The BC Lions are entering a potentially high-scoring clash with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Friday with a significant portion of the offence dealing with injuries.
Four wide receivers showed up on BC’s injury report on Wednesday - an unusually high number after just one game played this year - including Jevon Cottoy, Keon Hatcher, Stanley Berryhill and Seven McGee.
Berryhill (thigh), Cottoy (thigh) and McGee (foot) are all listed out, while Hatcher (thigh) is listed as questionable.
As TSN’s Farhan Lalji notes, there will be even more pressure on reigning Most Outstanding Player Nathan Rourke to carry his team to victory against a Hamilton squad that is averaging 32 points per game early in the year.
Hatcher, Cottoy and Berryhill combined to catch 11 passes for 161 yards in the season-opening 31-27 loss to the Saskatchewan Roughriders on June 13. Rourke threw for 330 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions in that defeat.
Rourke took home MOP and Most Outstanding Canadian honours a season ago, when he set a CFL record for yards by a Canadian quarterback with 5,290 yards, and added 31 touchdowns against 16 interceptions.
His top target last year was Hatcher, who led the league with 1,688 yards receiving and finished with nine touchdowns. The trio of Hatcher, Berryhill and Cottoy combined to catch 211 passes for 3,082 yards and 21 touchdowns - significant production that Rourke may not have available against Hamilton.
Hamilton’s QB Bo Levi Mitchell joins Rourke as part of a group of quarterbacks lighting up the CFL early in the season, as Mitchell has completed a sparkling 84 per cent of his passes through two games with 594 yards and three touchdowns.
One thing that can help guide the Lions is a bigger contribution from running back James Butler. Butler ran nine times for 35 yards in the season opener after averaging 71.4 yards per game in last year’s campaign.
“We had many chances that we didn’t capitalize on offence,” leading receiver Justin McInnis said after the loss in the season opener. “I’m always going to put it on us. I feel like we’re the best in the league, so whenever we don’t finish the drive or there’s little mishaps in the game, I always feel like it’s on us.”
