In what has developed into a consistent early theme for the 2024 BC Lions, week five represents another test against a desperate opponent as the 3-1 Leos invade Steeltown for a battle with the 0-4 Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Sunday night. With their victories coming by a combined total of only 14 points, Manny Rugamba and company know the importance on capitalizing on those four or five plays that always make a difference in the end.
“We know it’s hard to win in this league and I look at this matchup like all the others where you throw their record out,” Rugamba said of the mindset this week.
His point is well taken as you can argue the Ticats could just as easily be 2-2 while the Lions perhaps deserved a better fate in their lone loss before the three tight victories that could have gone the other way. Hamilton also boasts a few big playmakers on offence as Bo Levi Mitchell has shown flashes of his old self behind centre following an injury-plagued season.
Wide receiver Tim White had himself a breakout game in Ottawa last week with over 100 receiving yards. And then there is our old friend James Butler in the backfield who appears ready to return after being out one game in concussion protocol.
“They have been throwing the ball more than most throughout the league and been trying to get it to White more so we know what they are capable of,” Rugamba explained.
“I’ve liked the way we’ve attacked the run as well as the communication in the back end. I feel we need to do a little bit more but we’re getting better every day as a team, as a unit. The success we in practice has to transform more to the game. But I’m proud of the way we were able to close it last week.”
“This is not just coach speak, they’re a good team. They play everybody tough,” Rick Campbell said of the Ticats.
“It’s come down to last-second plays, which seems to be a theme in this league, I’ve been talking every week about how close I think everybody is. I think it still holds true even though people have different records. Going to play in Hamilton is always a tough deal, so all I know is we’ll have to play really well to beat them.”
As for Rugamba, he epitomizes the versatility aspect of this growing BC Lions squad this season. He has successfully adjusted from SAM linebacker to boundary halfback with Patrice Rene taking ownership of his old position. Having that buy in will pay huge dividends as they hope to pile up more victories in this tight race.
“My very first day in Kamloops two years ago, RP really spoke about one of the best things that you can do in this defence is to be versatile,” Rugamba said.
“I moved to halfback when TJ got hurt in Winnipeg last year. The more you can play, the slower the game gets. It’s just understanding what scheme we have in front of us.”
The Quarterbacks
# 3 Vernon Adams Jr.– the CFL’s All-June Honour Roll winner for top offensive player looks to continue his sizzling start that has him on pace for over 6,000 passing yards. Adams completed at least one pass to eight different receivers last week and will look to continue to spread it around. The slow starts on offence continue to be a discussion. Don’t expect it to linger every week.
# 19 Bo Levi Mitchell- for the second straight week, it pits the CFL’s top two passers against each other as Mitchell has moved up to second spot with 1,297 yards while his eight touchdown passes has him tied with Cody Fajardo for the league lead. The Ticats may be winless but Mitchell’s comeback story following an injury-riddled first season in Steeltown has been fun to follow.
3 Lions To Watch
LB # 20 Bo Lokombo- the veteran returned to his starting role last week when Ben Hladik was on the shelf. With Hladik back in action, Lokombo will still be counted on to provide an increased role after the news of Josh Woods’ season-ending knee injury.
“We’re very lucky with the fact we’ve got a lot of veteran linebackers here and guys that have played a lot of football,” Campbell added.
“Guys like Ben Hladik, Bo Lokombo, Ryder Varga and (Isaiah) Messam. All those guys are guys that have been around the block and know how to play. They’ll carry the load for us.”
DL # 56 Christian Covington- the pride of Vancouver College has quietly put together six tackles and a sack through four games. Covington and the run-stoppers have a nice little test against our old friend James Butler. Neutralizing JB could provide a big difference in the quest for a fourth straight win.
WR # 86 Jevon Cottoy- ‘Big Cat’ is coming off his best outing of the campaign and a week four Honour Roll nod as top wide receiver. With the yards after the catch being a major part of Cottoy’s game, he always presents a unique opportunity to flip the field.
Extra Yards
Outside of the middle linebacker injury swap, the lone lineup change this week sees defensive back Jordan Perryman return in a backup role behind Ciante Evans on the field side. Rookie wide receiver Ezechiel Tieide (knee) heads to the 1-game injured list.
These clubs have split their 16 regular season meetings dating back to the 2014 campaign. Overall, the Lion 57-44-3 edge in games with the Tiger-Cats and are an even 25-25 in 50 total meetings to Steeltown.
More on VA: he has not thrown 133 straight pass attempts without an interception, his lone giveaway coming against the Argonauts in week one on a pass then went through the hands of Justin McInnis. Lions historian Steve Daniel also points out that Adams now has 20 career games of 300 or more passing yards.
With 29 straight field goal attempts made, Sean Whyte is one behind Paul McCallum’s all-time club record of 30 set by his mentor Paul McCallum in the 2011 season. Whyte’s current streak is the 5th-longest across CFL history
Since the 35-27 opening week loss at Toronto, the Lions defence has tightened up by allowing only 20.7 points per contest in their three wins.