The BC. Lions are coming off a surprising road loss to the Saskatchewan Roughriders in a turnover-filled game that saw Saskatchewan emerge victorious as +10 home dogs. The Ti-cats also lost last week as -5.5 home favorites, giving the then 0-9 Edmonton Elks their first win of the season in a rainy affair in Hamilton.

This meeting is the first between these two squads since they squared off at BC Place in July of last year. The Lions won 12-17 in a hard-fought battle but did not cover the -9.5 points. Hamilton has achieved the better head-to-head record of 6-4, while the two teams are tied 5-5 against the spread (ATS). In the last fourteen and half years, BC has won this matchup at home by more than 10 points only twice.

The Tiger-cat offense has been able to maintain field position this year with sustained drives but has struggled to score points in the red zone. With veteran QB Bo Levi Mitchell back on the 6-game injured list after Hamilton’s 16-12 win in Ottawa, the Ti-cats have lost two straight, going 0-2 ATS in that time. Head coach Orlondo Steinauer attempted to address the problem over the bye-week, parting ways with offensive coordinator Tommy Condell and promoting Scott Milanovich. However, the change at OC failed to produce the desired results as the Tiger-cats managed only 10 points the following outing. Although the numbers may say otherwise, they still have an imposing defense with the likes of Ted Laurent and Jonathon Kongbo in the front four, as well as Simone Lawerence patrolling the middle of the field at linebacker.

Unlike Hamilton, B.C. has depth at the quarterback position and has had no trouble scoring this year, averaging 25.89 points per game. However, turnovers were a problem last week in Saskatchewan as they lost two fumbles in scoring range, and the Riders quickly turned them into touchdowns. The red zone defense was less than stellar for the top-ranked overall defense, allowing Saskatchewan to score on 3 of 4 attempts. This week, the Leos return to the confines of BC. Place Stadium where they are 4-0 straight up (SU) and 3-1 ATS.

Hamilton wide receiver Duke Williams (chest) was limited in practice Wednesday, and his availability is uncertain, while wide receiver Terry Godwin ll (illness) and defensive lineman Jonathon Kongbo (non-football related) both returned to full practice. BC’s defensive lineman Nathan Cherry (knee) did not practice Wednesday, and his availability is uncertain.