B.C. Lions, Winnipeg Blue Bombers both expected to miss stars for rematch

Winnipeg Blue Bombers' Brady Oliveira (20) runs for the first down during first half CFL action against the BC Lions in Winnipeg Thursday, June 12, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods

VANCOUVER — Micah Awe feels like he’s unlocked something new in his arsenal — and that could spell trouble for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers this weekend.

Midway through a game against the Bombers in Winnipeg last week, the B.C. Lions linebacker started to see everything in front of him differently.

The run game simply opened up, he said.

“To be honest, probably for the first time in my eight-year career, I started seeing linebackers kind of like a painting,” explained Awe, who registered 10 tackles in the contest. “It’s kind of like art. You see the art differently (once something clicks).”

The switch in perception came from working with Lions defensive coordinator Mike Benevides and playing behind defensive linemen Mathieu Betts and Sione Teuhema, Awe said.

“The difference with this D line, it’s the physicality and the violence,” said the 31-year-old Texas Tech product. ”That allows me to play a different way that I don’t think people have seen, that I haven’t seen myself. Because I’m able to do it now, it kind of unlocks that next level of linebacker for me.

“If I was a Pokemon, this might be, like, the third evolution or something.”

B.C. (1-1) dropped a 34-20 decision to Winnipeg (1-0), but Awe and the rest of the Lions will have an opportunity for revenge Saturday when the two sides meet for a rematch in Vancouver.

B.C. knows the key to earning a different result this time out is shutting down Winnipeg’s potent rush, Awe said.

“If we can’t stop the run, they can do whatever they want to do. So, that’s going to be our main goal,” he said, adding that all comes down to want.

“Play professional football long enough, you realize, ‘OK, all right. This is what I’m supposed to do, but I’ve still gotta go do it.”

Winnipeg’s offence will be without a key piece on Saturday after the team officially ruled Brady Oliveira out with a shoulder injury.

The 27-year-old running back, who was named both the league’s most-outstanding player and most-outstanding Canadian last season, contributed 49 yards on two carries last week before getting hurt.

Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea said he isn’t concerned about slotting someone else into the running back role.

“We’ve got lots of ways to move the roster around,” he said. ”We’ve always been pretty comfortable with everybody in our locker room. The belief is if they’re here, they’re going to help us win football games this year.”

The Lions, too, could miss a prime offensive player for the rematch.

Starting quarterback Nathan Rourke suffered a core injury in last week’s loss and left in the fourth quarter. He was limited in practice Tuesday and didn’t take the field with his teammates on Wednesday or Thursday, working instead with trainers on the sidelines.

Veteran QB Jeremiah Masoli will start for the Lions, head coach Buck Pierce confirmed Friday, but Rourke will be in uniform on the sidelines.

Every quarterback on B.C.’s roster is ready to play, said Pierce.

“All the guys have now had time under centre. And whether it be, in training camp, whether it be out here each week, I’m a big believer in getting everybody reps. So they’ve been taking reps, they’ve been learning,” he said.

“Jeremiah has a lot of experience in this league, and he’s seen a lot of things. He’s got a great mind for the game. He sees things quickly, he processes information fast. So, I’m confident in whoever we have back there.”

The Blue Bombers will also have a different starting quarterback on Saturday as Zach Collaros returns to the lineup after serving a one-game suspension for failing to respond to an off-season drug-testing request.

Pierce is uniquely primed to game plan for facing Winnipeg’s usual No. 1, having worked with him for several seasons in his previous role as the Bombers’ offensive coordinator.

“(Collaros is) a hell of a player. I’ve got a lot of respect for what he’s done,” the coach said. ”Obviously, I credit a lot of my success to him and he’s dynamic, right? He’s dynamic, he’s tough, he loves to compete.

“So we’re going to have to make sure that we understand his strengths and know how to play against him.”

WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS (1-0) AT B.C. LIONS (1-1)

B.C. Place, Saturday

MR. 200: Collaros enters the game with 199 regular-season touchdown passes across his CFL career. Only 14 players have reached the 200 mark across the league, and Bo Levi Mitchell is the only active player to have hit the milestone.

WINNER-PEG: The Bombers have fared well against the Lions in recent years, going 7-2 in matchups between the two sides since 2022.

BACK TO BACK: Masoli believes seeing the same team two weeks in a row will be a boon for B.C. “Obviously we weren’t as successful as we wanted to be last game,” he said. ”So, we’re just working hard to be able to make sure that turns in our favour this weekend.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 20, 2025.

Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press