LIVESTREAM CFL: Edmonton Elks @ BC Lions, June 18, 01:00 CET (1 am, 7 pm EDT)
VANCOUVER — A raucous crowd is expected at BC Place as the Lions play host to the Edmonton Elks on Saturday night.
The Lions come into the contest after a convincing 25-15 victory over the Calgary Stampeders to open the season.
The Elks meanwhile are in search of their first victory after dropping their home opener to the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
It was no Nathan Rourke, no problem for a Vernon Adams Jr.-led BC, as the quarterback threw for 300 yards and the offence put up 421 net yards in the win.
The receiving game will once again run through star Dominique Rhymes, with the supporting cast of Alexander Hollins and Jevon Cottoy providing additional options.
Rhymes’ 109 yards and two touchdowns led all Leos receivers in Week 1.
Unfortunately for the Lions, they’ll be without Lucky Whitehead who will miss the game with a hamstring issue.
The Elks did a good job limiting the pass game against the Riders, holding them to 179 yards, but the task won’t be any easier this week against a deep set of receivers and a quarterback who continues to gel with his offence.
LIVESTREAM CFL: Edmonton Elks @ BC Lions, June 18, 01:00 CET (1 am, 7 pm EDT).
Running back Taquan Mizzell was strong in his CFL debut, answering some of the questions about the Lions run game by rushing for 81 yards on 12 carries. He’ll try for more of the same against an Elks front that allowed 135 rush yards a week ago.
Defensively, it will be the responsibility of T.J. Lee and Garry Peters to focus their attention on star Elks receiver Eugene Lewis who pulled down five catches for 148 yards in the loss to the Riders.
While Lewis will be quarterback Taylor Cornelius’ main target all season long, the secondary can’t forget about Emmanuel Arceneaux, Steven Dunbar Jr. and Kyran Moore who will be motivated to improve on the 37 yards they combined for in the opening week loss.
Lions head coach Rick Campbell knows his defence will need to focus on shutting down Lewis but is well aware of the depth of the Elks receiving game.
“We definitely have to pay attention to him (Lewis), but at the same time they have other guys too,” Campbell told BCLions.com.
“You can’t just focus on one guy. They’re an athletic, physical group. We’re going to have our hands full with him and their whole team. They’ve invested a lot of money in their receiving corps and it shows.”
Cornelius’ decisions will need to be made quickly as the Lions front loves to apply pressure.
Defensive lineman Mathieu Betts, Sione Teuhema and linebacker Boseko Lokombo are all coming off their first sacks of the season and are facing an Elks offensive line that allowed five in Week 1.
As happy as Campbell is with the first victory, he knows there’s a long way to go to get to where his team wants to be.
“It was good to get a win on the road against a Western team,” Campbell told BCLions.com.
“It’s really important that we move on and get on to this next one. Starting fast is big.”
Insulating Cornelius will be important to his success as he tries to move the ball through the air and allow his receivers to make plays downfield.
Cornelius won’t be the only one with his hands full with the Lions defence as running back Kevin Brown will be handed the ball with consistency yet again as head coach Chris Jones looks for different ways to spark his offence.
Brown carried the ball 11 times for 59 yards against the Riders.
For the Elks to find the win column, their defence will need to limit big plays and extended drives, much like they did in their first game.
Jake Ceresna and A.C. Leonard anchor a defensive line responsible for getting to Adams Jr. and shutting down Mizzell. Facing an offensive line that kept Adams Jr. well protected last week, it’s a task that’s easier said than done.
They’ll be supported by linebackers Nyles Morgan, who had an interception in their first game, and Adam Konar who had six tackles.
The full team effort will need to continue in the secondary, with Kai Gray, Ed Gainey and Loucheiz Purifoy, who will be facing his former team, keeping close tabs on Rhymes and company.
With the home crowd bringing high expectations, the Lions will try to send them home happy in their first game at BC Place this season.
The Elks will need another strong defensive performance and more out of their offence to move to .500.
LIVESTREAM CFL: Edmonton Elks @ BC Lions, June 18, 01:00 CET (1 am, 7 pm EDT).
