BC Lions use adversity as fuel on their way to the West semi-final

It wasn’t the regular season the BC Lions had planned for.

After starting the campaign 5-1, the Leos faced challenge after challenge – injuries, an extended losing skid, a quarterback controversy – and finished third in the West with a 9-9 record.

Now BC looks to use that setback as fuel as it heads to Regina to face the Saskatchewan Roughriders (9-8-1) in the West semifinals on Saturday.

“It’s great that we were tested,” defenseman TJ Lee said. “We’ve been through a lot.”

Playoffs are the great equalizer, resetting each team’s record to 0-0, quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. said.

“Whatever happened during the year, it doesn’t matter. You have to come and play anyway,” he said on Thursday. “So no matter who you are, whether you have a first-round bye or not, you have to come and play. And that’s it. We just want to play our best football in the future.”

The Lions know more adversity lies ahead, according to head coach and co-general manager Rick Campbell. The key to getting through them is to focus on one play at a time.

“That will be the name of the game. Playoffs are really about resilience and bouncing back. And you have to do that from both sides,” he said. “When something bad happens, you move on. When something good happens, you move on and do it again.”

After a bye week, BC goes into the play-offs well rested and healthy. The Lions last played on October 19 when they defeated the league-leading Montreal Alouettes 27-3.

That result will count for nothing next Saturday, Campbell noted.

“It’s always better to win than to lose, that’s for sure,” he said. “But I think when you switch to play-off mode, it’s just a different deal and it’s all do or die.”

The Riders concluded their regular season last week with a 27-12 loss to the Calgary Stampeders.

After splitting the season series with Saskatchewan, everyone in BC’s locker room knows they’re in for a battle on Saturday, running back William Stanback said.

“They are a fiery team. “They can perform on all cylinders,” he said. “It’s a team you really have to pay attention to and be well prepared to go against. But we are a confident group. We know what we can do, what we are capable of.”

The Riders limited Stanback – who had the second-most rushing yards (1,175) in the CFL during the regular season – to just 35 yards as Saskatchewan defeated BC 39-8 on Oct. 12.

“Sometimes as a running back you get games like that,” said the thirty-year-old American. “But you just have to be mentally strong so that you don’t get frustrated and understand that not every match is going to be the same.” Like this.”

The Lions have another major offensive threat in Justin McInnis, who led the league in receiving yards this season with a career-high 1,469.

The 28-year-old receiver from Pierrefonds, Que., said he worked hard for this achievement – ​​and that hard work continues as the postseason begins.

“I’m super proud of myself,” said McInnis, a former Roughrider. “But in the end it means nothing if you don’t get that Gray Cup at the end of the year. A good year is a good year, but I want that championship.”

The Lions have won the West semifinals two years in a row, beating the Stampeders both times. While not everyone on the current roster was in the locker room for those games, many players have extensive postseason experience that they are reflecting on as they prepare for Saturday’s tilt game.

“We just have to be the team with more will,” said Stanback, who won a Gray Cup with the Alouettes last season. “We need to have more fire in our hearts, and we need to have that extra enthusiasm.” to win our one-on-one battles.

After a regular season packed with challenges, the Lions feel they have a lot more to show in the playoffs.

“We haven’t scratched the surface of our potential yet,” Lee said. “So that’s what I’m excited about, shining at the right time. Every team has to find that boost at the right time of the year to push through and win the championship.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 31, 2024.