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August 25, 2016

Lions Outlast Redblacks, Win Nailbiter 29-23

B.C. Lions Shawn Gore (85) keeps the ball from Ottawa Redblacks Abdul Kanneh (14) during first half CFL action on Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

OTTAWA – It was a nail-biter from start to finish, with neither team ever leading by more than six points, but it was the Lions who scored last in this one, taking the victory 29-23. QB Jonathon Jennings completed 23 passes for 289 yards and a touchdown, while backup Travis Lulay added two scores on the ground in the BC win.

Tristan Jackson got the game started on a good foot for the REDBLACKS, dazzling the home crowd with a 47-yard kickoff return to put Ottawa into BC territory for their first possession.

REDBLACKS QB Trevor Harris completed his first two pass attempts, seeing his first game action since suffering an injury in week five against the Roughriders. His third dropback of the game didn’t go as planned however, as Harris fumbled the snap and was lucky to retain possession, forcing a REDBLACKS punt on third and long.

Receiving the ball for the Lions’ first drive of the game, QB Jonathon Jennings looked like a man possessed, completing his first five passes and marching BC down the field with ease. With a fresh set of downs on the Ottawa 22-yard line, Jennings called his own number on consecutive plays, but found himself swarmed by defenders and couldn’t find the yards for a first down. K Richie Leone made no mistake drilling the short field goal, and the away team took an early 3-0 lead.

Harris connected with SB Chris Williams for a 44-yard completion on the first play of Ottawa’s next drive, bringing the REDBLACKS down to the BC 23-yard line. RB Trayvon Van, who also returned to action this week after an injury, looked evasive on an eight-yard run, but was stuffed on second down, and Ottawa settled for a Chris Milo field goal to tie the game at 3.

Canadian Press

REDBLACKS WR Greg Ellingson leaps to avoid a pair of Lions defenders

Chris Rainey added some electricity to an otherwise stagnant second quarter on special teams, making the REDBLACKS pay for a lack of discipline. After Rainey originally returned a punt for just nine yards, Ottawa was penalized for an illegal man downfield, and forced to re-kick. This time, Rainey found a hole, taking the punt back 37 yards and giving the Lions prime field position.

RB Anthony Allen rushed for seven yards on the first play of the Lions drive and back-up QB Travis Lulay did the rest, diving to the right to score the game’s first major. Not content to kick the extra point, the Lions kept Lulay in and attempted the two-point conversion, but the pass intended for Shawn Gore went incomplete, and the Lions took a 9-3 lead.

After yet another impressive kickoff return, this time a 42-yarder from WR Khalil Paden, Harris got back to work. After finding Chris Williams for no gain, Harris then made three consecutive first down conversions before finding WR Ernest Jackson streaking down the left side for a 30-yard touchdown pass.

Rather than gambling like their opponents, the REDBLACKS took the safer bet as Milo drilled the conversion with ease, giving the home team their first lead of the game heading into the last few minutes of the first half.

After three drives that went nowhere, Richie Leone pulled the Leos even with a 71-yard punt single, and it looked like the two squads would head into the half at 10 apiece.

But Harris had other ideas. Taking the ball under centre with 17 seconds remaining, Harris found WR Greg Ellingson open down the right sideline, and connected with pinpoint precision. The 39-yard completion was enough to give the REDBLACKS a last-second field goal attempt, and Milo kicked home his second of the game, giving the home team a 13-10 lead heading into the half.

Harris was undoubtedly the offensive star of the first half, completing 15 of 16 pass attempts for 187 yards and a score.

The Lions received to start the third quarter and Jennings started to look comfortable for the first time since the game’s first drive. The BC pivot completed five straight, driving the Lions down to the Ottawa five-yard line. But on second-and-goal, Jennings tried to do a bit too much and couldn’t escape the relentless pressure from DE Ettore Lattanzio, who brought him down for a 20-yard loss. With a chance to salvage three points from a promising drive, Leone shanked his field goal attempt wide left, resulting in just a Lions single.

The Lions defence looked sharp early in the third quarter, holding Harris and the REDBLACKS to a two-and out before allowing the BC offence to counterstrike.

Anthony Allen took the rock on first down and rumbled down the middle for a 22-yard gain, quickly moving the Lions into REDBLACKS territory. After finding WR Geraldo Boldewijn for a 14-yard completion, Jennings turned to the always dangerous Chris Rainey, who juked his way through a couple of Ottawa defenders on his way to his second touchdown of the season.


This time, the Lions turned to their ground game on the two-point conversion, and Allen found the end zone easily, giving BC a 19-13 lead.

After a pair of two-and-outs, Harris awoke from his second-half shell, and wasted no time in making his mark on the quarter. Two pass completions to Greg Ellingson for a combined 68 yards helped the REDBLACKS make up ground in a hurry, and Van dashed into the end zone from three yards out to tie the game at 19. The Milo convert was good, and Ottawa took the lead 20-19 at the end of three.

Jennings orchestrated yet another long drive that seemed destined to end with a touchdown, but once again a critical mistake in the final third of the field let the Lions down. After a second-down completion to SB Manny Arcenaux, it appeared that the Lions would have, at worst, three shots at the end zone from inside the five-yard line. But while battling his way towards the end zone, Arcenaux lost control of the football, and the REDBLACKS recovered on their own two yard line.

B.C. Lions quarterback Jonathon Jennings (10) passes the ball to Anthony Allen (26) during first half CFL action against the Ottawa Redblacks on Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

The REDBLACKS got their drive started on a positive note, as a nine-yard rush from Van seemingly moved them out of danger. But as Harris dropped back to pass on second down and found nobody open, he was consumed by the Lions pass rush and conceded a safety, giving the Lions a one-point lead and giving back possession.

Fortunately for Ottawa, the Lions were unable to do much with their possession, despite having a second-down sack nullified due to penalty. Richie Leone didn’t give the REDBLACKS much to be excited about however, as his coffin corner punt once again saw Ottawa starting their next drive on the two-yard line.

Despite the previous safety, Harris and the REDBLACKS came out gunning on first down, and the gamble paid off; finding Williams on the right sideline for a 53-yard completion. The drive stalled a few plays later, but Milo hit the 46-yard field goal, retaking the lead for Ottawa.

Jennings and the Lions got back to work following the field goal, marching down the field with ease. After a 34-yard completion to Bryan Burnham to bring the Leos inside the Ottawa five, Lulay once again got the nod, and pounded the ball into the end zone for his second rushing TD of the game. Lulay found Arcenaux for the successful two point conversion to put the Lions up six points.

With just a minute on the clock, Harris did his best to bring Ottawa back in the game, finding Ellingson and Van on consecutive completions. But in the end, it wasn’t enough, and his final pass for Chris Williams fell incomplete, sealing the win for the Lions.

It was a heartbreaking loss for the REDBLACKS, who were hoping that Harris’ return could spark a return to their early season form. Instead, they’ve now lost four of their last five, and head into a divisional matchup with the Alouettes in week 11.

The Lions will be happy they could rebound after a disastrous loss to the Stamps in week 9, getting back into the win column before heading to BMO Field for a matchup with the Argonauts next week.