CFL Primed For Touchdown Pacific

The B.C. Lions are once again looking to turn their fortunes around. 

This time, though, the quest will take place in a unique locale as the Lions (5-6) host the Ottawa Redblacks in Victoria on Saturday.

The Touchdown Pacific matchup at Royal Athletic Park — home to West Coast League baseball team the Victoria HarbourCats — will mark the furthest west a CFL game has ever been played.

“Obviously it’s a little different for us, a little different rhythm than a regular home game,” said Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke, who was born in Victoria. “But these are the type of moments that you might only be able to experience once or twice in your career. So to be a part of this one is cool. And hopefully it goes well and we can come back next year.”

B.C. heads into the battle riding a five-game losing skid after dropping a 34-27 road decision to Ottawa (7-2-1) last week. 

Down 17-12 at halftime, the Redblacks rallied for their sixth-straight undefeated outing. 

“They’re a good team. I mean, we saw that in film,” Rourke said. “But they’re physical. They fly around. They’re very well coached. They do what they do, and they do it very well.”

Rourke and the Lions showed signs of improvement in the contest but the squad once again failed to hold on to a lead. B.C. has not won a game this season when trailing in the third quarter.

The Lions had a knack for making game-winning plays in the fourth quarter early in the year when they leapt out to a 5-1 start, said Rick Campbell, the club’s head coach and co-general manager. That ability has evaporated since their last win back on July 13. 

Little mistakes have cost the club dearly, Campbell said. 

“The way this league is right now is you can’t get away with you can’t get away with too many negative things, particularly when the game’s on the line,” he said. “So it’s not like a team just blows someone out of the water. You’ve got to be on point.”

The Lions aren’t the only ones who’ve struggled to hold a lead.

According to CFL stats, 73 per cent of games this season have featured comeback victories and 67 per cent of games were decided in the final three minutes.

“It was highlighted last week. Our game came down to the last series. The Montreal-Edmonton game came down to the last play,” Campbell said.

“I know, for the coaches and players it’s stressful but everything just gets highlighted. So you need to make sure you’re doing everything you can in the fourth quarter to win.”

The Lions may get some help Saturday with a pair of familiar faces expected to return to the lineup.

Rourke will likely be backed up by veteran quarterback Vernon Adams Jr., who has been working his way back from a knee injury he picked up against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Aug. 2.

Star defensive lineman Mathieu Betts has also returned to B.C. after being cut by the NFL’s Detroit Lions earlier this week. The 29-year-old from Montreal is the CFL’s reigning top defensive player.

But Campbell said his players know they shouldn’t expect a white knight heading into Saturday’s game.

“The only people that are going to get it done are us. There’s no magic people coming in to do things,” he said.

“I always learn way more about people when things aren’t going right, and how they respond and how they react. It’s easy when you’re winning. And we have a lot of very, very capable and competent coaches and players that are going to ride through this.”

OTTAWA REDBLACKS (7-2-1) AT B.C. LIONS (5-6-0)

Royal Athletic Park, Victoria., Saturday

HISTORY BOOKS: Ottawa’s 7-2-1 start is the best the Redblacks’ history. It hasn’t quite matched the record for a football team in the nation’s capital, though — the Ottawa Football Club got off to a 9-2 start in 1987.

MILESTONE WATCH: Players on both sides are closing in on some big records heading into Saturday’s game. Redblacks defensive Adarius Pickett needs three defensive tackles to reach 250 in his career and Lions running back William Stanback is 67 rushing yards away from amassing 4,500 across his CFL career. His teammate Justin McInnis needs 46 receiving yards to hit 1,000 for the season.

MAKING MEMORIES: B.C.’s Christian Covington has fond memories of football games on Vancouver Island. The defensive lineman played high school football for Vancouver College and had a fierce rivalry with Mount Douglas in Victoria. “Any time I could play against those Island boys, it was fun. It was always a battle,” Covington said with a grin. “But for me, I think we came out on top.”

(Canadian Press)