Lions 32, Stampeders 15: B.C. stops the bleeding, but offence hurting

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The B.C. Lions have their quarterback of the future.

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He just needs to survive the present first.

When Nathan Rourke returned from the NFL, he instantly brought back the hype and the Grey Cup hopes, even if Vernon Adams Jr. was playing at an MOP pace before he was hurt. But he’s yet to truly find his feet in the three-down game again, the Leos struggling to consistently put up points as they push for the playoffs.

Friday night at B.C. Place was no different. The Lions got six Sean Whyte field goals and two defensive touchdowns in their 32-15 victory over the Calgary Stampeders, with those majors not coming until the fourth quarter.

B.C. went 0-5 in the red zone, and didn’t score an offensive touchdown.

“It was huge,” said Rourke. “They won the game. They took over the game for us. It was 9-8, and then we as an offence, we blinked, and it was 25-8, and we hadn’t done anything. It’s an odd feeling, like to play the way that we did offensively and to win.”

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To be clear: Rourke was not the problem Friday night. But he wasn’t the answer they needed, either.

When Ace Eley’s first-quarter fumble return set B.C. inside the 25, all they could manage was a Whyte field goal.

When Keon Hatcher’s 50-yard catch-and-run put the Lions deep into Calgary territory, and eventually first-and-goal from the six-yard line, all they could manage was another three-pointer.

When Adrian Green made a diving interception and returned it all the way to the Stamps’ 18-yard line, it resulted in another Whyte field goal.

“Meh. I would call it ‘meh,’” head coach Rick Campbell said of his team’s offence.

“We’ve kind of flipped the script. We run the ball quite proficiently … and we used to be a team that could throw the ball all over the place, and right now, we’re not in that groove. We do some good things, but then we have some negative plays that that stopped us tonight.”

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The Lions (8-8) were on the doorstep early in the fourth quarter, with a third-and-goal from the three, and energized an otherwise lethargic crowd by lining up to go for it. But a time count violation — a player had trouble figuring out where to line up — pushed them back and forced a field goal. It was similar to a first-half play that wiped out a first-down run by William Stanback into the red zone on an illegal formation.

Rourke, to be clear, wasn’t the problem on Friday. He was 20-of-24 for 218 yards, but has now gone three straight games without a passing touchdown.

As a team, B.C. only had 269 yards in offence, and was out-scored by their defence, if you put Whyte’s kicks down to special teams. Injuries to David Mackie and Jevon Cottoy meant some rarely-used packages were pulled out — including plays that saw offensive lineman Andrew Pierson and long-snapper Riley Pickett make receptions — but that also contributed to the team’s offensive issues.

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Rourke said this week there was no hidden “secret sauce” the team hadn’t pulled out yet, but it’s clear they at least need a little hot sauce. Some heat, some spice.

B.C. hasn’t looked the same since their beat down in Winnipeg in Week 9, a 25-0 a** kicking that drained any mojo they’d built back up in the bye week after losing to Calgary. But Campbell again shot down any talk of Adams taking the reins post-game.

“We talked about (having) a killer instinct in the red zone of ‘let’s go after ‘em, go get ‘em’ and that didn’t materialize tonight. These are things we got to look at if we’re going to do any damage here in October or November.”

There are now two games left in the regular season for the Lions, on the road against the Saskatchewan Roughriders (7-7-1) and at home to Montreal (11-3-1).

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Should the Riders beat the Edmonton Elks on Saturday, B.C. clinches a playoff berth.

The Lions’ trip to Mosaic next week (4 p.m. PT, TSN, AM980) will likely determine second place in the West behind Winnipeg, who were also 31-10 winners over Hamilton on Friday. With second comes a coveted home playoff spot, and the Lions would like nothing more than to host one post-season match before likely flying back to Winnipeg for a third-straight West Final meeting with the Bombers.

“I don’t think I’d ever want to go root for the Roughriders, to be honest, at this point in my career,” quipped Rourke, but “we’ll be watching the game.”

The Als have already clinched first place and home field advantage in the East playoffs, and would likely rest many of their starters. The Riders will look to eliminate the Elks (5-10) when they visit the Elks on Saturday. A Saskatchewan win would also clinch a post-season berth for the Lions.

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The loss extended Calgary’s winless streak to seven games, the longest in team history since 1977, and also ended a 19-season playoff streak — the longest in North American professional sports.

B.C.’s defence came to play on Friday, with Green’s 50-yard interception return giving the Leos their first four-takeaway game of the season, and holding Calgary to 309 yards, 116 of those coming in garbage time. Maier was 19-of-27 for 164 yards, two picks and a late 53-yard touchdown to Reggie Begelton. The Stamps had 309 yards as a team.

Lee’s touchdown might just be the first in pro football history for a player wearing a Guardian Cap — a padded cover that goes over the helmet, to help reduce the chances of concussions — and was a highlight for a defensive unit that had been much maligned recently.

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“It doesn’t matter how we get on the field as a defence, whether offence makes a turnover or whatever, the more we’re on the field, the more opportunities we have to make plays,” Lee said, adding he spoke to the team before the game.

“And that’s how I broke it down to them, and you saw it resonate. Doesn’t matter what was happening. Defence was coming out, we were thinking about game changing plays, and then when it got down the stretch, we started making plays.

All it takes is one little play for everybody to start believing, even the offence. We have to play that type of ball from here on out.”

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