By The Canadian Press

‘Mistakes are going to happen’: Lions eager to rebound in rematch with Redblacks

Sep 11, 2025 | 2:30 PM

VANCOUVER — The B.C. Lions have a shot at redemption this week.

Last Friday, the Lions coughed up a 17-point second-half lead en route to a 34-33 loss to the Ottawa Redblacks. Just seven days later, B.C. (5-7) will look to flip the script when it hosts Ottawa (4-8) for the back half of a home-and-home series.

Seeing the same team two weeks in a row comes with advantages, said Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke, but B.C. fully expects the visitors to make adjustments heading into the rematch.

“Certainly that loss, I think, is still fresh for us,” he said. “But in terms of scheme and strategy, I think we know who they are, who their identity is. But we’re always going to be expecting something new.”

The Lions will once again see Dustin Crum at quarterback for the Redblacks. Ottawa’s No. 1, Dru Brown, continues to recover from a knee injury but will dress as a backup against B.C.

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Stopping Crum and his crew proved to be a challenge for the Lions late in last week’s matchup. B.C. were up 27-16 heading into the fourth quarter before Ottawa staged its comeback.

“(Crum) made some great plays, they have got a lot of good receivers, their O-line plays hard. They were playing hard all game. So they were just in it to win it,” said Lions defensive lineman Jonah Tavai. “They made some great plays, and you can’t take that away from them.”

Tavai had six tackles — including two for a loss — and a sack in the loss, and will be looking to contribute once again this week.

“We’re down in our record. So I just want to go out there and win for the team,” he said. “Whatever it takes, I really don’t care. So I’m gonna go out there and play my hardest.”

B.C. has been one of the league’s top scoring teams this season, putting up 30-plus points in each of its last five games. But the Lions have given up a lot of points, too, dropping three of their last five when leading by 10 or more points.

“You’ve got to finish,” Rourke said. “We’re not doing a great job of that right now. That’s why the record is what it is. But we’re certainly optimistic that that game’s coming soon.”

The players know they need to clean up the details that are costing the Lions at the end of games, said head coach Buck Pierce. Doing so is about locking in not only individually but as a group as well.

The entire team knows they need to be more consistent to get the results B.C. will need to secure a playoff berth, he added.

“You want to be able to play your best at all times, and at certain times that’s not going to happen, right?” he said. “So when those things don’t happen, you can’t let it snowball into two or three plays or affect plays down the road for you.

“You’ve gotta be able to flush it and move on. Mistakes are going to happen, but you’ve got to be able to overcome those things.”

OTTAWA REDBLACKS (4-8-0) AT B.C. LIONS (5-7-0)

Friday, B.C. Place

HISTORY BOOKS: The Lions have traditionally fared well against the Redblacks, going 52-25-2 all-time. Ottawa has won two of the last three meetings between the two sides following a string of eight straight B.C. wins.

MR. 300: Crum threw for 301 yards last week, marking his first CFL game with more than 300 passing yards. He added 69 rushing yards in the win.

HUNTING 100: Lions linebacker Micah Awe heads into Saturday’s game with 91 defensive tackles over 12 games this season. He’s looking to hit 100 for the second time in his career after recording 134 with the Calgary Stampeders in 2023.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2025.

Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press