VANCOUVER, BC: JULY 7, 2017 - The Toronto Argonauts play the BC Lions at BC Place in Vancouver, Canada July 7, 2016. Photo by Jeff Vinnick
Ricky Ray‘s 15-yard touchdown pass to Tori Gurley with 9:23 to play helped seal the deal and hand the BC Lions their first loss of 2016, a 25-14 final here at BC Place. Much like the first two games of the season, this one was close at the half with Toronto on top only 9-6, but the Leos could not pick up the momentum in the final 30 minutes.
“It’s on us. Two important things in football are focus and re-focus,” said Anthony Allen who rushed for 107 yards and a had touchdown catch in his Lions debut. “I feel like I got my feet up under me, but it came in an effort where we lost the game. You never want to to do that at home. It’s a bittersweet moment.”
Six field goals by Liram Harjullahu accounted for the rest of the Argos points. The Lions defensive effort was once again stout, the big difference being they were unable to force any turnovers against a versatile Ray. One big turning point was a near pick-six by Ryan Phillips late in the first half, deep in Argos territory.”I hold myself to a high standard, ” Phillips said. “Me missing an interception like that, I gotta make those type of plays. Those are game changing plays.”
After a great start on offence, the Lions were unable to carry the momentum into the second half and Travis Lulay replaced Jonathon Jennings at quarterback with 3:06 to play in the 3rd quarter. Wally Buono told reporters afterwards you can expect Jennings to start when the club visits Saskatchewan Saturday, July 16th. The Lions were also hindered by first half fumbles from Allen and Shawn Gore.
Milestones For Manny and Shawn:
With his five-yard catch in the first quarter, Manny Arceneaux became the 100th receiver in CFL history to surpass 5,000 yards for his career. It’s a nice feather in the cap for the Louisiana kid who reported to his first training camp in Abbotsford back in 2009. “It means a lot. It’s a blessing to play this game. The BC Lions gave me the opportunity to play my entire career here is also a blessing. I’m thankful for that,” Arceneaux said. Fellow receiver Gore suited up in career game number 100.
Quotables: Game Changes On Roughing The Passer Call in 4th
The Argos were granted new life right before the Gurley touchdown when Bo Lokombo was flagged for roughing the passer on what looked like a clean sack on Ray with 14:28 to play. Despite a challenge by Buono, the call would stand. ” When I looked at it, I thought it was football,” Buono said.
Phillips was a little more vocal on the officials’ ruling. “Some of these calls are not clear cut. I can’t even tell you what’s clear cut in pass interference, I can’t tell you when a quarterback becomes a runner. If he buckles down and tucks the ball, how is a not a runner at hat point? It’s hard to tell and it’s never definitive about when a quarterback becomes a runner, but if he tucks the ball away and there’s no head shot or anything like that, to me it’s a joke at that point.”
Matt Baker: mbaker@bclions.com