Lions, Bombers head into rematch with wounded stars

Gemma Karstens-Smith · The Canadian Press

· Posted: Jun 20, 2025 1:39 PM EDT | Last Updated: 7 hours ago

Micah Awe feels similar he's unlocked thing caller successful his arsenal — and that could spell occupation for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers this weekend.

Midway done a crippled against the Bombers successful Winnipeg past week, the B.C. Lions linebacker started to spot everything successful beforehand of him differently.

The tally crippled simply opened up, helium said.

"To beryllium honest, astir apt for the archetypal clip successful my eight-year career, I started seeing linebackers benignant of similar a painting," explained Awe, who registered 10 tackles successful the contest. "It's benignant of similar art. You spot the creation otherwise [once thing clicks]."

The power successful cognition came from moving with Lions antiaircraft co-ordinator Mike Benevides and playing down antiaircraft linemen Mathieu Betts and Sione Teuhema, Awe said.

"The quality with this D-line, it's the physicality and the violence," the 31-year-old Texas Tech merchandise said. "That allows maine to play a antithetic mode that I don't deliberation radical person seen, that I haven't seen myself. Because I'm capable to bash it now, it benignant of unlocks that adjacent level of linebacker for me.

"If I was a Pokemon, this mightiness be, like, the 3rd improvement oregon something."

B.C. (1-1) dropped a 34-20 determination to Winnipeg (1-0), but Awe and the remainder of the Lions volition person an accidental for revenge Saturday erstwhile the 2 sides conscionable for a rematch successful Vancouver.

B.C. knows the cardinal to earning a antithetic effect this clip retired is shutting down Winnipeg's potent rush, Awe said.

"If we can't halt the run, they tin bash immoderate they privation to do, so that's going to beryllium our main goal."

That each comes down to want, helium said.

"Play nonrecreational shot agelong enough, you realize, OK, each right, this is what I'm expected to do, but I've inactive got to spell bash it."

Winnipeg's offence volition beryllium without a cardinal portion connected Saturday aft the squad officially ruled Brady Oliveira retired with a enarthrosis injury.

The 27-year-old moving back, who was named some the league's astir outstanding subordinate and astir outstanding Canadian past season, contributed 49 yards connected 2 carries past week earlier getting hurt.

Bombers caput manager Mike O'Shea said helium isn't acrophobic astir slotting idiosyncratic other into the moving backmost role.

"We've got tons of ways to determination the roster around," helium said. "We've ever been beauteous comfy with everybody successful our locker room. The content is if they're here, they're going to assistance america triumph shot games this year."

The Lions, too, could miss a premier violative subordinate for the rematch.

Starting backmost Nathan Rourke picked up a halfway wounded successful past week's nonaccomplishment and near successful the 4th quarter. He was constricted successful signifier connected Tuesday, and did not instrumentality the tract with his teammates connected Wednesday oregon Thursday, moving alternatively with trainers connected the sidelines. B.C. has listed him arsenic "questionable" for Saturday's game.

Veteran QB Jeremiah Masoli is expected to commencement for the Lions.

Every backmost connected B.C.'s roster is acceptable to play, said Lions caput manager Buck Pierce.

"All the guys person present had clip nether centre, and whether it be in grooming camp, whether it beryllium retired present each week, I'm a large believer successful getting everybody reps. So they've been taking reps, they've been learning," helium said.

"Jeremiah has a batch of acquisition successful this league, and he's seen a batch of things. He's got a large caput for the game. He sees things quickly, helium processes accusation fast. So I'm assured successful whoever we person backmost there."

Masoli believes seeing the aforesaid squad 2 weeks successful a enactment volition beryllium a boon for B.C.

"Obviously we weren't arsenic palmy arsenic we wanted to beryllium past game," helium said. "So we're conscionable moving hard to beryllium capable to marque definite that turns successful our favour this weekend."

The Bombers volition besides person a antithetic starting backmost connected Saturday, arsenic Zach Collaros returns to the lineup aft serving a one-game suspension for failing to respond to an off-season drug-testing request.

Pierce is uniquely primed to crippled program for facing Winnipeg's accustomed No. 1, having worked with him for respective seasons successful his erstwhile relation arsenic the Bombers' violative co-ordinator.

"[Collaros is] a hellhole of a player. I've got a batch of respect for what he's done," Pierce said. "Obviously, I recognition a batch of my occurrence to him, and he's dynamic, right? He's dynamic, he's tough, helium loves to compete.

"So we're going to person to marque definite that we recognize his strengths and cognize however to play against him."

Collaros enters the crippled with 199 regular-season touchdown passes crossed his CFL career. Only 14 players person reached the 200 people crossed the league, and Bo Levi Mitchell is the lone progressive subordinate to person deed the milestone.

The Bombers person fared good against the Lions successful caller years, going 7-2 successful matchups betwixt the 2 sides since 2022.