The B.C. Lions (10-4) visited Commonwealth Stadium on Friday night against the Edmonton Elks (4-11) for the third and final time of the season. The Lions shut out the Elks twice in their two previous meetings with a combined score of 49-0.
B.C. went up against the new-looked Elks with Tre Ford at quarterback. The Elks had won four of their last five games and were looking to keep pace with the hopes of clinching a playoff spot.
The Lions got off to a great start in the first quarter. Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. completed four passes for 55 yards, and running back Taquan Mizzell had two carries for nine yards which led to Adams throwing a five-yard touchdown pass to Justin McInnis for a 7-0 lead with 10:46 left of the first quarter.
Later in the first quarter, Edmonton’s defense made a big play when Kai Gray intercepted Vernon Adams Jr.’s pass for a pick-six 56-yard touchdown that knotted the game up 7-7 with 5:49 left. B.C. quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. made up for the interception on the third play from scrimmage when he completed a short pass to Jevon Cottoy, who took it to the house for a 57-yard touchdown for a 14-7 lead with 3:35 left of the first quarter.
Late in the first quarter, B.C. punt returner Terry Williams broke several tackles before getting pushed out of bounds for a 68-yard return. Three plays later, running back Taquan Mizzell scored a 13-yard touchdown for a 21-7 lead as the first quarter ended.
In the second quarter, B.C. quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. completed a short pass to Taquan Mizzell but Mark McLaurin stripped the ball away from him and Edmonton recovered on their 50-yard line. The turnover would lead to a Tre Ford 10-yard touchdown pass to Dillon Mitchell which made it 21-14 with 1:26 left.
The teams traded field goals for the rest of the second quarter. B.C. kicker Sean Whyte kicked a 12-yard field goal for a 24-14 lead with 48 seconds left, and Edmonton kicker Dean Faithfull converted a 41-yard field goal which made 24-17 B.C. at halftime.
B.C. quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. completed 10 of 15 passes (66%) for 207 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. Running back Taquan Mizzell had seven carries for 37 yards, one touchdown, and two carries for 15 yards, while wide receiver Jevon Cottoy made three catches for 85 yards, and one touchdown. B.C.’s defense had three sacks in the first half.
Edmonton quarterback Tre Ford completed 6 of 9 passes (66%) for 98 yards, one touchdown, and two carries for ten yards. Running back Shannon Brooks had three carries for 48 yards, and wide receiver Dillion Mitchell had two catches for 36 yards and one touchdown.
In the third quarter, Edmonton quarterback Tre Ford completed three passes for 28 yards. Kicker Dean Faithfull attempted a 41-yard field goal but missed wide. However, he did get a single point out of it which made it 24-18 with 11:47 left.
Later, Dean Faithfull would convert a 53-yard field goal. B.C.’s lead was now 24-21 with 5:01 left. With pressure mounting, B.C. needed a response and got it. On the third play, Vernon Adams Jr. handed the ball off to Taquan Mizzell, who went untouched to score a 48-yard touchdown for a 31-21 lead with 3:16 left of the third quarter.
B.C. had the ball for the final 35 seconds left of the third quarter. On the last play, running back Taquan Mizzell rushed for a gain of two yards before he was tackled on their 36-yard line. The Lions led 31-21 with one more quarter left.
In the fourth quarter, the Lions did not gain many yards before punting the ball back to Edmonton. Later, the Lions chewed up a lot of clock with running back Taquan Mizzell carrying the ball four times for 20 yards which led to Sean Whyte kicking a 17-yard field goal for a 34-21 lead with 6:08 left in the game.
Edmonton quarterback Tre Ford tried to complete a deep pass to Eugene Lewis but it was incomplete. However, a defense pass interference penalty on B.C. placed the ball on the Lions’ 32-yard line. Six plays later, Ford completed a four-yard pass to Dillon Mitchell which made it 34-28 B.C. with 2:53 left in the game.
Late in the fourth quarter, the Lions would seal the game when kicker Sean Whyte made a 40-yard field goal for a 37-28 lead with 36 seconds left. With six seconds left, Edmonton kicker Dean Faithfull missed a 50-yard field goal but did get a single point as time expired. The Lions defeated the Elks by the final score of 37-29.
With the win, the Lions have clinched a playoff spot. There is now only one spot left in the West Division. In addition, the Lions have tied the Winnipeg Blue Bombers for first place.
This was a hard-fought win for the Lions. Edmonton did not make it easy for them. Their defense did a good job covering Tre Ford did not have a lot of opportunities to make big plays. B.C. did what it needed to do to get the victory.
The Lions had 423 yards on offense. Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. completed 16 of 26 passes (61.5%) for 265 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions, and seven carries for 54 yards.
Running back Taquan Mizzell had a big game with 16 carries for 112 yards, two touchdowns, and four catches for 28 yards. Wide receiver Keon Hatcher had four catches for 91 yards. B.C.’s defense had 44 tackles, seven sacks, and two fumble recoveries.
Edmonton had 219 yards on offense. Quarterback Tre Ford completed 20 of 27 passes (74%) for 182 yards, two touchdowns, and five carries for 43 yards. Running back Shannon Brooks had three carries for 22 yards, and wide receiver Dillon Mitchell had three catches for 42 yards and two touchdowns. Edmonton’s defense had 35 tackles, two sacks, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
Next Friday, the Lions host the Saskatchewan Roughriders at 10:30 pm on CFL+, while Edmonton is off next week. Subscribe to Fubo to watch all of the 2023 CFL Season. Purchase CFL tickets today on StubHub and Viagogo.
