B.C. Lions QB Mike Reilly throws 4 TDs in 45-13 blowout win over Redblacks
The B.C. Lions recorded their first home win since Oct. 5, 2019 in fine style, defeating the Ottawa Redblacks 45-13 on Saturday night at B.C. Place.
Lions quarterback Mike Reilly went 22 for 26 in the air for 319 yards, four touchdowns and an interception. Kicker Jimmy Camacho chipped in a 14-yard field goal in the fourth quarter.
In his first start since Nov. 1, 2019, Redblacks pivot Dominique Davis was 30 for 51 passing for 333 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Punter Richie Leone also passed for 29 yards, connecting for a first down on a third-down trick play in the second quarter.
Coming off a bye week after dealing with an elbow injury early in the season, Reilly looked razor sharp, particularly in the early going. In the first quarter, he completed a perfect 10-of-10 passes and drove 193 yards of total offence, helping his team build a 21-7 lead.
Appearing in his first career CFL game on his 27th birthday as he stepped in for injured receiver Dominique Rhymes, Keon Hatcher opened the scoring with an eight-yard catch for the Lions, just five plays and 2:43 into the game.
Jevon Cottoy and Bryan Burnham, twice, had the other passing touchdowns, while Lucky Whitehead returned a missed Ottawa field goal for a 119-yard end-to-end score, 51 seconds into the second quarter.
Midway through the third quarter, Whitehead also caught a 63-yard aerial from deep in the Redblacks zone, setting the stage for Burnham’s second tally of the night.
Just before halftime, B.C. found the end zone for the fifth time after a wild sequence of plays. Bo Lokombo returned an interception for 20 yards, three plays after Reilly threw his first interception of the season into the end zone from the five-yard line. The Lions’ excellent field position had come courtesy of a fumble recovery by the Lions’ Obum Gwachum deep in the Redblacks zone with 1:45 to play in the second quarter.
Late in the first, Ryan Davis caught Ottawa’s only touchdown. Lewis Ward kicked two field goals and added a convert for seven points.
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With the win, the Lions (3-2) moved into a tie with the Saskatchewan Roughriders for second place in the West Division. The Redblacks (1-4) recorded their fourth straight loss and are headed into a bye week.
The Lions have now taken their season series against the Redblacks after beating them 24-12 on the road two weeks ago. Ottawa dropped a 51-29 decision to the Montreal Alouettes in Week 5.
NOTES: Camacho is a perfect 7 for 7 on field goal attempts in three games with B.C. … Lions defensive back Victor Gamboa suffered an arm injury in the second quarter and did not return … Complimentary cowbells were given to the limited-capacity crowd at B.C. Place as part of a half-time tribute to front-line and health-care workers.
“No, we’re not going to be out there partying,” said Campbell, the team’s head coach and co-general manager. “We’re going to have to be ready from play one to beat Calgary.”
B.C. is looking for its first win of the campaign after falling 35-27 to the Argonauts in Toronto on Sunday.
Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. had a league-high 363 passing yards in the effort, but also threw two interceptions and was sacked six times.
When the Lions got desperate late in Sunday’s game, the offensive line faltered, Campbell said.
“It got away at the end of the game when we knew we were throwing the ball,” he said. “(Toronto’s) front is good. They pinned their ears back at the end and caused some problems for us. I think Toronto’s going to cause a lot of people problems. We like our O-line and we want to do whatever we can to protect our quarterback.”
There were lessons to take from the loss, Adams said, but it’s important for the Lions to simply move on.
“We flushed it, we washed it. And we came out here with good energy today,” he said. “It was a good practice today offensively, defensively, special teams locking things in.”
The Stampeders (1-0) opened their season with a 32-24 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats last Friday.
Collecting results early is a focus this year, in part because Calgary went 1-3 out of the gate last season, said head coach Dave Dickenson.
“The goal was to start faster, to get the first win at home, then see what we can do on the road,” he said. “So we’re right where we need to be. Now we need to see if we can stack two wins together.”
Jake Maier connected on 21 of his 26 passing attempts in the victory, amassing 252 yards and two touchdowns. The performance earned the quarterback a nod as the CFL’s top offensive player of the week.
B.C. knows Calgary is going to have a good all-around offence and be diverse in the plays they call, Campbell said.
“We’re going to have to be good and also find a way to get some pressure on him,” he said. “We can’t just have the quarterback stand back there being comfortable no matter who it is. So we’ll have to try to get him off his spot.”
Having a boisterous home crowd could be a boon for the Lions.
With so many people in the stands, Saturday could feel like a big American college game, said Adams, who played for the Eastern Washington Eagles and Oregon Ducks.
More fans doesn’t necessarily equal higher stakes, though, the quarterback added.
“No pressure at all,” he said. “If we just come out there, we play our game, we execute at a high level, and come out better in the second half, I think the scoreboard will take care of itself.”
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