Riders, Lions connections apparent as clubs get ready for clash

In his playing days, Corey Mace was a big part of a Rick Campbell Calgary Stampeders defence.

Now as the Saskatchewan Roughriders head coach Mace will try to get a win over the B.C. Lions bench boss when the two teams battle it out Saturday at B.C. Place.

Kickoff for the game is set for 5 p.m.

“Rick’s one of those guys that has coached in so many spots in all three phases and coming from the illustrious family that he does — not only his dad but his sisters in the league over in Calgary,” said Mace, who was a defensive lineman with the Stamps from 2010-2015.

Campbell was the running backs coach in Calgary in 2010 before returning there to become the defensive coordinator from 2012-13.

“You cheer for him when you don’t get to go against the guy,” Mace said. “He’s had a lot of success and I don’t think that’s a surprise.”

Mace, who is from Port Moody, B.C., said one of the things he learned from Campbell is the prep work it takes to be successful.

“Having to have all the knowledge to coach multiple positions. It’s not easy stuff. You need to have a lot of people around you but having the experience that he has and being in the game so long, it looked like it came easy to him,” Mace said. “I’m happy with my time spent with Rick.”

Both coaches have their teams in good shape to start the 2024 season, with first place in the CFL West division on the line in the game.

The Riders come into the game with a 4-0 record while B.C. is sitting at 4-1 and on a four-game winning streak.

A big part of the Lions’ success so far has been the play of quarterback Vernon Adams Jr.

The eight-season CFL veteran has thrown for 1,752 yards, 11 touchdowns and one interception in five games this season. He is on pace for 6,307 yards which would be the second-most ever thrown during a CFL season (Doug Flutie had 6,619 with the Lions in 1991).

Saskatchewan will once again have Shea Patterson leading the offence in his second career CFL start. Patterson earned a 30-23 win over the Toronto Argonauts last week in his first start due to Trevor Harris suffering a knee injury.

Patterson, who was a quarterback at Ole Miss and Michigan, said he used to watch Adams Jr., a former Oregon Duck, play while he was in college.

“I followed his career throughout his college days and into his pro days,” Patterson said. “I was with him in Montreal (with the Alouettes) when I first came up here in the second portion of the 2021 year so I had an opportunity to see how he works. I have a lot of respect for him.”

Another member of the Lions who has had an impact on a current rider is wide receiver Justin McInnis. McInnis was with Saskatchewan from 2019-22 before joining B.C. for the 2023 season.

Current Rider Samuel Emilus said McInnis took him under his wing back in 2019 when he was a rookie.

“That was the first guy I lived with when I first into Regina and he welcomed me into his family with his two kids and his wife and he was just being great,” Emilus said. “Just making sure everything was good in Regina and I knew everything I needed to know.”