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November 18, 2021

Lions Look To Finish Up Strong Against Elks

CFL BC Lions vs Calgary

Any lengthy losing streak will leave a sour taste in one’s mouth. Especially one of the eight-game variety heading into what surely will be an interesting offseason in the den. With all of that in mind, the importance of finishing on a good note has been preached all throughout this week as the BC Lions (4-9-0) get set to host the Edmonton Elks (3-10-0) this Friday night at BC Place.

“It’s been enthusiastic. It’s tough when you’re coming down towards the end,” said head coach Rick Campbell.

“I know they’re going to be excited on Friday night and we’ll be ready to go. We get paid to do this job to play and coach professional football. We’ll be excited to be at home and tee this up one more time.”

The big lineup news of the week was determined on Monday when Campbell confirmed rookie Nathan Rourke will start in place of CFL passing leader Michael Reilly. The Victoria-born Rourke has been given spot duty throughout this season and even had the surprise start way back in week one in Saskatchewan where he finished 10/18 for 184 yards and a pair of touchdown strikes. Ever since that crazy beginning of his pro career, Rourke has approached every week as if he is going to play.

“I think the mindset really hasn’t changed,” said Rourke following the last full practice of the week.

“There is a bunch of stuff that I want to get done and there is a routine I have set in place from the beginning of the season that is something I’ve still been doing. There hasn’t been much of a change in that aspect and it was a good move early in the year to do that. I’m just trying to show them that I can lead the team and they can depend on me. I’m going to give it my full effort and hopefully, we can go out with a win. That’s all I’m really looking for at this point.”

One thing that for sure has helped the youngster’s development has been having Reilly with him in the quarterback room. Probably not a better mentor in this league to have as you continue to develop at the position.

“He’s like another coach in the room. He knows the offence in and out and he’s seen every single look you can possibly think of on defence and he’s got the veteran tricks, every single one,” added Rourke.

“He’s been a really good teammate to me, definitely been a crucial person in my development and he’ll continue to be.”

There is also another dangling carrot in front of the home side in this season finale. A victory over the Elks and they would avoid finishing last in the West Division for a second straight season. A loss would mean Edmonton ends up in fourth place by virtue of winning both games in the season series.

Following a promising 4-2 start, the basement isn’t where Campbell and company want to be. They are also facing an Elks squad playing their third contest in seven nights following the week four COVID outbreak which forced the postponement of their Toronto game to Tuesday of this week, a game where they prevailed 13-7 for their third win of the season. Campbell and the squad aren’t taking the scheduling quirk for granted.

“We actually haven’t really talked about that,” added Campbell.

“I think we just want to focus on ourselves and play well. I realize that’s a storyline because it doesn’t happen in football very often but it’s not on the front of our minds.”

Said Rourke on facing a potentially tired opponent: “I’ve got to give them credit, they’ve done a really good job of handing that. It’s not an easy thing to deal with.”

“But at this point, we really have to focus on ourselves and worry about what we have to do. If we do that, things will go in our favour.”

Lions/Elks Notebook

  • A solid breakdown of the quarterback matchup and comparison to the teams’ last meeting in week three courtesy Elks Communications guru Evan Daum: Rourke and Edmonton’s Taylor Cornelius have combined to suit up in 25 games and throw for 2,163 yards. Compare that to the August 19th matchup when Michael Reilly and Trevor Harris had combined to play 294 games and pass for 55,355 yards. Bravo on the solid info.
  • The other key change in the Lions’ starting lineup sees Phil Norman slot in at left tackle in place of Joel Figueroa who spent much of the week in concussion protocol. Norman was brought back by the squad in early September after starting 13 games in 2019. With Reilly not dressing for this one, Kevin Thomson dresses behind Rourke on the depth chart at quarterback.
  • With the Elks in the unusual situation of playing three games in less than a week, the Lions will also be allowed to dress five extra players for this one: those will be wide receivers TJ Rahming and Cordell Hastings,  returner Quadree Henderson, defensive back Anthony Cioffi and defensive lineman Court Hammond.
  • Bryan Burnham streak watch: the receiver has now recorded at least one catch in all 95 of his career appearances and needs 104 yards Friday to record a fifth straight 1,000-yard season. Of course, in 2021 he will only have had 14 games to get there so he’s had a great year regardless.
  • Stopping Edmonton’s run a major key: James Wilder Jr. and Walter Fletcher were big factors in the win at Toronto. The Elks rushed for a season-high 163 yards and quarterback Taylor Cornelius had a touchdown on the ground.
  • The Lions will also look to snap a four-game losing streak in games against Edmonton. The last victory took place back on October 19th of 2018 when DeVier Posey’s three-touchdown performance put the Lions into the playoffs with a 42-32 win against Reilly and company. That also remains the last time the Lions won a home game against a West Division opponent, a span now of seven contests.
  • These two clubs will finish in the bottom two of the West Division for a third straight season. The Lions were the fourth place team in 2018 and crossed over to Hamilton for the East Division playoffs.

Matt Baker: mbaker@bclions..com