The B.C. Lions’ vaunted offence opted for a late wake-up call, but still secured a 33-30 playoff win over the Calgary Stampeders in the West Semi-Final, courtesy of a last-second field goal from Sean Whyte.
Here are my thoughts on the game.
Every second counts
My story for this game was written over hours, but it is really about seconds — how one team made the most of theirs and another squandered them.
With the score tied 30-30 with 29 seconds left, it seemed as if the Lions would opt to be put in the latter category. Head coach Buck Pierce’s decision to hand the ball off to James Butler on first down initially appeared to be a waving of the white flag for overtime — the type of conservatism that so often comes back to bite coaches in the rear. Instead, it merely set the tone for another miraculous victory from the home side.
Nathan Rourke found Stanley Berryhill for 15 yards on the next play, then looked deep middle for Justin McInnis. The Canadian receiver elevated and hauled in the pass for 28 yards despite a sizeable blow from halfback Sheldon Arnold II. That catch set the stage for Sean Whyte to hit the 43-yard walk-off winner.
“In those situations, we’ve executed extremely well. End of half, end of the game, those are things that we talk about all the time and practice all the time,” Pierce said. “There’s time on the clock left, we got good production on first down, so we’re really just a couple big plays away from getting Sean in a position to go win it for us, which he’s done over and over and over.”
The Lions’ offence looked nothing like its high-flying self in this game, but when the chips were down, they found the points they needed. The same could not be said for the Stampeders, who were the better team for long stretches. They just couldn’t make it happen in the clutch, as evidenced by their fumbling of the bag at the end of the first half.
In the red zone with eight seconds on the clock, Vernon Adams Jr. needed to hit his first read or throw the ball away. Instead, he scrambled, and Tevin Jones caught the final pass short of the end zone as time expired. While Rene Paredes will have a lot of fingers pointed in his direction for a critical missed extra point, the three points lost on that inexplicable decision loomed far larger.
Again, at the end of the game, Calgary couldn’t execute. B.C.’s fate seemed to be sealed when Jalen Philpot snuck in behind coverage for a 42-yard dagger, surviving another hellacious hit from Deontai Williams in the process. But this time, they preserved the clock when they should have milked it, with two passing attempts falling incomplete in the end zone. It gave the CFL’s best quarterback a shot at redemption that he refused to miss.
Add it to the reel
At under five-foot-nine and 175 pounds, I’m sure that Robert Carter Jr. heard a lot of people telling him what he couldn’t do growing up. Now that he’s made it to the professional level, the question has become ‘what can’t this guy do?’
Whether it’s been ridiculous one-handed interceptions, momentum-stealing pick-sixes, or physics-defying tackles, the Lions’ top rookie has compiled an impressive highlight reel in his first season. His latest might not have been the most viral, but it was unquestionably the most impactful, as he fielded a kickoff mid-way through the third quarter and raced 95 yards for a touchdown.
With the Stampeders trailing by just six and the offence anemic, this was a critical juncture in the game. Calgary had already been burned a few times by Seven McGee, including a 55-yarder on the opening kick, and were intentionally kicking away from him. That plan was foiled by one of the CFL’s most electric young playmakers, who got B.C. the big play they desperately needed.
An honourable mention goes to defensive tackle Tibo Debaillie for leading the way into the crowd and fullback Jacob Bond for leveraging his position to create the crease to bounce outside. Even though Carter ran through the heart of the coverage team, he was never touched.
Coughing in the theatre
In high-stakes games with a high level of fan engagement, stadiums will often gently shush the crowd when the home team is on offence. That friendly P.S.A. clearly went awry at BC Place this week, as it was the offence and not the audience who took the cue to go quiet.
Much has been written about the Lions’ explosive attack and their M.O.P. candidate quarterback, but nothing resembling either showed up for the postseason. It wasn’t that their performance was bad, just woefully uninspired and uncharacteristically conservative. Nathan Rourke didn’t surpass the 200-yard passing mark until the penultimate play, league-leading receiver Keon Hatcher was held to 51 yards, and thousand-yard rusher James Butler managed a measly 3.6 yards per carry.
“I think good teams find ways to win ugly games, and this was an ugly game offensively for us,” Rourke acknowledged. “It’s the greatest team game in the world for a reason.”
After a dreadful first quarter that saw them generate 29 net yards across four drives, the Lions managed to make some hay in the second quarter and generated two long scoring drives. They added a third to start the third, but went dim once again until the last series of the game. Confident to rush just four, Calgary was disciplined in their zone schemes and offered no opportunities down the field. Still, it felt like Pierce’s game plan lacked a certain je-ne-sais-quoi, offering little in the way of slump-busting creativity and overly focused on establishing a ground game that just wasn’t there.
The Lions’ lone big play came via the legs of Rourke, who escaped pressure on that early third-quarter drive and broke loose for a 44-yard romp. His sideline juke of safety Bailey Devine-Scott felt like an 80s movie freeze frame, not that either Nathan or I is old enough to feel nostalgia for that particular trope. He made good on the splashy run a few plays later, pulling the zone read for a touchdown scamper that gave him 68 rush yards on the day.
