to being a little starstruck when they met for the first time pre-game. He told reporters that he wanted to greet the legend by his first name, then panicked and decided that might be disrespectful. He called an audible and went for “Mr. Lulay,” but tripped over his words and addressed him as “Mr. Travis” instead. At the age of 42, Lulay still evokes that level of admiration from the CFL’s best.

Calm before the storm

The Lions (7-6) enter their final bye week of the season in third place in the West Division and just one game back of Saskatchewan for second place. They could close that gap in one fell swoop when they return on Friday, September 25, against the Riders, which would give them the inside track on a home playoff game.

The playoff race should be a dogfight until the very end this season, and nobody is out of it yet. However, B.C. has some favourable matchups down the stretch, including games against Ottawa and Calgary. They control their own destiny if they want to keep BC Place rocking in November.