B.C. Lions send Redblacks to the kids’ table in Gravy Bowl victory (& nine other thoughts)

Photo courtesy: Jill Meagher/B.C. Lions

The Lions avoided looking like turkeys on Thanksgiving weekend, dishing up a second blowout against the winless Ottawa Redblacks and covering the widest spread of the year. The 41-20 victory gave fans something to be thankful for at family dinner, as it officially secured B.C. a playoff spot.

Here are my thoughts on the game.

Gravy train

The Lions carved up Ottawa like a proud patriarch in front of his guests, using a variety of implements to get the carcass completely clean. There is no doubt, though, that the majority of the heavy lifting was done by the twin blades of their electric carving knife — also known as the backfield duo of Zander Horvath and James Butler.

Horvath had been quiet for several weeks entering this contest, but was back to his bruising ways against the Redblacks. With the exception of an uncharacteristic short-yardage stop in the second quarter, he was relentless in getting the hard yards and generated 89 on 14 carries. You could argue that the game flipped when he ripped off a 33-yard run late in the third quarter, and his two rushing touchdowns brought him within one of tying Mike Pringle for the single-season CFL record.

However, it was Butler who truly led the way on Friday night. The 31-year-old, who was surpassed in the rotation by Horvath back in Week 9, had arguably his finest performance of the year, amassing 141 all-purpose yards and a major on 10 touches. His success provided a noticeable spark for his teammates, who have watched Butler handle his demotion with grace. A 55-yard romp on a beautifully designed screen pass late in the fourth quarter effectively iced the game, and he matched Horvath with three runs of over 10 yards, including the final touchdown.

When this tandem first started splitting reps in earnest, I was skeptical. Butler’s continued presence felt forced, more of a detraction from Horvath’s ground game success than an additive element. That is no longer the case. Over the past two weeks, head coach and offensive playcaller Buck Pierce has found a way to use both players effectively and reignite the rushing attack. If it continues, that will be a luxury in the postseason, where the Lions have so often been accused of being soft and pass-centric.

Basting the bird

A proper Thanksgiving dinner can’t be rushed, and the B.C. Lions’ defence took their time getting the Redblacks up to temperature. Despite dominant numbers across the board, there were moments when it felt as if they set the oven too low, with some uncharacteristic mistakes taking an early toll. Daniel Adeboboye found some early success against the league’s best run-stopping unit and was uncovered on a touchdown catch, while a 37-yard catch in behind coverage from Justin Hardy in the third quarter seemed to put the lead in jeopardy.

However, like all good cooks, Mike Benevides’ group are patient and responsive. They may have caught a break when Ottawa inexplicably tried to run on second-and-goal after that bust, but the result remains the same. Adeboboye’s scamper in the first quarter was the only touchdown allowed all night, and they continued to come up with timely stops when needed.

The results were best when the Lions were able to ratchet up the pressure, resulting in five sacks. Two of those, one from Mathieu Betts and another by Casey Sayles, included forced fumbles, which each set up B.C. touchdowns. So too did a Deontai Williams interception in the fourth quarter, while a turnover on downs created by a Jackson Findlay pass breakup completed a quartet of takeaways.

Stantley Thomas-Oliver nearly added two more picks from his cornerback spot, but couldn’t reel in either of them. There was also a forced fumble on special teams, which Ottawa managed to recover. B.C. entered this week ranked second in total defence, but were just fifth in sacks and sixth in takeaways. Both of those numbers should improve after this one.

Mixing aromas

The smell of a roasting holiday feast is one of life’s greatest pleasures, but the Lions allowed the putrid aroma of the Redblacks to linger longer than ideal during this particular celebration. That was primarily on account of three turnovers from the B.C. offence, which made the score a lot closer than it should have been after a blazing hot start.

The first key mistake came in the second quarter on the heels of a couple of tremendous runs from Butler. On third-and-two, the Lions elected to gamble and go tempo, rushing Horvath up under centre for a quick sneak attempt. The play was poorly blocked, and he was immediately caught flat-footed in the backfield. I admire the aggressiveness, but this was an ill-conceived idea, and it felt like Horvath wasn’t ready to operate to full capacity. A no-huddle third-down gamble needs a real QB operating it.

