Lions’ QB, Lulay, wants to outshine friend and rival, Reilly, when Eskimos visit B.C. tonight
VANCOUVER — B.C. Lions quarterback Travis Lulay will put his friendship with Edmonton Eskimos counterpart Mike Reilly on hold tonight.
Lulay hopes to outshine his former teammate as the Lions (2-4) attempt to end a two-game losing skid with a win over the surging Eskimos (5-2).
“We’ve played against each other a couple times,” Lulay said after practice on Wednesday. “But up until last year, we hadn’t directly squared off. They got us at home last year. We got Mike coming into our house this week, so it would be fun to hang around and (compete) with him.”
Lulay and Reilly spent three seasons as Lions teammates before Reilly was traded to Edmonton after the 2012 season. Both have won CFL most outstanding player awards — Lulay in 2011 and Reilly last season.
“When they were here, they were competitive and yet they were good friends,” said Lions coach Wally Buono. “I still think they’re good friends. Has Travis helped Mike? Has Mike helped Travis? It’s kind of like the chicken-andthe-egg thing.”
Reilly has picked up where he left off in 2018, leading all CFL quarterbacks with 160 pass completions on 241 attempts for 2,320 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Lulay, who began the season as a backup after coming off a knee injury last season, has completed 72-of-112 passes for 932 yards and four touchdowns. He has tossed only two interceptions compared to Reilly’s four.
“We talk almost every week, texting actually,” said Lulay. “He’s kind of been distant this week. I meant to call him up. Sometimes he’ll call me to vent about a few things that happened in the last game. I do the same thing.”
This week, the Lions have been venting about missed opportunities. One that sticks out was their previous game in Edmonton — in the second week of the season in late June — when the Lions built an 11-0 lead but lost 41-22.
Edmonton is on a three-game winning streak.
Defensive end Odell Willis, a former Eskimo, said the key for the Lions will be to stop Reilly.
“He goes as far as the team goes,” said Willis. “If we control Mike Reilly, we control what they do.”
Reilly, who was frustrated with his performance in a home win over Saskatchewan last weekend, does not want the Eskimos to get too comfortable with their success.
“We’ve got to get better every week,” he told reporters. “The games are just going to get tougher.”
Tonight’s kickoff is set for 7 p.m. PT at B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver.