By Adam Donnelly

B.C. Lions finding extra depth at pivot position in Ricky Lloyd

Jun 5, 2018 | 4:12 PM

KAMLOOPS — On paper, the BC Lions stable of quarterbacks should be as deep as any team in the league. But as we saw last year, on paper and on the turf are two very different animals. With Travis Lulay still rehabbing a knee injury, and Cody Fajardo getting knocked out of Friday’s preseason game against the Stamps in Calgary, the Lions gave the ball to their fourth-string QB, and after grinding out a 36-23 win over the Stampeders, they liked what they saw.

Opportunity knocked on Friday night for Ricky Lloyd. He not only opened the door, he nearly took the darn thing off it’s hinges, completing 15 passes in 23 attempts for 121 yards and three touchdowns in his CFL preseason debut.

“At first I was a little nervous. I had a little butterflies going,” Lloyd said. “I took one hit. Took my first hit, got my first completion and they were all gone, and I couldn’t stop smiling, I was having so much fun out there.”

The Concord, California native has taken an indirect route to the CFL.

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“It’s been a big journey for me. I’m a California kid, born and raised, went to Mississippi out of high school, the hot and humid. Then went to Minnesota [State University Mankato], the cold and freezing. Now I’m back in the cold and freezing, but I’m happy to be here,” Lloyd told CFJC Today.

The Lions have liked what they’ve seen from Lloyd so far in Training Camp.

“Everyone knows he has a very strong arm,” Offensive Coordinator and QB’s Coach Jarious Jackson explained. “To me, it’s about taming that arm a little bit… He’s a competitor. He’s a little bit of a fiery guy… he’s young right now, but there’s tremendous upside to Ricky.”

So when Lloyd was handed the ball in Calgary, Offensive Coordinator Jackson wasn’t surprised with the way the kid took care of business.

“Whenever you’re prepared, you come in and make the most of your opportunities,” Jackson said. “I don’t think it was luck in any manner. Ricky played in Minnesota, a[n NCAA] Division II school and won a lot of football games, and it showed when he was out there on the field. I need to get him to be a better practice player, but when the lights came on, it wasn’t too big for him, and that was exciting to see.”

Lloyd says it’s taken some time to adjust to differences in the three-down game.

“You don’t think it would be that big of a difference, but it is,” Lloyd said. “That whole 12th man, and all the motions and stuff. As a QB, you’re not used to seeing all thee motions out of your peripheral vision all the time… but Cody [Fajardo] Trav [Lulay] and Jon [Jennings] have been nothing but helpful with teaching me this game.”

With Fajardo hurt, and Lulay still rehabbing his injured knee, Jackson knows how important it is to have depth on offence.

“If you don’t have a QB, you’re not going to win games,” Jackson said. “I don;t know how how else I can put it.”

And for Lloyd, he’s happy to keep that door open, and make the most of his opportunity.

“I’m happy to be here. I never thought I’d see myself in Canada,” Lloyd said. “It’s a beautiful place. I love it here, so far, and I hope to be here for years to come.”