B.C. Lions do Stampeders a solid, suffer meaningless defeat (& nine other thoughts)

Photo courtesy: Zach Dittberner/B.C. Lions

The B.C. Lions took what they hope is the second of three road trips to McMahon Stadium on Saturday night, going through the motions on the field where the 113th Grey Cup will be awarded next month. After getting what they needed out of a tight first half, the Leos put their valuables in bubble wrap and fell 32-13 to the Calgary Stampeders.

Here are my thoughts on the game.

Quick hook

Thanks to the Edmonton Elks’ victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Friday night, this game meant nothing for B.C. Win or lose, they couldn’t move up or down in the standings, cemented in second place in the West Division.

Given the meaningless nature of the contest, there will be questions about why Nathan Rourke played in this game at all. The reality is that you don’t want your starting offence rusting for two full weeks prior to a playoff game. Some snaps were an unfortunate necessity to maintain delicate timing and chemistry, though that comes with very real risks, as the Toronto Argonauts learned the hard way this week.

The Lions, therefore, made the right decision by sitting Rourke down after halftime. The Canadian QB looked sharp through 30 minutes, completing eight-of-11 passes for 149 yards and a touchdown, which was perfectly placed on the back hip of Justin McInnis. He also got his legs moving on a 16-yard run and had nothing left to prove by playing further. The wheels were sufficiently greased and can now be placed in temporary storage.

B.C. played it safe with a couple of other key pieces, as veteran defensive back T.J. Lee and standout Canadian fullback Riley Pickett were both ruled out late after being listed as game-time decisions. Other veterans, like Mathieu Betts, Casey Sayles, Keon Hatcher, and Justin McInnis, found themselves on a pitch count. However, there was a notable casualty.

Defensive back Deontai Williams, who has had an all-star-calibre campaign this year, remained down after making a goal-line tackle early in the second quarter and was almost immediately ruled out with a head injury. Hopefully, that decision was made out of an abundance of caution, and he’ll be ready to go in the postseason.

As-Salter on the senses

Kaidon Salter arguably delivered the Lions their most important victory of the season when he ran roughshod over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in Week 9, kicking off B.C.’s dramatic turnaround. Lost in the dazzling rushing numbers he produced in that upset was how utterly inept he looked as a passer. With three more months of development under his belt, the second half in Calgary offered a chance at aerial redemption for the rookie quarterback.

Unfortunately, the results were equally as inconsistent. Salter completed just six-of-14 passes (42.9 percent) for 113 yards and an interception, peppering the field with errant throws. The arm strength is there in spades, but the touch, timing, and precision leave a lot to be desired. That’s polish that you hope the Colorado product can add to his game, but it appears there has been little progress since we last saw him.

Unlike the Bombers, Calgary did a great job adjusting to defend a running quarterback, sacking Salter three times and holding him to 23 yards rushing. You could tell that not being able to use his legs as a safety valve wreaked havoc on his effectiveness. As a result, the Lions were completely shut out in the second half.

To be entirely fair to the youngster, he saw significant minutes this week without the number of reps you would typically hope for. The game plan and practice schedule were skewed towards Rourke in the hopes that first place in the West would still be up for grabs. That hurts players with unique skill sets, like Salter, more than most when they have to come in underprepared.

Next week, where it is assumed Salter will get the start, will be a much more representative test of his development. It will provide the Lions with an invaluable opportunity to evaluate — and potentially showcase — an asset, and I hope they take full advantage by giving former NFL backup Chris Oladokun a test drive in the second half as well, even though he’s only been up north for a month.

B.C. needs a competent backup as insurance behind Rourke next year, but plenty of other teams need QB help as well. If you discover you have multiple players with upside, there could be an opportunity to flip one of them for a return — particularly in the case of a high-pedigree 29-year-old who wants to play now, like Oladokun.

Case of the runs

Given the stakes of the game and the heavy rotation of personnel, there aren’t many meaningful takeaways that can be pulled from B.C.’s defensive performance. 474 net yards is far below the standard that Mike Benevides’ unit has set for itself, but they weren’t exactly emptying the clip and going all out.

If there was anything to be concerned about, it was that this may have been the most technically unsound that the defence has played collectively since June. Missed tackles were frequent, and the league’s most dominant team against the run struggled to maintain gap integrity in the second half. Deonta McMahon was allowed to rush for 105 yards on nine carries, including a 50-yarder where T.J. Burke was blown out at the point of attack and Shaun Peterson Jr. failed to crash down. Setting the edge was a challenge on a couple of occasions, even against Ludovick Choquette, as Calgary tripled B.C.’s production on the ground with 151 total yards.

I don’t believe for a minute that this outing is a red flag for how the Lions will play going forward. If anything, it should provide some tape to re-emphasize the fundamentals ahead of the postseason.

