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August 30, 2016

Lions battle Argos in first trip to BMO Field

Toronto, Ontario– After four extra days of practice, meetings and a bit of downtime in Ottawa, the BC Lions (6-3) are set to take on Ricky Ray and the Toronto Argonauts (4-4) at BMO Field on Wednesday night. The visiting club is riding high following last week’s come from behind victory over the REDBLACKS. For Wally Buono and company, this tilt also provides the unique opportunity of winning all four road games in the East and improving their overall record to 5-1 away from BC Place in 2016. The Leos also look to avenge a 25-14 loss to the Argos back on July 7th. “The turnovers really hurt us and their ability to control the ball a little bit by the run,” Buono said when asked about the difference in week three. “We’ve got to do a better job of shoring that up and obviously you can’t turn the ball over. It kills drives, kills momentum and it’s all negative.” In that contest, Jonathon Jennings and Travis Lulay each threw an interception. It marked the first time Jennings was pulled in his young career. The Argos have not played since a disappointing 46-23 loss to Edmonton on August 20th, and look to turn the tide in games at their fancy, new digs. They are a dismal 1-5 at BMO this season.

Here are some other storylines for Wednesday’s tilt:

Another Opposing QB returns:

Perhaps it’s a good omen that Ray is back behind centre after the Lions already defeated Zach Collaros and Trevor Harris in their respective returns from injury. The four-time CFL all-star missed the Argos’ last three games with a sprained MCL in his left knee. “It’s been getting better every week, I’ve been able to do more stuff and last week in practice I was able to move around and I feel like I can do pretty much everything out there,” Ray told argonauts.ca. Ray passed for 283 yards and fired the winning touchdown strike to Tori Gurley in the 4th quarter of their win at BC Place in July. “The thing about Ricky is you know he’s not going to miss things,” Buono said. “You know he’s going to be really smart in his pre-snap reads, you know he knows what to do with the football and obviously he’s going to be well-rested which is in his favour. Our guys played very well last week, they were very physical, very aggressive and we’re going to have to do the same thing against Toronto.”

Toronto Argonauts' Ricky Ray, left, is chased by B.C. Lions' Jabar Westerman during the first half of a CFL football game in Vancouver, B.C., on Thursday July 7, 2016. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

What 7-3 Would Mean:

Had you told this group they would be 7-3 through ten games, they most certainly would have jumped at the chance. But consider the fact they will play five of their final eight games at home with Winnipeg the longest flight they will take in that two-month stretch. Ryan Phillips understands the opportunity that lies ahead. “You want to set yourself for the long run,” the 12-year veteran said. “If you tell me we’re going to go 7-3 in the first ten games, I think that sets you up pretty well. You want to be playing your best football in the last quarter of the season. I feel like we’re setting ourselves up very well. If we can get a win it will be a great road trip for us. I feel everything is coming together for us at the right time.” A victory also provides a chance to be one point behind the Calgary for top spot in the West Division, should the Stamps come up short in their Labour Day Classic matchup with Edmonton.

3 Keys to Victory

1.”Start fast and finish strong.”

That was the message from Manny Arceneaux. Those words may sound cliche, but any time you are facing an opponent who has not played in over ten days, coupled with the fact their starting QB has missed even more time, you want to put the peddle to the metal early. For the most part, the Lions have done just that so far, whether it was forcing a turnover on the second play from scrimmage against Hamilton, or a forty-yard plus Jennings bomb to Bryan Burnham to get things started in Montreal. If they can plant the seed of doubt for Ray and company early, it will set the tone in a big way.

2. Be Better Up Front

Buono is right when he insists his offensive line is not the only ones to blame for Jennings being sacked six times in Ottawa. At the same time, the unit will admit it needs to be better if they want to sweep the back- to-back games in Ontario. With Levy Adcock getting his third start of the year at tackle, that right side should now be getting adjusted to the opposing schemes. It will be a nice test against Rickey Foley and the Argos’ pass rush; one Dan Dorazio‘s group will be ready for.

3. Hang on to the ball

Another one that sounds easy, but turnovers have been the constant theme when the club has been asked about what went wrong against Toronto last time. In fact, in two of the Lions’ three losses this season, turnovers at critical times have been the huge difference.

Extra Yardage:

The Argos move to BMO Field is a homecoming of sorts, as the stadium sits on the CNE grounds, site of the old Exhibition Stadium, that was home to the franchise from 1959-1988. The Lions last trip to the CNE was a 26-21 loss on July 28th of that final season. BMO will play host to the 104th Grey Cup on Sunday, November 27th.

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A win by the Lions will also put a dent into some good vibes on the overall Toronto sports scene. The Blue Jays are first in the AL East and taking up a lot of the headlines in both print and digital platforms. The World Cup of Hockey, all of which takes place at the Air Canada Centre, begins in just over two weeks. After that, all eyes will be on rookie phenom Auston Matthews and Maple Leafs Training Camp. You can feel the buzz and excitement on the streets and a lot of that also has to do with the Argos knocking on the door in the East Division. It should be a fun autumn in ‘The Big Smoke.’

These clubs split two meetings in 2015, with the road team winning each time. A 27-25 Lions win on October 30th helped the club clinch a playoff spot for a 19th straight season, the longest current streak in the CFL.

The match up can be heard on TSN 1040 with Scott Rintoul and Giulio Caravatta. Pre-game coverage begins at 2:30PM. Viewers can tune in on TSN 1.

You can download the Lions roster and depth chart here!

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Matt Baker:mbaker@bclions.com