The two teams are meeting the second time in eight days. The Lions earned a 29-5 victory over Ottawa back on Sept. 13 in Vancouver. Lions head coach DeVone Claybrooks expects Ottawa will be a better team the second time around.
“I reiterated the points about playing a team back to back in a home and home series and a lot of teams don’t have success on the back end of that, so we want to make sure we’re one of the teams that are bucking that trend,” Claybrooks said.
“We understand that wins are hard to come by in this league clearly, from our record. You can’t get too high, you have to stay focused on the task at hand the journey of what we’re trying to do. Great teams and teams that compete for championships show up every week.”
On top of getting revenge for their Sept. 13 loss, Ottawa is trying to fight for their fading playoff hopes. Even if they lose to BC this week, they can still catch the Montreal Alouettes in the East Division.
“There’s ebbs and flows in a football game,” REDBLACKS punter Richie Leone said. “Sometimes you think it’s going to go one way. But these guys get paid too. It’s not always going to go the way you want it to be. But we gotta be able to bounce back,”
Despite a losing season, the BC Lions can boast that they’ve had durability at the quarterback position this year. Mike Reilly is the only starting pivot to have played in all of his team’s games this season. The secret to him staying healthy enough to play?
“I’m just hard-headed,” he said. “I know what I had to go through to get the opportunity to play. Having to sit behind Travis (Lulay) for three years, which is a great learning opportunity, but for those three years, I watched so many other teams around the league have their starters get hurt and guys that had been in the league way less than me get the opportunity to play.
“I knew when I finally had the chance it was going to have to be something that literally I couldn’t play. That’s just how I’ve always approached it. I appreciate every time that I get to line up, take the snap and play this game. I never take that for granted.”
Twenty players still remain on the REDBLACKS’ injured list, but they’ll have a few players back in the lineup Saturday. They include Canadian receiver Brad Sinopoli and receiver/returner DeVonte Dedmon.
“It’s always good to get those guys back,” Head Coach Rick Campbell said. “I’m personally always happy for guys when they’re healthy again.”
Dedmon dazzled earlier this season against the Montreal Alouettes when he racked up 377 return yards and two return touchdowns. He hasn’t played since Aug. 2 after reportedly suffering a hamstring injury, and he hopes to bring that game-breaking ability back to the REDBLACKS.
“You need times in the game where you make some big plays, some big game-changing plays that can swing the momentum in your favour and we just haven’t done that part enough,” Dedmon told the Ottawa Citizen earlier this week.
Linebacker Kevin Brown II will also suit up and start Saturday, and Stephane Nembot will backup at right tackle.
As for the Lions, running back Brandon Rutley will be on the one-game injured list. That makes way for running back John White. He’s rushed for 559 yards and five touchdowns this year. Defensive lineman Korey Toomer will also be in the lineup, backing up Jonathan Newsome.
BY THE NUMBERS
23 — The Ottawa REDBLACKS had 23 players on their injured list last week. Last year, the Toronto Argonauts had 24 players on their injured list.
43 — BC Lions quarterback Mike Reilly was sacked 43 times in the first 10 games of the season. In the last two games, he’s only been sacked twice.
10 — For the last 10 games, Ottawa REDBLACKS quarterbacks have thrown more interceptions than touchdowns in each of those games.
AFI, Yare Media and the CFL
American Football International is collaborating with Yare Media and the Canadian Football League to present 2019 CFL games live. This is more than a livestream. This is a stream of the top flight TSN network television broadcast.
LIVE STREAM PPV: CFL – BC Lions @Ottawa REDBLACKS, Sat. Sept. 21, 7p EDT (1a Sept. 22 CEDT)
