Road Warriors

With all due respect to Andy Williams, it’s the most wonderful time of the year, at least for fans of the Canadian Football League.With Labour Day on the horizon, it serves as annual reminder that the CFL stretch drive is about to begin. While the BC Lions are traditionally on the back burner when it comes to the traditional rivalry games this weekend, there is plenty to talk about in the den after a 7-3 start. For instance, how do you explain the club’s dominance away from BC Place?

With Wally Buono back at the helm, the club has won five of six on the road, three of those victories coming by a margin of 13 or more points. Perhaps the best part of the equation is the fact players and coaches are still miffed at the fact they are not a perfect six-for-six. “I’m happy with the record, why wouldn’t I be? But I’d be thrilled at 6-0,” Buono said.

The lone setback, of course, was a heartbreaking 44-41 loss in Calgary on July 29th, one where they let a 15-point lead slip in the final minutes before falling in overtime. But if you’re a “glass half full” type of person, you would point to the fact that they were in a pretty good position to win that night and did not lose in a convincing fashion to the league’s top squad. So, what has been a major reason for the solid road performance?

“I think the biggest thing is the players enjoy being on the road, they enjoy being together and I think if you look at it, they spend a lot of time working and talking football. It’s helped them to stay focused,” Buono added.

Perhaps the biggest benefit to the strong road play is the fact it sets them up pretty well for said stretch drive. The Lions will play five of their final eight games on home turf with Winnipeg, a flight of less than three hours, serving as the longest remaining trip.

Here is a closer look at the road results on a game-by-game basis.

WEEK 2 – July 1st: 28-3 win in Hamilton

The Outlook: Coming off an emotional 20-18 win over Calgary in their season opener, this one had “letdown” written all over it. New faces, new systems, a very tough opponent and a city where they had only prevailed once in the last five years. The stout defence made life difficult for the Tabbies’ all-night long and the Lions were 2-0 for the first time since 2012.

Turning Point: Jonathon Jennings hit Manny Arceneaux for a 16-yard touchdown to put it out of reach with 7:42 left. Believe us when we say the late-night flight home was jumping.

WEEK 4 – July 16th: 40-27 win in Saskatchewan

The Outlook: Following a 25-14 setback against Toronto, the 2-0 start was at risk of being all for naught. Regina was jacked up on this beautiful Saturday night with a tribute to their beloved 1966 Grey Cup Champions serving as the backdrop to this contest. The hometown Riders used it as motivation, building a 13-point halftime lead before Jennings (and an unlikely target) said “no mas.”

Turning Point: The comeback started when left tackle Jovan Olafioye, lined up at the end position, hauled in a touchdown pass to help cut the Riders’ lead to four points mid-way through the third quarter. Nick Moore, Shawn Gore and Anthony Allen all hit pay dirt in the final 15 minutes to complete the second half stomping. There were a couple of downside to this comeback, however. Moore suffered a season-ending knee injury while celebrating his touchdown and on defence, the club also lost versatile corner TJ Lee for the year with a torn achilles tendon.

WEEK 6 –  July 29th: 44-41 overtime loss in Calgary

The Outlook: As mentioned, this is the only blip on the road trip radar. Although the Lions missed out on a golden opportunity to grab a three-point lead atop the West Division, there was still plenty of good things to talk about after this one. Jennings passed for 374 yards and three touchdowns. Bryan Burnham had a career-night with 139 yards on nine receptions. And the offence put themselves in a position to win before Jennings tossed a game-ending interception to Tommie Campbell in the end zone.

Turning Point: Jennings’ late-4th quarter interception to Ciante Evans was obviously huge, as it set up the game-tying points, but rewind to a bit earlier when Richie Leone and Keynan Parker executed a perfect fake punt with 12:39 remaining. The Lions could not muster up a first down to extend the drive beyond that. More points at that stage of the game likely would have been too much for the Stamps to overcome.

