Lions not taking Ticats lightly ahead of meeting on TSN

VANCOUVER — The B.C. Lions know their next opponent has more to show than the CFL standings may suggest.

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats take a 1-4 record into their Thursday matchup in Vancouver, but the team remains a serious threat, said Lions defensive back Garry Peters.

“We're not taking them lightly at all. Their record doesn’t show how good (they are), how much talent they have on their team," he said. "So we’re just preparing like every week, like we’re playing Winnipeg, Edmonton, whoever else we’re playing.”

After another week off — their second bye week of the young CFL season — the Lions (3-1) are simply "itching" to play this week, said head coach Rick Campbell.

"We had a good prep week and I think we're excited to play," he said. "It's been a while since we've played and we just want to get out there and playing football again."

Watch the game LIVE across the TSN Network, TSN.ca and the TSN App at 7pm ET/10pm PT.

B.C. hasn't suited up for a game since July 9 when they were trounced 43-22 by the league-leading Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

While the Lions have moved past the loss, quarterback Nathan Rourke there are still lessons to be taken from the defeat.

"You can't make as many mistakes as we did against championship teams like that," he said. "We've learned from them, we've grown, we've gotten better. It was good to kind of have a week to let that marinate a little bit."

The Ticats, meanwhile, head to Vancouver on a high after beating the Ottawa Redblacks 25-23 on Saturday for their first win of the season.

It's a game that could mark a turning point for Hamilton, said Steven Dunbar Jr.

“I think that we’ve just been consistently working at it. And I think this past weekend, things just kind of clicked for us," said