The Lions’ triumph in a thrilling game against the Montreal Alouettes showcased a scrappy fight with turnovers, blocked kicks, and cheeky plays. The Leos emerged victorious with a 35-19 score, remaining undefeated at home and securing the top spot in the West.
The match started with some drama as Vernon Adams Jr. threw an interception, which was overturned due to a penalty on Montreal’s defence. The Lions capitalized on the opportunity, charging upfield and scoring the game’s opening touchdown. The Alouettes answered back with a quick touchdown of their own, and the first quarter saw a back-and-forth exchange of strong drives between the teams.
One of the standout moments of the game was a blocked Montreal field goal by B.C.’s Woody Baron, caught by Jalon Edwards-Cooper, who ran it back for a 69-yard defensive touchdown. This unprecedented play got Lions’ defensive coordinator Ryan Phillips jumping and dancing on the sidelines. Additionally, Alouettes’ receiver Antwi attempted a cheeky rugby maneuver to exploit CFL’s kick return rules, but the plan failed, leaving the officials puzzled.
The Lions’ newly signed rookie running back, Shaun Shivers, made a strong debut, rushing for 63 yards and scoring his first CFL touchdown. He also contributed as a receiving target with 73 yards, the most for the night. Vernon Adams Jr. had a solid performance, completing 21 out of 26 passes for 291 yards and a single touchdown pass.
The Lions’ receiving core, led by Keon Hatcher and Jevon Cottoy, made some great catches and kept the team moving down the field with their excellent route runs. B.C.’s defence, orchestrated by Ryan Phillips, made key stops, caused turnovers, and put immense pressure on Cody Fajardo, sacking him seven times during the game. Mathieu Betts picked up two sacks out of the Lions’ total of seven. Betts currently leads the CFL in QB sacks with nine and is on record to break the most sacks by a Canadian player, currently held by former BC Lion, Brent Johnson.
Despite the loss, Montreal displayed impressive qualities coming out of the offseason, thanks to the efforts of head coach Jason Moss. Cody Fajardo exhibited strength as a quarterback, escaping the pocket under pressure and converting on crucial downs. The game could have gone in the Alouettes’ favour if not for some clutch defensive plays and a few dropped passes that kept their primary scoring method to field goals.
Looking ahead, the Lions will enjoy a bye week before facing their long-term rivals, the Saskatchewan Roughriders, on July 22. With Saskatchewan’s QB Trevor Harris out due to knee surgery, their pass game might take time to find momentum. However, the Riders are known for their strong running game, led by RB Jamal Morrow who’s rushed for 322 yards so far this season. The Lions’ defence will need to remain focused and on top of their plays to stop Morrow’s rush and secure a clean victory.
Teryn Midzain is an English Major with ambitious goals to write movies and a full-time nerd, whose personality and eccentrics run on high-octane like the cars he loves. More importantly, Teryn loves sports [Formula One], and doesn’t care who knows. When not creating and running deadly schemes in his D&D sessions, Teryn tries to reach the core of what makes the romantic and dramatic World of Sports, the characters and people that make the events so spectacular.