WEEK 7 – August 4th: 38-18 win at Montreal

The Outlook: Although most of the fun occurred during a 14-hour flight delay afterwards, the Lions bounced back nicely from the Calgary disappointment, earning a convincing 20-point win at Molson Stadium. The offence started slow, but gained traction after an Arceneaux touchdown catch to propel them to a nine-point halftime lead.

The Turning Point: Loucheiz Purifoy returned a fumble 47 yards for a touchdown to begin the 4th quarter. Rookie Anthony Gaitor forced the turnover by laying a nice hit on Alouettes’ receiver Corbin Louks. It gave the road warriors a 12-point cushion and they never looked back. The post- game travel woes, and impromptu jam session at Mirabel Airport, could prove to be a real turning point to 2016.

WEEK 10 – August 25th: 29-23 win at Ottawa

The Outlook: The club was in need of a boost after their most disappointing result to date, a 37-9 home setback against Calgary. They were staying in the nation’s capital an extra four days after this contest, so a win at TD Place would have made things a bit more enjoyable. Travis Lulay scored two touchdowns on short yardage situations, including the game winner with 1:34 left.

The Turning Point: We need to give kudos to the entire eight-play, 75 yard winning drive in the final minutes. It included a key 24-yard catch and run by Arceneaux to set them up at the Ottawa 35. Needing only a field goal to forge ahead, the offence said “to heck with it” and put Lulay in a position to punch it in for a second time. Honourable mention to Ryan Phillips: His knockdown right before the winning drive forced Ottawa into a successful field goal attempt with plenty of time left for the offence to deliver.

WEEK 11 – August 31st: 16-13 win at Toronto

The Outlook: Much like the Hamilton trip in week two, the signs of a letdown were there: Ricky Ray was back at QB for the Argos and Ronnie Yell was unavailable after an unlucky turn of events caused him to injure his foot in warmups. But who are we kidding? These are the 2016 Lions and they respond to adversity by tackling it head on. After Ray hit Kevin Elliott for an early touchdown, the defence buckled down, thanks in large part to Parker who made a couple key plays in Yell’s absence. Leone hit a 30-yard field goal as time expired to complete the eastern sweep. There was even a little history made as Solomon Elimimian recorded 14 tackles to set a new single-game record for the franchise. It was also the third-highest total in league history.

The Turning Point: With the game tied 10-10 mid-way through the third quarter, Elimimian intercepted Ray in Argos’ territory. Bo Lokombo forced the turnover by leaping over Brandon Whitaker to pressure the Quarterback. It led to Leone’s second field goal of the night and most importantly, served as a reminder: If you allow this defence to make a play, it will be costly.

What’s Left:

September 23rd at Edmonton:

The Leos lost two close games at Commonwealth Stadium last season, but proved they could hang around with the best as the Eskimos wound up sipping from the Grey Cup in November. This contest will likely be crucial in the race to host a playoff game in November.

October 8th at Winnipeg:

Speaking of implications, this tilt marks the first of a home and home series with the revitalized Blue Bombers. The Lions lost 23-13 in their lone trip last season, but wound up beating out the Bombers for a playoff spot.

October 29th: at Saskatchewan

Also the first of a home and home, this one will be extra special as it marks the last ever regular season contest at old Mosaic Stadium. The Lions hope to close out the historic venue in style. Including the week four triumph, they have won their last three trips there.

Key Stat:

This is the first time since 1985 the Lions have won four games in the Eastern Time Zone. They went on to win their second Grey Cup championship that year.

Injury Updates:

With X-Ray results on his foot still to come, Yell is expected to miss a lengthy period of time. Buono indicated Friday that Chandler Fenner may be the next one to make his debut in the secondary. The defensive back spent time on the Seattle Seahawks’ practice roster during their Super Bowl-winning season of 2013. He was re-added to the Leos’ practice squad in July after being released following training camp. As for receiver Geraldo Boldewijin, he is still dealing with the effects of a stomach virus that originally became a problem in camp. He was not ruled out of the lineup until two hours before the Toronto game and was replaced by Courtney Taylor.

Matt Baker:mbaker@bclions.com