SCARED OF THE STAMPS?
QB CHOMPING AT THE BIT
Travis Lulay knows Calgary is unbeaten, tough and extra mean at McMahon. But he believes the Lions can whip up some offence, and a win
If you can’t make them bend, then you’d better be sure you can make them break.
The B.C. Lions head into the inhospitable confines of McMahon Stadium Saturday night to face an undefeated Calgary Stampeders squad boasting a dangerous, swarming defence that’s smothered all-comers this year.
How dominant have they been? The Stamps (6-0) lead practically every defensive category: Net offence (242.5 yards per game); yards per play (4.7), first downs (89); first down average (4.8), plays per game (51.5) and turnovers (22).
Throw in the fact the Lions (2-3) haven’t beaten Calgary at home since 2014 when they prevailed on a last-minute 65-yard touchdown to win 25-24, the game is over before it started if you’re a weaker-willed player.
“You have to believe you can beat them. If you line up and think ‘Oh my gosh, this is the most formidable defence I’ve ever seen in my life’ … you’re playing into their hands,” said quarterback Travis Lulay.
“(Calgary) plays with that kind of belief. They believe they’re going to stop you. And if you believe that they’ll stop you, they will.”
As intimidating as the Stamps’ shredding, piranha-like defence is, the Lions have the tools to fix the problem. Stretching an inflexible defence can open gaps, as B.C.’s passing game is capable of doing.
Despite having the fewest passing attempts in the CFL, the Leos have the second-most completions over 30 yards (11) with the Lions’ share coming with Lulay at the helm (eight).
The veteran quarterback is going deeper more than Jonathon Jennings did, hitting for 292 yards and two touchdowns on 23 passes over 20 yards, as opposed to Jennings’ three completions for 115 yards and one score.
The numbers are, of course, skewed by the small sample size — Lulay has only started two games — but the fact he leads the league in completion yardage (13.5) shows the difference in the two pivots’ styles.
The Stampeders — surprise surprise — top the charts in fewest 30-yard passes against (three), average pass yardage (5.8) and opposition QB rating (27.4), but Lulay thinks there are gaps to exploit.
“You should be excited to face a defence like this,” he said. “You’re going to have to find the opportunities to do that. It’s one of the things they’re really good at, is not giving up big, easy chunks.
“Philosophically, it’s one of the things that they believe in, keeping the ball in front of them so they can rally.”
Receiver Bryan Burnham had 1,202 receiving yards and seven TDs last year, but has just 234 yards and no scores through the first five games this season. The deep-threat wideout feels that after chalking up back-to-back 300-plus yard games in passing yards, the Lions are finally starting to click.
“We have a bunch of guys who are finally starting to jell, and there are so many new pieces to the team,” he said.
“Calgary’s one of those teams that’s going to sit back, play disciplined and wait for you to make mistakes. If you can go out there and put some big plays together early and get on them fast, that will definitely put us in a good position.”
To set up the deep pass, the Lions will have to find some first-down success. They average a mid-pack 6.6 yards per first down play, but being in a second-and-short yardage situation makes the job easier for Lulay — and last year’s biggest weakness, the offensive line.
The longer the down and distance, the longer the O-line has to pass protect, something B.C. can’t afford against Calgary, the CFL’s current sack leaders with 17.
“The offensive line has been the most consistent group on this offence up to this point,” said Lulay, who gave props to off-season additions Chris Greaves and David Knevel. “You have to be in manageable down and distance situations if you have a group struggling to run the ball.
“(If you look at 2016) we were just a better first-down team, and we were a better passing team because of it. That really helps the offensive line.”
Greaves and Knevel, stepping in for an injured Jovan Olafioye in Ottawa, were a big part of the reason Lulay has only been sacked once in his two games. B.C. has given up 12 this year, but a large number of those came on designed quarterback runs for Jennings.
With a wall in front of him, Lulay connected on several big passes against Ottawa. A 42-yard pass to Burnham and a 26-yard TD to Manny Arceneaux put the Lions up 20-12 in the fourth quarter, and later in the final frame, it was the Manny Show catching a 72-yard score to put the Leos on the 14-yard line with 2:53 left.
Burnham hopes to see the same in Calgary.
“It’s up to us. We have to go out there, we have to get open, we have to make plays,” he said. “(You have to) realize that they’re beatable. Yes, they’re a very good team, they’re disciplined, and they’re undefeated right now, but it’s a football game and we’re professionals just like them.
“We’ve been in position to beat Calgary in Calgary before, but we’ve let it go at the end.”