Sometimes, you have to be careful what you wish for.
C.J. Gable had always wanted to be a workhorse running back during his five seasons with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats but rarely got the chance.
He also had been quiet in the Eskimos’ offence this season, carrying the ball only 18 times for 76 yards during the first two games.
That all changed Friday night when Gable worked overtime as the 2-1 Eskimos bounced back from their second-biggest loss at home during the previous 24 games dating back to 2015 with a 41-22 victory over the BC Lions (1-1) in front of 29,940 spectators at The Brick Field at Commonwealth Stadium.
Gable set career highs with 23 carries and 165 rushing yards as the Esks handed the ball to him 10 times alone while running down the clock in the fourth quarter. He also had one catch for seven yards in the final period and had a two-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.
“The run game was a beast all night,” quarterback Mike Reilly said. “C.J. and the offensive line played phenomenal, and that makes the game a lot easier, no doubt.”
Gable joked about thinking the Eskimos would give him “a little break” in the fourth quarter, before adding: “If they’re going to keep giving it to me, I’m not going to complain.”
He ran for 21 yards on his first carry of the game and saw signs that it might be a good game for him if he read the holes well. He had 81 rushing yards on only eight carries by halftime.
“They were telling me it was going to come,’ ” Gable said about his lack of carries in the first two games. “I was just being patient and wasn’t worried about it. I just basically wanted to get a win out here.”
Eskimos head coach Jason Maas said Gable “was still bouncing off people and making something happen” even when the offensive line didn’t create a big opening for him to run through.
“It was a hard game,” Gable said. “I had to make a lot of people miss. I had to break a lot of tackles this game.”
Gable wasn’t the only Eskimos player who turned in a big performance Friday. Second-year slotback Duke Williams (six catches for 129 yards, including a 64-yard pass-and-run touchdown and a pair of two-point converts), wide receiver Kenny Stafford (six catches for 72 yards and a TD in the first half), national receiver Natey Adjei (his 14-yard major was his first in three seasons with the Esks) and quarterback Mike Reilly (22 of 30 passing for 326 yards, two passing touchdowns plus a one-yard TD plunge) all made major contributions.
Don’t forget about the Eskimos defence, which kept the Lions out of the end zone while Edmonton’s offence slumbered through most of the first half.
“Even if it looked like it was going wrong, our defence was standing tall when it mattered most and holding them to field goals instead of giving up touchdowns,” Maas said. “That allowed us to get right back in the game.”
“I put them in a couple of tough positions, but they’re growing,” Reilly said about the defence, which was led by weakside linebacker Christophe Mulumba-Tshimanga’s six defensive tackles and two quarterback sacks.
Defensive linemen Kwaku Boateng had three tackles and two sacks while newcomer Jake Ceresna made his first quarterback sack with the Eskimos. Middle linebacker J.C. Sherritt was one of four players chipping in with four defensive tackles.
“We’ve got a lot of young guys on that side, anchored by some great veterans, so they’re going to continue to improve every week,” Reilly said. “(BC) is a tough crew to stop, but our guys played great. J.C. and (Aaron) Grymes and Mondo (Almondo Sewell) are bringing those guys along whether they want to or not.”
A quarterback sack, interception, pass interference penalty and a fumble on a kickoff return helped the Lions take an 11-0 lead halfway through the first quarter. BC added another field goal early in the second quarter to move ahead 14-2 but was trailing 31-14 by the time they scored again early in the fourth quarter.
The Eskimos overcame their slow start by scoring 29 consecutive points, including two touchdowns less than two minutes apart at the end of the first half as the Edmonton offence finally regained its mojo.
“The second-to-last drive in the second quarter felt like us again,” Reilly said. “It felt like, offensively, we were back to playing our brand of football; you know, playing fast, march down the field, score a touchdown, score another one right before halftime, and then we came out and did more of the same in the third and fourth (quarters).”
The Eskimos took advantage of former teammate Marcell Young’s collision with wide receiver Derel Walker late in the first half to score their first touchdown. Reilly noticed the contact and threw the ball in Walker’s neighbourhood, hoping Maas would throw the challenge flag on the play to get defensive pass interference.
