EDMONTON – It was all BC Lions at Commonwealth Stadium on Sunday night.
The Orange and Black floated to a 32-14 road win over the Edmonton Elks, piling on the points on offence and blanketing the Tre Ford-led outfit on defence as they improved to 3-3.
It was not the follow-up Edmonton wanted to their 39-point breakout win in Week 5, as everything seemed to go the Lions’ way. The Elks head into their bye week dropping to 1-4 with some serious questions.
For BC, it was an assertive win on both sides of the ball, and one they needed to stay in the competitive mix for the West Division crown ahead of their measuring-stick matchup against the Saskatchewan Roughriders in Week 7.
CFL.ca brings you three key stats from the BC Lions’ win over the Edmonton Elks.
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42:54 – BC TIME OF POSSESSION
There are plenty of stats that reflect BC’s control of the game – total plays, total yardage, first downs – but perhaps the most telling is the wide gap in time of possession. BC held the ball for 42:54 to Edmonton’s 17:06. To put that margin in context, in the two teams’ Week 1 matchup, which had a similar result of 31-14 for BC, the split was 32:12-27:48 in the Lions’ favour.
The daunting 25-minute advantage on Sunday is the largest held by any team this season, a discouraging sign for an Elks’ offence that managed just four first downs.
172 – JAMES BUTLER RUSHING YARDS
Part of the reason why BC’s offence was able to dominate the clock was James Butler‘s authority from the backfield. The versatile running back made his mark with a career-high 174 rushing yards on 30 carries – the highest single-game total in the CFL this season. As well as racking up a monster sum in yardage, Butler barrelled into the end zone in the first half with a 15-yard cut – his third major of the season. The outing was a welcome sight for a BC offence that entered Week 6 just seventh in the CFL with 94.8 rushing yards per game.
Butler’s consistent production also opened the door for Nathan Rourke to take over, which he did to the tune of 345 passing yards and two touchdowns. Rourke’s precision on shallow and medium concepts certainly had the Elks scrambling, but it was Butler’s dependability that kept the pocket clean and the playbook wide open.
112 – BC YARDS ALLOWED ON DEFENCE
While the offence stole the spotlight with its crooked numbers and career performances, BC’s defence was just as impressive, limiting the Elks to 112 net yards on the night. Shutting down Justin Rankin, who was coming off a 174-yard game, was a clear priority. The Lions held him to just four yards on three carries, while also neutralising Ford, who finished with just 34 passing yards on four-of-12 attempts. It was a sharp turnaround for a BC defence that entered the week allowing the most rushing yards per game. The group showed discipline in coverage, made open-field tackles, and forced Edmonton into seven two-and-outs.
The bye comes at the right time for the Elks, who now go back to the drawing board still searching for a second win under head coach Mark Kilam.