BCLions.com Staff

The BC Lions (8-6) pay a visit to the Saskatchewan Roughriders (4-10) in a crucial game for both clubs as the Leos look to solidify the place atop the West Division standings and the ‘Riders attempt to keep their playoff hopes alive with a possible East Division crossover spot.

The Lions come into Regina riding a seven-game unbeaten streak sating back to August 19th when they blew out the Edmonton Eskimos 36-1 before heading into the bye week. The streak has also included four wins in as many weeks against West Division rivals to help push the Lions into the driver’s seat for a home playoff date and chance to host the West Division Final.

With four games remaining on the schedule, no one on the Lions roster is looking past a desperate Roughriders squad still in the hunt to qualify for the post-season but also possibly playing for jobs on the 2012 roster.

Quarterback Travis Lulay leads the offence into enemy territory once again after a steady performance last week in the win over the Calgary Stampeders. Lulay connected on 19 passes for 252 yards and a pair of touchdowns on the night and found Arland Bruce for a 17-yard strike on third down to help set up Paul McCallum’s dramatic last-second game-winning field goal. Last time Lulay and his teammates stepped on the turf at Mosaic Stadium he shredded the ‘Riders for 303 passing yards and two TD’s.

Lulay’s receiving corps have been stellar as of late with Geroy Simon and Arland Bruce falling into the kind of groove that sees them trading big games and opposition defences forced to pick their poison when it comes to double coverage. Last week it was Bruce’s turn with 92 yards on six receptions including a 20-yard TD strike in the first quarter. Geroy Simon had just two receptions for 37 yards but also recorded a major. Simon now sits 354 yards behind Milt Stegall’s all-time receiving mark of 15,153 yards. Shawn Gore has become a deep threat for Lulay and caught up to a Lulay toss for the Leos' longest play on the night: 49 yards.

At running back, Andrew Harris continues to gain confidence despite just 10 yards on the ground last week and another 21 through the air. Tim Brown, who also serves special teams duties recorded 54 yards of his own on six carries for a healthy nine-yard average rush. Look for the Lions to start leaning on the run a bit more to control the clock and an aggressive ‘Riders defence.

The Lions surrendered just a single sack last week versus the Stampeders; their first in five games. Only the Alouettes (22) and Tiger-Cats (24) have given up fewer than the Leos’ 25 sacks against through 15 weeks. If one had to zero in on a single aspect of the Lions’ overall improvement since starting the season 0-5, it would have to be the play along the offensive line.

On defence, the Lions got off to a tremendous start last Saturday sacking Henry Burris and forcing a fumble which led to an early 7-0 lead. With Calgary torching the Lions special teams for most of the night, the defence also found itself defending some short fields. While the Stampeders managed an 81-yard TD strike to Landon Talley in the third quarter, the play actually represented 42% of Calgary’s passing yards on the night.

Along the defensive line, the combination of Keron Williams, Aaron Hunt, Khalif Mitchell and Khreem Smith is making things very difficult for opposing offences. With Saskatchewan’s quarterback position somewhat up in the air after Ryan Dinwiddie was lifted after throwing three interceptions in the first half of Saskatchewan’s loss to Edmonton last week and Darian Durant on the limp with a broken foot, look for the defensive line to try and set the tone early on Sunday afternoon.

It’s likely that the Lions will see a change at linebacker with Solomon Elimimian on the mend with a sprained right ankle. James Yurichuk and Adam Bighill will both see action which will benefit both as the Lions look to ensure Elimimian’s health down the stretch. Anton McKenzie led the Lions in defensive tackles with seven last week and has been a unsung element of the club's linebacker corps.

In the secondary, the Lions have gone two games without an interception but continue to play a big part in the team’s recent success. Ryan Phillips’ interception return for a TD sparked the Leos to a 42-5 win last time the ‘Riders and Lions tangled. Look for Phillips and Co. to try and take advantage of a struggling Saskatchewan offence that has been outscored 99-9 in the past three games.

It was a good news, bad news story on special teams last week as McCallum set a new mark for consecutive field goals nailing his 30th straight before missing his next attempt. Three of the four he made in the win certainly weren’t gimmies either coming from 46, 47 and the game winner from 53 yards. The bad news was kickoff and punt coverage which allowed Calgary’s Larry Taylor to keep the Stamps in the game with great field position and even a return for a major off of McCallum’s only miss on the night. The Lions will need to sharpen that part of their game with big plays on special teams often being the difference between a win and a loss as the season winds down.

The Lions have managed to climb out of a self-induced 0-5 start to lead the West Division going into the final four weeks of the regular season. The goal of hosting a home playoff game is now within reach but the likelihood of having to run the table to host a West Final is all but certain given the divisional fight they’re in now.