Down on the bayou

One defensive player who did manage to distinguish himself was Canadian defensive back, Cristophe Beaulieu. Since returning from a torn ACL, the third-year man out of Laval has become a ratio-breaker at nickel, and he was all over the field in Calgary. The 26-year-old tied for the team lead with nine tackles and made a teach-tape interception in the third quarter when he read Vernon Adams Jr.’s eyes from the backside, coming across the field to rob a post route by Erik Brooks. It was as good a play as you’ll see at the position.

The Lions have already locked up Beaulieu for next season, which is a boon for them. It also means that colour commentator Paul LaPolice will have to learn how to pronounce his name, as he spent most of the first half referring to him as “Bayou,” like he was a marsh in the U.S. South.

As a frequent butcherer of names  — and words in general –on the 3DownNation Podcast, I have a great deal of empathy for the future Olympic head coach, who has a tremendous amount to remember while doing a broadcast and provides some awesome insights from the booth. Inadvertently, he may have stumbled into an etymological breakthrough. Academic consensus has always been that the word “bayou” entered English via Louisiana French and is a bastardization of a Choctaw word for “small stream.” Perhaps it was actually an English mispronunciation of the French words for “beautiful place.” If Paul ever wants to publish a research study on the subject, I stand ready and waiting to provide funding.

Tripping out

Jevon Cottoy’s recent run of exceptional play continued on Saturday, as the big-bodied Canadian target led the team with three catches for 94 yards. Much of that production came on two short catches, which he turned into huge gains thanks to defensive busts.

The first came on what could have been a disastrous play in the second quarter, as Nathan Rourke was handcuffed by the snap and dropped the ball. He was able to recover and get the pass off to Cottoy on what was a designed screen with blockers out in front. The elephants on parade had nobody to trample over, though, as the defence had been sucked in by the loose pigskin. Cottoy ran 42 yards untouched before being tripped up from behind.

It happened again a frame later, as this time Kaidon Salter faked the handoff to Zander Horvath inside, then froze the defence with his outside rushing threat. Cottoy was all alone in behind for an easy dump-off, and turned upfield for a 40-yard gain. Once more, only a late effort from behind stopped him from following daylight all the way to the end zone.

Cottoy will likely be haunted by dreams of green grass tonight, but at least the yardage gained moved him within 40 yards of his previous career-high and closer to the contract extension he desperately craves.

On the double

On a positive note, I thought the Lions had one of their better performances covering kicks against Calgary, bottling up both Tyreik McAllister and Erik Brooks. Four players tied for the team lead with two special teams tackles, among them Shaun Peterson Jr., who was exacting some revenge on the Stampeders after they cut him earlier this year. I thought the former college running back also flashed as a pass rusher at times, though he failed to finish with a sack and committed a roughing the passer penalty.

Veteran Canadian linebacker Ben Hladik also posted a pair of special teams stops, while rookie Chase Henning doubled his previous career total in one outing. The most impressive takedowns belonged to Kieran Poissant, who flew in with purpose for a couple of textbook tackles. The former CJFL receiver is one of the Lions’ unsung heroes and continues to do whatever is asked of him, once again handling punt return duties.

Off the pace

After emerging from its slumber against Ottawa last week, the Lions’ run game went dormant once again against a defensive front that had proven vulnerable to the ground and pound this season. The offensive line generated a negligible push, and Zander Horvath managed just 14 yards on five carries as a result, while Jame Butler turned two rushing attempts into two yards. On a windy evening when grinding the clock might have been helpful, it was slightly disheartening.

Horvath’s quest for a record has also been stunted, as he remains one rushing touchdown away from tying Mike Pringle’s single-season CFL rushing mark. He is also one touchdown, rushing or receiving, away from tying Cory Philpot’s franchise record and two touchdowns from Milt Stegall’s CFL record for total scores. It can still be done next week, but the pressure is on.

Elmer Fudd’s nightmare

McMahon Stadium’s famous rabbit returned on Saturday and, to the utter jubilation of the crowd, it brought a friend. The two long-eared visitors made their way into the end zone slowly, as Farhan Lalji delivered a riveting call on TSN. Fans were on the edge of their seat.

Play was delayed for a considerable amount of time as a referee tried in vain to usher the two mammalian interlopers off the field. If you thought herding cats was bad, rabbits apparently provide a unique challenge — although it was probably not the best strategy to steer them towards a live horse.

While I can’t profess to know what’s in a rabbit’s heart, I’m almost certain that one of them was rooting for the home team. With ears pinned back in anxious distress, it was acting exactly like Stampeders fans will be all week.

Helping hand

B.C.’s second-half surrender provided a lifeline to Calgary, who needed this victory to stay alive in the playoff race. Now, the Stampeders need the Lions to do the opposite and defeat the Bombers with their backups, which will decide the final postseason qualifier.

The role of kingmaker, it is not. However, B.C. could put their finger on the scale and help determine who they host in the West Semi-Final on Halloween, if they so choose. That is unlikely to be the team’s focus entering another meaningless game, as they look to gain experience, test prospects, and, most importantly, stay healthy.

The Lions’ regular-season finale will kick off at BC Place on Friday, October 23, at 7:00 p.m. PDT.