The calendar has flipped to November and, with that, the BC Lions have shifted their focus to the Grey Cup Playoffs and the pursuit of a seventh championship in club history. Step one on their journey is a date with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in Saturday’s Western Semi-Final at Mosaic Stadium.
And while this 70th season for the franchise has been met with a few bumps on the road and more twists than a Chubby Checker concert, the core veterans and newcomers’ end goal is well within reach. It all starts in hostile territory against an opponent that beat them handily just three weeks ago, a result that plotted the Lions’ course as road dogs come playoff time. Bring it on, they say.
“We’re excited. Everything we’ve worked for comes down to this moment, “said veteran defensive back T.J. Lee.
“I’m excited for our team to capitalize and prove everybody wrong. All we needed was to believe in ourselves and we’ve continued to do that.”
In many ways, these teams and their respective journeys mirror one another. The Riders started hot, then went winless in seven and then turned their ship back in the right direction thanks in large part to the return of quarterback Trevor Harris from an early-season injury. Lee and the defence know they have their hands full with the likes of Harris and wide receivers Sam Emilus, Kian Schaffer-Baker and KeeSean Johnson, just to name a few.
“Limit those guys, no plays over 30 yards, and capitalize on their mistakes. It’s as simple as that, ” added Lee.
“They have the same offence. It ultimately comes down to tackling. Those guys are all athletes over there and we have some really good ones over here on offence that we practice against every day. You have to be ready to make plays for your team.”
On offence, Vernon Adams Jr. gets the chance to build off of what he started with all hands on deck as Jevon Cottoy returns after missing a few weeks with his injured ankle. Time of possession and ball security are major factors in this one as the Roughriders led the CFL with a plus-26 turnover ratio. They scored 17 points off six takeaways in the October 12 matchup. Adams and company have had plenty of time to prepare following their mini-bye week that came after the impressive victory over Montreal to conclude the regular season.
“We have a good vibe right now,” said the veteran quarterback.
“Throughout the week, it’s been good practice days; offence has been doing good, defence has been doing good and special teams have been getting their work in. Yeah, it’s been good. We’re just building to that moment on Saturday. We can’t peak too early. We still prepare and get ready for these guys.”
The underdog Lions know what kind of team they can be. Everyone in this dance is 0-0 starting now.
“I thrive off of that,” said Lee.
“A team can come off whatever morale that they have. When it comes to game day, the better team that day is the team that will advance.”
Added Adams Jr.:(William) Stanback said it in our meeting yesterday: ‘Whatever happened, happened in the season. Losses or wins; it’s over now. Everybody has a 0-0 record, so you’ve got to bring your best shot in each game.'”
The Quarterbacks
# 3 Vernon Adams Jr.- the veteran gets the call following his stellar performance against the Alouettes that sent his team into the playoffs on a winning note. As a starter with the Lions, Adams Jr. holds a 3-1 record against Saskatchewan with the most recent outing coming by way of a 35-20 victory in week six of this season.
# 7 Trevor Harris- his return from injury helped propel the Riders to a four-game win streak, punctuated by the 39-8 win over the Lions on October 12 to lock up a home playoff date. Harris was a late scratch in last week’s loss to the Stampeders after Winnipeg clinched first place earlier on the day. Harris is unbeaten in his last five starts against BC, with his last defeat coming in September 2018 with the Ottawa RedBlacks.
3 Lions To Watch
RB #31 William Stanback- coming off his career year on the ground, Stanback brings a bruising element to the great outdoors that the offence will heavily rely on. For the squad to go on a run, that side of the ball must be multi-dimensional.
WR # 18- Justin McInnis- the CFL’s receiving yards leader gets to be an X Factor against his former team. His chemistry with Adams Jr. didn’t miss a beat two weeks ago as field position will also be a major factor.
DL # 90- Mathieu Betts– pressure, pressure and more pressure. That’s what the defensive line will need to bring in ‘do or die’ season. Betts has gotten used to stepping up in these big moments.
Extra Yards
Viewers can watch this game on TSN and RDS in Canada, while those south of the border and internationally can stream the action on CFL+. Bob Marjanovich and Giulio Caravatta call the play on 980 CKNW and province-wide on the Lions Audio Network, beginning with the pre-game show at 2:30 p.m. Harp Pandher and Taqdeer Thindal have the call on Sher-E-Punjab Radio AM 600, with pre-game coverage beginning at 3:00 p.m.
Adrian Greene joins Cottoy on a return to the active roster. The two additions mean WR Kieran Poissant and DB Charlie Ringland are returning to the practice roster.
More on the starting quarterbacks: Adams Jr. and Harris also squared off in the 2019 Eastern Semi-Final with Harris and Edmonton prevailing over the Alouettes. In 2024, Adams was behind centre as the starter for six of the Lions’ nine regular season wins.
Looking to make club history: The Lions have never won a playoff game in three consecutive seasons, dating back to our first playoff appearance in 1959. They look to buck that trend after prevailing in the 2022 and 2023 Western Semi-Finals against Calgary at home.
Saturday marks the 11th instance where the Lions and Roughriders have met in the playoffs. After the Lions prevailed 2-1 in a best-of-tree Western Final in 1963, the teams have won six each against each other in the ensuing matchups. The Last Lion win over Saskatchewan in the playoffs was the 2008 Western Semi-Final at old Taylor Field.
Rick Campbell has led the franchise to three straight playoff appearances and now looks to join Wally Buono and Don Matthews as the only head coaches in Lions history to appear in the Western Final in three consecutive years.
Saturday marks the seventh time these two rivals have met in a division semi-final in league history. All of them took place in Regina at the now-demolished Taylor Field. The Lions were victorious in 1988 and 2008, while Saskatchewan prevailed in 1973, 1974, 2010, and 2013.