The B.C. Lions aim to maintain their recent dominance of the Edmonton Elks on Saturday when the teams reconvene in Vancouver, British Columbia.
The Lions have outscored the Elks 179-53 en route to winning each of the last four meetings.
Vernon Adams Jr. and Dominique Rhymes started the 2023 season off on the right foot as B.C. posted a 25-15 victory over the Calgary Stampeders on June 8. Adams completed 28 of 36 passes for 270 yards and two touchdowns, with Rhymes reeling in eight catches for 100 yards and both scores.
Taquan Mizzell rushed for 81 yards on just 12 carries for the Lions (1-0).
B.C. will feature one change to their lineup on Saturday with rookie wideout Ayden Eberhardt replacing Lucky Whitehead (hamstring). Eberhardt said he will draw on his success during the preseason to get him up to speed for his regular-season debut.
“I think the preseason definitely helped out a little bit and at least a little bit of personal confidence as well going in, knowing I can go in and make some plays,” the University of Wyoming product said.
Defensively, the Lions limited the Stampeders to just 235 yards of net offense and did not yield a touchdown until late in the fourth quarter. This week, B.C. will face an Edmonton club that struggled to get untracked in a 17-13 setback to the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Sunday.
Taylor Cornelius completed 13 of 25 passes for 202 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions for the Elks (0-1). Eugene Lewis, who have five receptions for 148 yards and a score, picked up right where he left off after being named the East Division’s Most Outstanding Player in 2022 while playing for the Montreal Alouettes.
“We’ve got to feed off our defense,” Lewis told 630 CHED, radio home of the Elks. “Our defense made some great plays and we’ve got to compliment them for what they’re doing. But at the same time, this is the first game. I saw some good potential stuff with us out there, there’s just some things we’ve got to clean up, but I’m still real excited for the rest of the season. It’s just one game.”
–Field Level Media