Hot off his selection as one of September’s Players of the Month, BC Lions linebacker Solomon Elimimian has earned his second weekly award of the season as announced by the CFL this morning following a 13-tackle performance in the Lions’ 40-33 win over Ottawa on Saturday.
Despite 70+ points between the two teams, not to mention almost 1,000 yards of offence, it was the defence that had Lions fans at BC Place on their feet in the game’s final moments to help seal the team’s ninth win of the year.
His 13 defensive stops on the night puts Elimimian atop the individual tackle standings with 100 on the season to date with five games left on the team’s regular season schedule. His heroics Saturday also marked the fourth time in the past six games that he has notched at least 10 tackles.
Although his performance was worth noting against the REDBLACKS, Elimimian’s main focus is trying to help the Lions nail down a playoff spot and also make sure they play a home game in November.
“That’s the goal. We want to host a playoff game and ultimately we want to win the Grey Cup. The more we win, the better our chances are. Every time you get a win, you’ve got to be thankful for it.”
It’s the second time in his seven-year career that he has reached the 100-tackle plateau and while it’s hard to imagine topping his record-setting performance of 143 tackles in 2014, he can do just that by averaging nine stops per game the rest of the way.
The Lions are currently in second spot in the West Division with a 9-4 record and face the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in a critical West Division home-and-home series over the next two weeks. The club plays in Winnipeg on Saturday before returning home to take on the Bombers at BC Place on Friday, October 14 presented by Purolator.