O’Connor Ready To Draw On Big-Game Experience
The news was very fresh and the disappointment was still very much resonating with everyone in the Lions organization. But when evening members of the squad woke up on Monday, the 2022 BC Lions will still find themselves in a very good spot. And the main guy is ready to rally for their fallen teammate as much as anyone else.
With an 8-1-0 record and a chance to all put the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the rearview mirror for good this Friday night, it’s a situation the club would have been thrilled with back when they first assembled in camp. Now, they will have to make do without number 12 behind centre.
Following Sunday’s official news that Nathan Rourke will be out long-term with an injured foot that will require surgery, Michael O’Connor gets keys to the shiny vehicle otherwise known as the BC Lions offence. Grateful for an opportunity to play, it is still a very hard thing to process for O’Connor as he prepares for his first official CFL start on Friday.
“I was hurting. Nate’s a brother to me,” said the former UBC standout after receiving the news of Rourke’s impending surgery.
“You hate to see one of your brothers go down. Tough to hear but I know the type of person that he is. I know that he will come back even stronger. That always hurts to see a brother go down. We all have his back. We wish him all the best. I know he’ll bounce back from.”
If you’re taking the ‘glass is half full’ approach to this gut-wrenching turn of events, you can point to a few positive signs. This Lions team is still stacked on offence with a group that includes CFL receiving yards leader Dominique Rhymes, a healthy Bryan Burnham and playmaker Lucky Whitehead who have all come up big during this current five-game winning streak.
The squad’s defence is also at or near the top of the league in most major categories and has been especially dominant in the second half of games, giving up a total of just 16 points after the break over those last five games including a pair of second-half shutouts. It’s a team sport and this group is closer than any Lions squad of the last several years.
“I think it all starts with coach Rick and the culture that he’s put in place,” explained O’Connor.
The leaders like Burnham, TJ and all those vets; they’re great leaders. It’s really special to be a part of this team. We’re one big family. There are a lot of personalities but no ego. Everyone is all about what can I do for this team. It’s a pleasure to be a part of it.”
Any quarterback who is behind number one on the depth chart always has to be ready. Just like Rourke himself did as a backup to Michael Reilly last season, O’Connor has approached every practice rep. and every game prep situation as if he will get the call.
Now those characteristics will look to pay off when the Lions look to complete the season sweep of Saskatchewan and take another step toward setting themselves up for a race for first place in the West after Labour Day.
“I’ve been preparing. You never know when your number is going to get called,” he said.
“The way I see it, it’s not a matter of if, but when. I’ve been preparing all year, just making sure, if God forbids, something happened, that we’ll be heading on the right track.”
He might have only 24 competitions, 236 yards and one touchdown pass (as a member of the Toronto Argonauts in 2019) on his CFL resume, but O’Connor is a big-game player. The best example of that was earning 2015 Vanier Cup MVP honours when the UBC Thunderbirds completed their storybook turnaround with a win over Montreal in the championship game.
The Orleans, Ontario native was also a highly sought-after recruit, originally agreeing to go to Penn State before head coach Blake Nill lured him up to the Point Grey campus. Suffice to say, he has been waiting for this moment.
“I’ve been playing this game a long time. I like to think those experiences get you ready for the next one. I’ll definitely be thinking about that. Like I say, it’s just about playing my game. You always prepare for these moments. I don’t think I have to re-invent anything.”
O’Connor, Antonio Pipkin and Kevin Thomson make up a solid mixture of veteran experience and youth in the quarterback room. They and the team will make it their mission to rally for Nathan. Friday could prove to be a memorable chapter in their 2022 novel.