Mathieu Betts: A Dominant Force on the Defensive Line

Mathieu Betts: A Dominant Force on the BC Lions

VANCOUVER – When it comes to players you’d rather have on your team than on the opposing side, BC Lions defensive lineman Mathieu Betts is at the top of the list. With seven sacks in just four games, Betts has been wreaking havoc on quarterbacks and proving his worth in the Canadian Football League (CFL).

Even Alouettes general manager Danny Maciocia couldn’t help but praise Betts, although he wisely refrained from commenting on the possibility of seeing him in the colors of the Montreal club. “I can’t comment on a player who is under contract with another team, I could be accused of raiding,” Maciocia said. “That said, I can’t believe there would be a single team in the CFL right now that wouldn’t love to have him.”

Former Rouge et Or teammate and current Alouettes kicker David Côté echoed Maciocia’s sentiments, stating, “I’m not surprised, he’s always been better than everyone else. He dominates in the CFL.” Côté also reminisced about their time together at Laval University, where they won the Vanier Cup in 2018. “Having Mathieu Betts on our team helped us win the championship,” Côté added. “He’s an incredible player.”

Maciocia, who was the Carabins coach at the time, vividly remembers the impact Betts had on the field. “Those are not good memories,” Maciocia chuckled. “I remember it very well. We needed to score points, and Betts sacked our quarterback twice behind the line of scrimmage at the end of the game.”

Describing Betts as the most dominant player he’s seen during his university career, Maciocia highlighted the challenge of facing him. “You couldn’t isolate a blocker on him and go one-on-one. We had to double-team him and use other players to slow him down.”

With Betts’ impressive performance this season, the Alouettes had to devise a game plan to counter his impact. “The key is to show different protections, doubling him up, or using another player as the ball carrier to partially block him,” Maciocia explained. “Where Betts is really effective is on his start to the quarterback, so we have to try to slow him down.”

As Betts continues to excel in the Lions’ system under the guidance of CFL legend John Bowman, Côté believes he will only get better. “Mathieu takes his place and has been playing very well since the start of the season,” Côté concluded.

Sunday’s game between the Alouettes and the Lions at BC Place will undoubtedly showcase Betts’ skills once again. As teams across the CFL admire his talent, it’s clear that Betts is a force to be reckoned with on the field.