The fact that Bob Slowik’s defence created issues for B.C. could be viewed as an issue, but it has another, more uplifting interpretation. The Lions won a playoff game without a super-human effort from Rourke, outright defying the narrative that myself and others have trumpeted all year. That is quite a turnaround from a team suddenly becoming complete at the right time.
Better isn’t good enough
If you believed — erroneously, I might add — that the Lions traded the better quarterback last offseason, you probably left this game feeling vindicated. Vernon Adams Jr. threw for 334 yards and two touchdowns, with no turnovers, in a classic performance.
He wasn’t the only Stampeder to shine in this game either, as Dedrick Mills ran for 111, and Jalen Philpot had 120 through the air. All were the best players at their respective positions for either team, as Calgary amassed 178 more net yards than B.C. They also generated four big plays, all of which contributed to the razor-thin margin.
On a normal night, you’d consider that an indictment of the defence, but it didn’t feel that way. Mike Benevides’ unit was far from perfect, but they were also hung out to dry for more than 36 minutes while the offence couldn’t produce a drop. They bent during that time, even broke a little, but it never fell apart. That’s pretty impressive.
Yet again, I felt the pass rush came up with timely plays when needed. Mathieu Betts, Jonah Tavai, Bradlee Anae, and Levi Bell all had their moments, and Micah Awe’s sack early in the second half was as big as any play in this game. If you are looking for other backbreakers, keeping Calgary to 50 percent in the red zone was a major win with points at a premium.
It wasn’t a championship defensive performance, but it was enough. The Stampeders did more, but it wasn’t.
Too twitchy
The Lions have largely cleaned up their penalty issues from early in the season, but fullback Jacob Bond committed what was nearly the costliest infraction of the year in the third quarter.
The rookie territorial exemption from the CJFL’s Okanagan Sun was called offside on a Stampeders punt, twitching on what might have been a hard count. The resulting flag gave Calgary a first down, and they took full advantage, as Dedrick Mills found a crease for a 43-yard gain. Deontai Williams tracked him down from behind to save a touchdown, but three plays later, Clark Barnes caught the ball in the end zone.
Those points could easily have been the difference in this game, but they didn’t prove to be. Bond, whose impact from humble origins has been impressive, can breathe a sigh of relief.
Extra special
I don’t know when the B.C. Lions became an elite special teams unit, but this game proved they are one. Set aside Carter’s electric return and Whyte’s automatic nature, there were big plays by both returner Seven McGee and punter Carl Meyer to help win the field position battle. The South African boot posted an impressive net average of 44 yards per punt to flip the field and, at least according to a jovial Mathieu Betts in the locker room, deserves universal acclaim for his hold on the winning kick.
The game’s lone turnover also came from solid special teams play. Meyer booted a kick, and Josh Hagerty controlled blocker Ben Labrosse so effectively that he drove him into returner Erik Brooks and popped the ball loose. Gunner Keiran Poissant recovered from the trail position. The Lions went two-and-out after that gift and settled for three, but the special teams unit did their job.
Hogs to the slaughter
If there is one area to be concerned about after this game, it is the Lions’ offensive line. The Stampeders’ defensive front physically manhandled them from start to finish, contributing to much of the offensive inefficiency.
Rourke was only officially sacked three times, but had another erased by penalty and barely got across the line on a few occasions. Defensive tackle Jaylon Hutchings — who should have been the league’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player if Calgary voters didn’t screw it up — simply outclassed the interior trio of Michael Couture, Anu Una, and Kory Woodruff, while Miles Brown added to the insult with some devastating early penetration. Even the usually stalwart Jarell Broxton got beaten cleanly by Clarence Hicks on one occasion. Because of that success, Rourke noted that Calgary only blitzed once all game.
If they struggled in pass protection, the running game was arguably worse. Banged up after last week, James Butler was held to just 25 yards on seven carries, while Zander Horvath managed three yards on his two touches. The push wasn’t there, and blocks weren’t getting to linebackers Marquel Lee and Jacob Roberts at the second level.
That makes it two weeks in a row that the ground game has been non-existent. Buck Pierce says he’s not concerned, but you can tell he’s downplaying the realities. This might be the biggest area of worry ahead of the West Final.
Much ado about nothing
At half-time, TSN’s Farhan Lalji reported that there was a minor altercation between the two teams in the tunnel between the locker rooms, resulting in players needing to be separated. Allegedly, the scuffle stemmed from allegations that Mathieu Betts threw a punch after the last play, potentially aimed at rookie centre Christopher Fortin.
If tempers were flaring at intermission, cooler heads had prevailed by the end of the game, and the Stampeders downplayed the incident at the podium. Head coach Dave Dickenson described Betts’ actions as something akin to a friendly pat on the back, and the pass rusher agreed — though he also suggested Calgary offered several pats in exchange.
