Ottawa, Ontario – The BC Lions used both of their quarterbacks in a 29-23 win over the Ottawa REDBLACKS at TD Place Stadium. After Chris Milo put the home side ahead by two with 4:04 left, Jonathon Jennings engineered a nine-play, 75-yard touchdown drive, the exclamation mark coming when Travis Lulay scored his second major of the night with 1:36 on the clock. The defence then held Trevor Harris and company in check to preserve the victory and give the Lions a 6-3 record at the halfway point of 2016. For the Lions’ second-year pivot, it was another example of how great he is at overcoming adversity and his willingness to win at all costs.
“Honestly, guys just made plays,” Jennings said in a jacked up Lions’ locker room. “I talked to the receivers and running backs and told them ‘hey, we’re going to need all you guys.’ We knew this week we were going to have to make plays and that’s what we did down the stretch. A big reason for the sustained drive were big catches by Manny Arceneaux and Bryan Burnham, the ladder putting the Lions two yards from pay dirt after a horse collar tackle. The Manny grab went for 24 yards, most of which were made in gritty fashion after the catch. “Manny breaking all those tackles and that relentless will to not go down, it was great seeing that.”
On the ground, Anthony Allen chipped in with 76 yards on 13 carries in his first appearance in four weeks. His longest run of the night went for 22 yards to help set up a nifty touchdown catch by Chris Rainey. Allen was given the offensive game ball for his hard-nosed effort.
Up next: four days of practice and downtime in the nation’s capital before heading to Toronto for a clash with the 4-4 Argonauts next Wednesday.
Quotable:
“That was fun to be in there and make a play at a critical moment. It was kind of the first time that came up, me being the short yardage guy. It was good. The guys up front helped me execute the play that we needed to punch it in there. That’s the difference in the game tonight. Ultimately, it comes down to the last drive. We buckled down when we needed to.”- Lulay on scoring two majors and executing when the game was on the line.
Bake’s Takes:
Jennings deserves a free meal or two for his compete level in this one. He was sacked six times, but kept on battling. This performance was very much like that of a heavyweight boxer in a big title fight.
Hat tip to Richie Leone as the Lions’ versatile kicker was battling flu-like symptoms for much of the game, but still averaged 54.7 yards per punt, and did a brilliant job to pin the REDBLACKS at their own tw0-yard line. Sure, the REDBLACKS managed to get out of harm’s way and kick the go-ahead field goal, and yes he also missed a critical 33-yard field goal attempt, but that performance was a tribute to Leone’s work ethic.
Chris Rainey proved yet again he is one of the league’s top playmakers. What can you say about the cut he made on that touchdown catch in the third quarter where he made at least three defenders miss? The fact he has touchdowns on special teams, the ground and air this season just proves how much of a Swiss Army knife he is for the group.
Half-way there: but far from living on a prayer. Had you told this group they would be 6-3 at the mid-way mark of the season, they likely would have jumped at the proposition. What is the best part about it? Most of the players and coaches feel they could, and perhaps should, be better than their record following the unfortunate turn of events in Calgary on July 29th. As we approach the stretch drive, there is plenty of reason to be excited. Buckle up.
Matt Baker:mbaker@bclions.com