Nathan Rourke made his own mistake late in the half. The Canadian quarterback was generally excellent, completing 80.6 percent of his passes for 360 yards and three touchdowns, but he delivered a throw late, high, and off-centre to Keon Hatcher while pressing to add points in the final minute. Alonzo Addae was able to come up with the interception, setting up an Ottawa field goal.

The final turnover came on first-and-20 in the third quarter, when Hatcher was battling for extra yards. In contact with two defenders, he lost his handle on the football and coughed it up to the defence. All three turnovers came when B.C. looked to be putting together scoring drives, and contributed to Ottawa cutting the deficit to three points.

Rourke expressed dissatisfaction with those mistakes post-game, noting that it is difficult for teams to win consistently when they commit three turnovers, but it wasn’t enough to overpower the smell of bubbling fat and drippings on this occasion. Just as they have done throughout this remarkable stretch, the Lions mounted an impressive drive in response to the Redblacks closing the gap and kept pouring on the points.

A week after they were held without a touchdown and went zero-for-four in the red zone, they responded with six majors and five successful red zone trips. All told, B.C. amassed 531 offensive yards. I don’t care how bad your opponent is; that is pretty damn impressive, especially when there were opportunities missed.

All the fixings

I’m not one to engage in conspiracy theories, but the refereeing through the middle part of Friday’s contest was enough to make the tinfoil hat-wearing members of the Lions fanbase wonder if the fix was in.

The questionable officiating began when Robert Carter Jr. was flagged for pass interference against Kalil Pimpleton in Ottawa’s own end. There was certainly some grabbing on the play from the recent NFL returnee, but nothing that appeared to impact the receiver’s ability to run his route. It was, at best, a borderline flag, much less egregious than the two non-calls that followed it.

Later in the drive, Daniel Adeboboye caught a swing pass out of the backfield and turned upfield for an easy 18-yard touchdown. Leaving the Canadian running back completely uncovered was a lapse from the B.C. defence, but the score shouldn’t have counted. As Adeboboye made his final push towards the end zone, he powered past Stantley Thomas-Oliver near the sideline, and the defensive back couldn’t make the tackle because he was being pulled back by Pimpleton. Slow down any football play, and you’ll find a missed hold, but those calls need to be made when they come at the point of attack. It was a miss, plain and simple.

However, the worst officiating decision came on B.C.’s ensuing offensive drive. Nathan Rourke targeted Keon Hatcher at the first-down marker, but Ahmari Harvey delivered a blow to break up the pass. It was clear to the naked eye that the contact was early — I’m not particularly observant, and even I clocked it right away — but no call was made. Buck Pierce correctly threw the challenge flag, and every subsequent replay confirmed his assessment, but the brain trust in Toronto deemed the evidence not clear and obvious enough to overturn. I’m a consummate defender of CFL officials and the concept of replay review, but this was an indefensible call whether you watched it at full speed or slow motion.

The Lions were victimized by another blatant missed call in the third quarter, when Ottawa defensive end Jessie Evans got two hands inside Rourke’s nameplate and hauled him down from behind during a risky incompletion. Flags flew on the play, but after an unusually long conference, the ruling was announced as holding against B.C. left tackle Kory Woodruff. To be clear, there may have been a hold committed, but there absolutely was a horsecollar. How that gets ignored against one of the league’s marquee stars is beyond me.

Cran-Berryhill sauce

It seems as if every member of the B.C. Lions’ receiving corps has had their day in the sun this season. This week, it was Stanley Berryhill III’s moment to shine.

The third-year Leo announced his presence with a 27-yard catch on the game’s opening drive, which helped set up a B.C. touchdown. He would finish with six receptions for a team-high 105 yards and a touchdown, which came at great personal cost thanks to a shot to the hip from Ahmari Harvey. After writhing in pain, Berryhill was able to return to the game.

The Lions’ top two targets, Hatcher and Justin McInnis, have seen their production drop marginally this year, but the passing attack as a whole has become more multi-faceted. Any given week, Berryhill, Jevon Cottoy, or Jermaine Jackson Jr. could hurt you just as bad as the perennial all-stars. That might be a byproduct of defences taking away certain deep shots, but it makes the team healthier in the long run.

