First place is on the line when the BC Lions (5-2) welcome the Calgary Stampeders (5-1-1) into BC Place this evening, in what is no doubt the biggest game home game since the 2012 Western Final. The stakes aren’t quite as high in mid-August, and there is plenty of football left, but whoever comes out on top in this 2016 rubber match will be in the driver’s seat for home field advantage in November. For Wally Buono and company, the focus is solely on Friday night and not what happened in the past or what may lie ahead. That includes forgetting the heartbreaking 44-41 overtime loss at Calgary’s McMahon Stadium on July 29th. ” We aren’t going to dwell on what didn’t happen,” Buono said. “What’s important now is the game that lies on Friday night. They’re a good football team. Each week they’re getting better and we are too, so the thing we want to focus on is Friday’s game.”
Back in week one, the Lions pulled out a thrilling 20-18 victory at BC Place, with a 72-yard punt return by Chris Rainey serving as the catalyst. The Stamps have not lost since and some of their comments after that one were similar to those of the Lions after July 29th: They felt they let it get away. That’s the beauty of this rivalry: Elite teams who have played two thrilling games that could have gone either way. The final regular season meeting should be a dandy as well.
Here are some other storylines for Friday’s first-place clash at BC Place:
Game Breakers On Offence
It goes without saying that the CFL’s two-highest scoring clubs boast several difference makers on offence. Jonathon Jennings has bounced back in a big way since throwing a pair of crucial game-changing interceptions in that July 29th meeting ,combining for 637 yards passing and four touchdown strikes in victories over Montreal and Hamilton. In addition, he has eclipsed the 300-yard mark in four straight games, something only Doug Flutie, Dave Dickenson, and Casey Printers have done in Lions’ colours before him. His counterpart, Bo Levi Mitchell, has been no slouch either. Both QB’s have plenty of outstanding weapons at their disposal. While Jennings’ ability to use all of his receivers has been well documented, the Stampeders aerial attack has been borderline un-stoppable with the likes of team-leading receiver Marquay McDaniel in the fold. “Marquay is a very savvy football player, he has a great chemistry with the quarterback. You can’t overplay him because there is other guys that are going to hurt you also,” Buono said. On the ground, Jerome Messam is second in the CFL with 431 rushing yards, trailing only Andrew Harris in Winnipeg.
Line Of Scrimmage
Calgary’s offensive line is first in the CFL with just ten QB sacks allowed and the Lions are right behind them with 12. It all adds up to a big battle brewing up front. Buono has been preaching since day one his team must own the line of scrimmage every week and you can tell the group is focussed on winning that battle on both sides of the ball. Jovan Olafioye is ready for another big challenge. “They have some good pass rushers and some guys that have had success in this league,” Olafioye said. “The last couple of games we did well against those guys and hopefully we do it this time too.” Jennings’ best rushing performance of the season came on July 29th when he had 44 yards on five carries. The QB’s ability to extend plays with his feet adds a nice safety net at certain times when the pass protection isn’t there. “It’s amazing, he makes us look good,” Olafioye added. “Even though we might miss a block, he’ll make a guy miss and make a play. It makes it easy for us, I will say that,” Olafioye added. Olafioye and company will be tasked with shutting down Stamps’ sack master Charleston Hughes who has six QB takedowns this season, good enough to be tied with Alex Bazzie.
Injury Updates
Speaking of the battles up front, Levy Adcock makes his debut at right tackle, in place of Antonio Johnson, after being activated from the six-game injured list last week. The Oklahoma State product came down with pneumonia in training camp and had to re-gain a good chunk of his playing weight. “After I healed, I basically had to re-build everything I had worked for in training camp,” Adcock said. “The unit is playing well together and meshing well as a unit. That’s the biggest thing I have noticed since training camp is they have learned to gel. I am ready to go.” Johnson should be commended for stepping up and filling in at a tough spot after both Adcock and Charles Vaillancourt went down.
On the defensive line, Mic’hael Brooks will miss one more game due to the high ankle sprain suffered in Calgary three weeks ago. That means Bryant Turner Jr. gets another start at the interior position.
3 Keys To Victory
Keep Bo At Bay: Since being handed the keys to Calgary’s offence full-time to start 2014, Mitchell has developed into one of the game’s top quarterbacks. He leads the CFL with twelve touchdown passes and is second to Mike Reilly in total passing yards this season. A big part of Mark Washington’s game plan this week will be devoted to slowing him down early. “Everything starts with the quarterback, and we know that,” said twelve-year veteran Ryan Phillips. “He is a guy that sees things before it happens so we know he’s going to be well prepared. They try to be as balanced as possible, but everything starts with him. We got to make sure we apply pressure early, make sure we don’t let him get in a rhythm early, make sure we have hum move around a little bit and do things he doesn’t like doing.” If they can take Mitchell out of said rhythm, which has been tough for every opponent this season, the trickle down effect is advantage Lions. It also makes that line of scrimmage battle all that more important.
Peddle to the metal early: Each of the last two victories has featured a big play right of the bat. In Montreal, it started with a 49-yard completion to Bryan Burnham on the first play from scrimmage. Against the Ticats, it was a sack by Loucheiz Purifoy that resulted in a fumble recovery and Burnham touchdown on the Lions first offensive play. It’s not how you start; it’s how you finish. The Lions for sure know that by now. But an early statement against the Stamps will be huge.
Field position: It was so crucial in the win over Hamilton last week. Forcing Mitchell to operate with a longer field should go a long way in determining the outcome. Consider the fact Richie Leone averaged 62.4 yards per punt, had two singles and forced the Ticats to concede a pair of safeties. It’s an area where the Lions should have an advantage as long as Leone’s booming leg plays a big factor.
Extra Yardage
Despite all of Mitchell’s accolades, the Lions are the only opposing team he does not have a winning record against. He is 2-2 all-time heading into this tilt.
A victory not only means first place, but it would also give the Lions a 6-2 record, something they have not achieved through eight games since that 2012 season, where they finished 13-5.
2012 was als
o the last time they won the regular season series against the Stamps. They split in 2013 (2-2) and 2014 (1-1) before dropping two of three to Mitchell and company in 2015.
What does the Rain Man have in store for an encore? Along with his heroics in week one, Rainey also had a 76-yard punt return TD to open the scoring in the return meeting at Calgary. Overall, he has five touchdowns in his last three meetings against Calgary.
You can listen to Friday’s clash on TSN 1040 with Scott Rintoul and Giulio Caravatta. Pre-game coverage is underway at 5:00PM with Bob Marjanovich, Chris Burns and Lowell Ullrich. Viewers can watch on TSN 1 and those south of the border can tune in on ESPN 3.
Stay in your seats at halftime for a live performance by Vancouver-based singer Daniel Wesley! He first gained national attention with his hit single ‘Ooo Ohh’ and completed his sevenths studio album in 2015.
Lui Passaglia will be signing autographs pre-game at Terry Fox Plaza. The CFL all-time leading scorer is currently supporting his annual ‘Push For Your Tush’ campaign to raise funds for Colon Cancer research. The walk takes place September 25th at Jericho Beach.
You can download the Lions roster and depth chart here!
Matt Baker: mbaker@bclions.com