In the end, Bett’s verdict was that words were exchanged, but it was all blown out of proportion. That’s football talk for “I don’t want to get fined,” but I’m surprised we don’t see more of these kerfuffles given how teams share a tunnel at BC Place. Next season, teams will finally be on opposite sidelines, but the possibility of brawling in the bowels of the stadium remains.
A better legacy
I’m glad the Lions pulled this out, if only for the sake of veteran cornerback Garry Peters. The 34-year-old has gutted it out through a serious knee injury in what might be his final professional season, but was on the wrong end of some of the Stampeders’ biggest plays.
Peters was beaten by Clark Barnes with no safety help on one VA deep shot, then took the pass interference penalty in the end zone to set up Quincy Vaughn’s TD plunge. He also took a facemask penalty and was trailing on that late strike to Philpot, though it appeared Jackson Findlay may deserve some of the blame there.
At his peak, Peters was the CFL’s best defensive back by a wide margin. He deserves to go out on a high note, and this wasn’t it.
Blue with envy
A solid crowd of 26,383 took in the action at BC Place, and the home faithful were the loudest I’ve heard them in my time covering the team. Even so, anyone would be lying if they said they weren’t disappointed by the turnout, given that the last two playoff games in Vancouver drew over 30,000.
When the Lions secured the hosting rights for this game, it was supposed to be a celebration of everything this organization had done right and a reward for owner Amar Doman’s investments. That was before we found out the Toronto Blue Jays would be playing in Game 7 of the World Series on Saturday night, setting the stage for what might be the most anticipated television event in Canadian history. Even though the kickoff times for both CFL playoff games were moved up to avoid excessive overlap, some people still stayed home to prioritize the perfect viewing experience, and the overwhelming smog of baseball fever in the zeitgeist choked out part of B.C.’s marketing push.
I do not attempt to hide my complete confusion regarding this obsession with America’s pastime. Frankly, I question the misplaced corporate patriotism of anyone who elects to root for a collection a foreign millionaires just because their jersey says “Toronto,” while not supporting a local team featuring dozens of elite Canadian athletes. However, that does not appear to be an argument I can win.
It is too bad that this playoff game wasn’t everything it could have been in terms of atmosphere, but thankfully, there will be no more swings of the bat after tonight, and a truly Canadian sports tournament can continue in peace. To those who did fill the stands in Vancouver — kudos. You deserved this one.
Points on the flag
I wasn’t in my usual seat in the press box for Saturday’s pre-game festivities, but not because of transit delays or my habitual tardiness. Instead, I was down at field level alongside a contingent of players from my high school team at Earl Marriott Secondary, who were invited to hold the Canadian flag during the national anthem.
I’d like to extend a massive thank you to the Lions for giving us this amazing way to cap our season, as well as to the sponsors who covered our ticket costs. It could not have rewarded a more resilient group of young men.
As I’ve explained before in this column, I took over as head coach at my alma mater three years ago, somewhat by default. In the world of high school football, there are the haves, the have-nots, and somewhere down the list is us. Simply scraping together a team has been an annual challenge.
This year, I didn’t think we’d make it. Despite combining our Varsity and JV programs, we were staring down the prospect of a season with just 17 healthy players. I was ready to pull the plug and give them all the chance to join the local community team midseason, but my captains put their foot down. If they were going down, it would be with the ship and not on a life raft.
So we battled and turned kids who had never even seen a football into players. A contingent of five from China who embraced the game completely. A pair of Nigerian linebackers for whom chaos was a creed. A cornerback from the Philippines who stood four-foot-five but had the heart of a seven-footer. Everyone played both ways, and some of them were literally held together by duct tape by the end, but we made it through. It was rarely pretty, but we did manage to put one notch in the win column — perhaps setting a Guinness World Record for biggest win per capita in the process.
I don’t know what the future holds for our scrappy little team or myself as a coach, but the Lions allowed us to celebrate on Saturday. I can think of no one more deserving of lifting our flag than that gritty group of kids from across the globe.
The one before the one that matters
The Lions’ attentions now shift to the West Final and a hostile road environment in Mosaic Stadium, where the Saskatchewan Roughriders await.
That same team very nearly beat B.C. with their backups in the regular-season finale, and there are questions to be answered. Can the Lions re-establish the run game? Is their offensive line up to the challenge of Corey Mace’s relentless front? Will Nathan Rourke be able to rise to the occasion in the prairie chill, where Lions’ QBs have routinely faltered?
B.C.’s resilience won’t be in doubt after this dog fight, but getting to a Grey Cup means progress every week.
“Winning at this level is hard. They’re all tough. Hopefully, out of each game, you take a little bit of something, and we’re a couple of plays smarter next week. That’s what it’s going to take,” Pierce said. “It’s important to celebrate it, but it’s also important to look at the corrections and make sure we emotionally come down.”
Kickoff in the West Final is set for 3:30 p.m. PST on Saturday, November 8.
