The B.C. Lions (2-0) made their 2023 home debut on Saturday night against the Edmonton Elks (0-2) looking to keep pace in the Western Division after Winnipeg won on Friday night.
This was mostly a defensive game, especially in the first half. In the first quarterback, Edmonton faced a third and short when Kia Locksley tried a quarterback sneak as Quincy Mauger stripped the ball with no whistle blown and ran for a 54-yard touchdown.
However, the officials determined that Locksley was down by contact and Edmonton kept the ball. The home crowd was not happy about the call. Edmonton could not advance the ball afterward and punted it to the Lions. Neither offense generated much and the Lions had the ball to begin the second quarter still scoreless.
On the third play of the second quarter, Vernon Adams Jr. appeared to have thrown a touchdown pass to Ayden Eberhardt but Eberhardt did not catch it and the Lions settled for a 16-yard field goal made by Sean Whyte. It was 3-0 Lions with 12:55 left.
Later in the second quarter, Vernon Adams Jr.’s pass was intercepted by Ed Gainey but Jevon Cottoy stripped the ball away from Gainey and recovered it. Gainey was injured after the play. The Lions could not take advantage of the second chance and punted it back to Edmonton.
On the second play for Edmonton, Nathan Cherry stripped the ball away from Kevin Brown and the Lions recovered on their 37-yard line. The Lions took advantage of the turnover when Adams threw a 21-yard pass to Dominique Rhymes. They reached the Elks’ 31-yard line before Sean Whyte made his second field goal for 48 yards that made it 6-0 with 1:26 left.
After Edmonton went two-and-out, the Lions got the ball back and Sean Whyte made a 46-yard field goal for a 9-0 lead with 27 seconds left. The Lions led 9-0 at halftime.
B.C. Lions quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. completed 11 of 19 passes (58%) for 142 yards, one interception, and one carry for seven yards. Running back Taquan Mizzell had four carries for 24 yards, and two catches for 11 yards, and Justin McInnis had three catches for 43 yards as part of the Lions’ 166 yards on offense. However, the Lions were penalized seven times for 65 yards.
Edmonton quarterback Taylor Cornelius completed 8 of 14 passes (57%) for 64 yards, and one interception, while Kevin Brown had five carries for 30 yards and two catches for 18 yards, and Steven Dunbar Jr. had three catches for 23 yards as part of the Elks’ 97 yards on offense. They fumbled the ball four times and punted the ball six times.
The Lions got the ball to start the third quarter. For the third time in the game, Sean Whyte converted a 51-yard field goal for a 12-0 lead with 12:38 left. Later, Whyte was going for his fourth straight field goal with 5:53 left but he missed wide right.
Edmonton was able to move the ball a bit but eventually punted it back to the Lions. Late in the third quarter, the Lions scored the first touchdown of the game. After three straight passes by Vernon Adams Jr. for 53 yards, Adams threw the ball up in the air to Dominique Rhymes and he caught it for a five-yard touchdown. It was now 19-0 with 30 seconds left. The score remained 19-0 after three-quarters of play.
On the second play of the fourth quarterback, Edmonton quarterback Taylor Cornelius was sacked by Mathieu Betts and the Elks punted the ball. At this point in the game, the Lions took their time marching down the field while chewing up the clock. They made it to the Elks’ 29-yard line where Sean Whyte made his fourth field goal of the night for 42 yards. It was now 22-0 with 5:48 left.
Edmonton head coach Chris Jones was not happy about his team’s performance. After the Elks went two-and-out, the Lions took the ball with 4:16 left and ran out the clock. The Lions shut out the Edmonton Elks by the final score of 22-0. The Lions’ defense played their best game of the season so far. They allowed 149 yards, with 27 tackles, one sack, and one interception.
B.C. Lions quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. finished the night completing 25 of 35 passes (71.4%) for 319 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and two carries for 11 yards. Running back Taquan Mizzell had 18 carries for 93 yards and four catches for 23 yards. Wide receiver Justin McInnis led the receivers with four catches for 79 yards.
Edmonton quarterback Taylor Cornelius had a rough night completing 13 of 22 passes (59%) for 101 yards, one interception, and one carry for eight yards. Running back Kevin Brown had seven carries for 41 yards, and two catches for 18 yards, while wide receiver Steven Dunbar Jr. led the receivers with five catches for 46 yards. Edmonton’s defense allowed 319 yards, with 50 tackles and one interception.
Next Thursday, the B.C. Lions battle the Winnipeg Blue Bombers with first place on the line at 8:30 pm on CFL+, while the Edmonton Elks host the Toronto Argonauts next Sunday at 7 pm on CFL+. Subscribe to Fubo to watch all of the 2023 CFL Season. Purchase CFL tickets today on StubHub and Viagogo.
