Menu
@
October 12, 2016

Lions And Bombers Clash For 2nd Place Tonight!

Your BC Lions (9-5) are aiming for a little payback when they entertain Andrew Harris and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (9-6) this evening at BC Place Stadium. Wally Buono has his troops focussed and ready to erase a 37-35 loss in the Manitoba capital last week, a result that further tightened the race for second in the West and a home playoff game on November 13th. There was little time for celebration after losses by Toronto and Montreal put the Lions into the playoffs for a 20th consecutive season, the longest active streak in the CFL. “What we’re chasing right now is a win on Friday night and putting us in a position to host a playoff game,” Buono said. The first objective has been achieved and the next objective is winning Friday night.”

Despite trailing by 21 points early in the second quarter, the Lions were in a position to win before Chris Rainey was stopped short on a third and one inside the Bombers’ five-yard line with under a minute to play. The Lions ended the day by converting just twice on five attempts in the red zone. “What you do in the red zone usually means whether you win or lose,” Buono said. “When you play a good team, and the next four games are all going to be this way, you’ve got to put points on the board when you’re down there.”

The math is simple: A win on Friday by three points or more, followed by a victory of any kind over Edmonton at home on October 22nd would clinch the Lions’ first home playoff game since 2012. The Eskimos (8-7) have a bye before they prep for next Saturday’s showdown here.

Here are some other storylines for Friday’s re-match:

 Burnham: The Sequel

The collective grown you hear from Manitoba is probably coming from the Bombers’ film sessions where acrobatic plays by Bryan Burnham are being shown on a loop. Burnham further established himself as one of the league’s up and coming game breakers last week, hauling in nine catches for 208 yards and earning CFL Player of the Week honours as a result. His total was the second-highest single game mark in the league this season and first 200-yard performance by a Leos’ receiver since Geroy Simon in 2007. That being said, Burnham is taking nothing for granted going into round two against the Bombers defence. “I don’t know how much of an advantage it is because it’s the same thing for them,” Burnham said of facing the same foe back to back. “All that matters is how we prepare for this week. We still have to prepare like it’s a new team.” Shawn Gore makes his return to the lineup after going through concussion protocol all week, meaning the potential for a more balanced offensive attack is there as well. Burnham and Manny Arceneaux combined for 19 of 28 completions by Jonathon Jennings. “It’ll be nice to be able to spread the ball around a little bit more,” Burnham added. “Hopefully everyone gets to touch it.”

Harris Returns To BC Place

Harris’s return from an ankle injury provided the Blue Bombers with a much-needed spark last week as the former Lion had 66 yards rushing on 12 carries and also opened the scoring with a touchdown reception on the game’s opening drive. Now he looks to put on a show in front of the fans that cheered him on from 2010 to 2015. Harris told TSN 1040 there is no bitterness toward his former squad: “I’m not bitter at all. It’s part of this business. Sometimes you move on, sometimes you stay. So many different things can happen in a professional football player’s career. It ended on relatively good terms and the fact when I see my old teammates and coaches there’s still smiles, there’s still love there. It was a move for my family and nothing more than that. Coming back to BC Place, I’m excited. It’s a place where I became the player I am today. A lot of great friends have been messaging me, saying they’re looking forward to seeing me again.” During his time in the den, Harris rushed for 4,259 yards, which is good enough for 7th all-time in franchise history. He is third in the CFL in rushing this season, trailing only Jerome Messam and Brandon Whitaker.

Andrew_Harris_adidas_2016_1-1600x902

Injury/Lineup Notes

 In addition to Gore’s return, right tackle Antonio Johnson is also back after rolling an ankle in practice last week. Jeremiah Johnson will dress as the featured tailback in place of Anthony Allen as the two-headed monster approach continues into mid-October. If you combined the total of rushing yards by Johnson and Allen, it is good enough for second in the league this season. On defence, Mic’hael Brooks tweaked his knee on the opening play from scrimmage last week and will be inactive. Former Bomber Bryant Turner Jr. takes his starting spot at defensive tackle. For the Bombers, wide receiver Tori Gurley will dress for the first time since his signing late last week. The former Argonaut scored a go- ahead touchdown at BC Place on July 7th to help hand the Lions their first loss of 2016.

Quotable

“I believe I have a strong knack for the end zone and with the guys we have up front we most definitely can get a couple of yards up field, make guys miss and try to make things a longer run than expected.We just want to come out hard, come out guns a blazin’ and finish this thing off.” Johnson on returning as the featured tailback.

Three Keys To Victory

 

  1. Convert in the red zone: You knew this would be part of the equation. Buono’s words above are the difference between a win and a loss. If they convert just once more last week, the result is very likely a different story. Lesson learned.
  2. Utilize Jeremiah: The last time Johnson returned at running back, the results were monumental: 159 rushing yards and three touchdowns in a September 9th win over Montreal. They must take advantage of the fresh legs again.
  3. Limit the big plays: Trickery was a big reason Winnipeg came out firing on all cylinders last week. The fake punt conversion was a 20-yard run by Weston Dressler and the eventual winning touchdown by Clarence Denmark was a 22-yard catch where he was left wide open. The defence knows it has to prevent those.

B.C. Lions quarterback Jonathon Jennings (10) throws against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers during the second half of CFL action in Winnipeg Saturday, October 8, 2016. THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods

Extra Yardage:

Friday is Purolator Tackle Hunger night at BC Place. Fans are encouraged to bring non-perishable food items or cash donations to help support the Vancouver and Surrey Food Bank. Fans that bring donations can also get their picture taken with the Grey Cup!

Since arriving in 2003, Buono has never lost back-to-back regular season games against the same squad as Lions head coach. In fact, going into last week he was 20-6 overall in those games, sweeping on seven occasions and splitting six times. Now would not be the ideal time to reverse that trend.

Despite not throwing for a touchdown last week, Jennings’ 422 passing yards were just seven shy of his career high set in a July 16th win at Saskatchewan. Not having to deal with the prairie elements should help his cause in Friday’s rematch.

The Blue Bombers have also clinched their spot in the playoffs and will take part for the first time since losing the 2011 Grey Cup at BC Place. Harris was a force for the Lions in that championship game, rushing for a game-high 65 yards, a touchdown and earning Most Outstanding Canadian honours.

You can listen to Friday’s contest on TSN 1040 with Scott Rintoul and Giulio Caravatta. Pregame coverage begins at 5:00 PM with Bob Marjanovich, Chris Burns and Lowell Ullrich.

Viewers can watch on TSN 1 and those south of the border can tune in on ESPN 3.

You can download the Lions roster and depth chart here!

Fan Poll
What do the Lions need to fix most for Friday's rematch with the Blue Bombers?
Red Zone Production
Vote
Turnovers
Vote
Eliminating the big plays by Bombers' offence
Vote
Other
Vote

Matt Baker:mbaker@bclions.com