Undecided voter

B.C. voters are slated to head to the polls later this month, but the ballot box is also looming for CFL media members. If history holds, votes for team awards should be requested sometime next week, and it is worth getting a head start on those conversations.

In my estimation, the Lions have five slam-dunk selections among the six awards. Sean Whyte is the obvious choice for Most Outstanding Special Teams Player. Kory Woodruff is head and shoulders above the rest of the candidates for Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman. Parker McKenna should be the West Division finalist for Most Outstanding Rookie. Mathieu Betts, Justin McInnis, and Jevon Cottoy have all made compelling cases for Most Outstanding Canadian, but ultimately that nomination belongs to Nathan Rourke. A similar statement has been made for Most Outstanding Defensive Player, where Darnell Sankey deserves the nod over Betts or Deontai Williams.

The challenging vote in B.C. will be deciding on a Most Outstanding Player. A few weeks ago, it appeared as though Zander Horvath might force his way into this conversation, but his pace has cooled considerably. Keon Hatcher Sr. also falls into the “also ran” category, with strong numbers but nothing so overwhelming as to force his way into the conversation. Given the other selections laid out above, that leaves a meaningful debate between Rourke and Sankey for the top honour.

Rourke, by his own admission, hasn’t lived up to the lofty expectations he set last year, but at times the criticism of him has been overblown. Even at his worst, he has provided high-level quarterbacking on par with several other M.O.P. candidates. If he were the selection, he certainly wouldn’t look out of place, particularly given the traditional offensive skew of this award.

With that said, I’d lean towards Sankey. This team has been defined by its defence, and he has been the unquestioned leader of that. Not only has he packed the stat sheet, but those numbers have made an impact. This is a meaningfully better unit because of what he has brought to the table.

With eight tackles and a quarterback sack on Friday, Sankey became just the second player in CFL history to surpass 100 tackles in three consecutive seasons, joining Hall of Famer Willie Pless. If that isn’t outstanding, I don’t know what is.

Rude hosts

The Redblacks elected to roll with veteran McLeod Bethel-Thompson at quarterback against the Lions, reserving rookie Bryson Barnes’ inaugural start for less dominant or motivated opponents in the coming weeks. However, the Utah State product did get a taste of action late in the fourth quarter, which went about as bad as expected.

Backed up in the shadow of his goal post, Barnes was sacked on back-to-back snaps, first by Jonah Tavai and then Darnell Sankey. It was a party at the inexperienced passer, and everybody was invited. He finished the game without getting off a single throw.

B.C. linebacker Wesley Steiner had much better luck in his CFL debut. After joining the team on Tuesday, he made two special teams tackles and immediately looked the part. When someone brings a new person to family Thanksgiving, you can tell pretty quickly if they are going to fit in. Steiner seems like he will.

Head of the table

Sean Whyte wasn’t asked to kick any field goals after setting a franchise record last week. In fact, the 40-year-old committed a rare error when he missed an extra point and saw it returned for two by Kalil Pimpleton. However, that did little to diminish the love that fans have for him.

The White Rock, B.C., native got a rousing cheer from the assembled crowd when he caught a pass thrown out of bounds by Rourke late in the first half, quickly turning upfield as if he was a threat to score. The quarterback joked postgame that Whyte can still do anything he sets his mind to at this stage of his career, even catch a touchdown pass. Trick play anyone?

Whyte said earlier this week that he has no intention of retiring after this season. The Lions will face a choice with upcoming rule changes putting an emphasis on bigger legs, but I don’t know how you can take away the carving knife from the head of the household before he is ready to hand it off himself.

Time for dessert

After a 1-5 start to the season, the Lions are officially playoff-bound. They are in the driver’s seat to secure a home postseason date next week and could even catch Edmonton for first place, so long as they get some help from Winnipeg and Saskatchewan. That is pretty remarkable.

This roster appears to have a special bond and all the tools to make noise in the big dance. There is work still to be done, but it is okay for the team to let the tryptophan hit them and enjoy this result for a moment. Just make sure you have room for pumpkin pie later.

The Lions (10-6) will return to action on Saturday, October 17, when they visit the Calgary Stampeders. Kickoff from McMahon Stadium is slated for 4:00 p.m. PT.