“Yeah, that’s a play that certainly changed the tide, for sure,” Reilly said. “But I thought our guys did a nice job of executing once we got into the red zone as they have pretty much all year.”
Four plays later, Adjei caught a 14-yard pass from Reilly in the back of the end zone for only his second TD in 65 CFL games.
“Great arm strength and I was able to keep my feet in bounds,” Adjei said. “A long time coming. Hopefully, this year, it’s a sign of things to come.”
Adjei followed up his TD catch by making the special teams tackle on the ensuing kickoff.
“The last couple of years, that’s been my way to stay on the roster, being a beast on special teams,” Adjei said. “I take a lot of pride in that.
“One of the things I talked about this off-season because I knew I was possibly going to get a chance on offence, is score a touchdown and make the very next tackle. I thought that was a pretty special moment.”
Adjei is one of the players Maas brought to Edmonton when he became head coach three years ago.
“I had familiarity with Natey,” Maas said. “It’s been awesome to watch his progression over the last three years. We have confidence in him for us to put him in that situation and then him coming up with a big catch like that is just awesome.
“I just love the way he works and the way he cares about football and cares about the team. To see him make a big play like that to get us going was great.”
The Eskimos got the ball back and quickly marched 70 yards down the field in only six plays, with Stafford also making a 14-yard catch for his first touchdown since the Labour Day game in Calgary last year.
“I thought Kenny had a great game,” Reilly said. “Kenny and I were a little bit off last week. We hit one big one against Hamilton (Tiger-Cats), but we just weren’t quite on the same page. I was disappointed about the game; I know he was, too, and he came in and worked his tail off all week, had a great week of practice and came up big in the game.
“I missed him on a double move that would have made his night even bigger.”
Williams, who had his second consecutive 100-yard game and his sixth in only 15 CFL contests over the past two seasons, felt disrespected by BC middle linebacker Solomon Elimimian, who said early in the game that he needed to check the scouting report to see who Williams was.
“I took offense to that, and that really turned me on more,” Williams said. “I had to make him respect me one way or another.
“It’s a respect thing at the end of the day. I think at the end of the day, I showed him who I was. I bet he remembers me now.”
Maas certainly has respect for Williams.
“He’s been dependable for us all (training) camp and the first few games,” said Maas. “He’s a big physical receiver. The ball doesn’t always have to be perfect. He can go up and elevate as good as anybody in our league.”
Williams was facing Reilly and just had to put his hands out in front of him to catch the ball on his 64-yard scoring play.
“It was just a routine catch for me and (the BC defensive back) fell down, so I just saw green grass, got on my horses and got in the end zone,” Williams said.
While he was untouched on that play, he took a couple of big hits making catches over the middle.
“I prepare for every hit,” said Willaims. “I’m willing to take on anybody from D-linemen to linebackers to DBs. It’s football. I’m built for it. I’m here to make them respect me.”
Reilly also took a big hit in the game from former teammate Odell Willis but was able to get the ball off in time to complete a pass to Walker.
“I didn’t know that was him at the time, but I knew he would get a couple of licks on me,” said Reilly. “He’s a great football player.”
Didn’t he hear the talkative Willis coming?
“I think when he’s coming to try to get me, I think he tries to be a little more sneaky and quiet,” quipped Reilly, who said it was “interesting” to play a real game against Willis for the first time. “I thought our guys did a nice job all night of executing against him.”
Maas called Reilly “a different animal” when it comes to taking a hit.
“He’s as tough as they come,” said Maas. “He’s able to deal with punishment better than any quarterback I’ve ever seen so he’ll stand tall in that pocket all night and you better bring it all night. They did, trust me, and he stood tall like he always does and delivered.”
SHORT YARDAGE: Edmonton travels to Toronto to play the Argos and former Eskimos backup quarterback James Franklin at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, July 7 … The Eskimos have won each of their last four games against the Lions and nine of their last 11 … BC is 3-12 in their last 15 road games in the West Division … Reilly, who is 9-1 in his last 10 games against his former team, passed the 23,000-yard mark to move in 23rd place on the CFL all-time passing leaders chart … With Friday’s performance, Williams has totalled more than 1,000 receiving yards over 15 career CFL games … Eskimos defensive back Money Hunter had four defensive tackles and an interception in the game.