BC Lions' Jeremiah Johnson celebrates after a play during the first half of CFL action in Vancouver, B.C., on Friday, Sept 9, 2016. (CFL PHOTO Ð Chad Hipolito)
All week long they were preaching start fast, finish strong. And that’s exactly what they did on Friday night. Jeremiah Johnson rushed for three touchdowns and had a CFL season-high 159 yards on the ground to lift the BC Lions past Montreal 38-27. With the victory, Johnson and company improved to 8-3 and also surpassed last season’s win total.
“Personally, I thought I did well hitting holes but it’s not only about me,” Johnson said of his heroics. “It’s those front five that are blocking their butts off every single play. I’m grateful for those guys, grateful for the play calling, grateful for Jonathon throwing the balls and making it hard for them to figure out if it was run or pass. It was an all around victory for all of us.”
About that hot start: The Lions scored a touchdown on each of their first three offensive possessions and led 21-3 before the Alouettes could even blink. The fun started when Jonathon Jennings hit Manny Arceneaux for a 25-yard touchdown grab on the Lions’ third play from scrimmage. It was just the early knockout punch we said they needed in our ‘3 Keys to Victory’ beforehand. Playing hard for four quarters is something the club will take into bye week and make sure it continues over the final seven games.
“That’s what it’s all about,” added Johnson. “I just think we all took it personal and said ‘hey, let’s just finish the second half and don’t let nobody sneak in and get a victory on home turf.’ We stayed resilient and got the victory.” Johnson’s 159 yards is also a new career-high. His previous best was a 131-yard effort on October 31st, 2014, as a member of the Ottawa REDBLACKS.
“The thing I liked the most was the team win but besides that, the dominance of our offensive line,” said Wally Buono. “We challenged them this week that we needed better protection of the quarterback and they were outstanding both against the pressure and also running the football. That’s a very good Montreal defence and for our guys to be as physical as they were, you have to be very impressed.”
Jennings completed 23 of 41 passes for 341 yards and the touchdown. Like Johnson, he took advantage of the outstanding blocking up front and used the time to his advantage, both in the air and on the ground.
The Lions’ suffocating defensive line sacked Alouettes’ QB Rakeem Cato three times and only allowed one touchdown in the late stages, a 26-yard Cato strike to Nik Lewis with 4:11 left.
This also marks the first time the club has won three straight games since August of 2014.
Quotable:
“Yes and no, because we gave up a sack. We’d rather have none of those. I think it’s the best offensive game of the season. We still left stuff out there on the field. We can be better, but it’s something to build on going into the bye week. 8-3 feels good, but I would rather be 11-0.”- Jovan Olafioye on whether or not it was the most complete performance by the offensive line
Bake’s Takes:
Fight fire with fire: On two occasions, Jennings and the offence took back the momentum when they absolutely needed it. They followed up a fumble return touchdown by Chip Cox with a twelve-play scoring drive of their own that ended with Travis Lulay punching it in from the one. That drive gave them a 31-13 lead. After the Alouettes pulled to within 11 on the Lewis major, they were able to drive the field and kill the clock. Those two drives say a lot about how mentally tough they were. A potential costly turning point was snuffed out. That’s something they should take pride in.
Bryan Burnham deserves a hard hat for his performance. Perhaps his most important play was a 22-yard catch and run to set them up with first and goal at the five before Johnson’s second major of the night. You can look at Burnham and Shawn Gore as two of the most improved Lions of 2016. Burnham’s effort against Montreal was the definition of hard-nosed.
The best part about the two-headed monster rotation at running back isn’t the fact both Johnson and Anthony Allen have delivered when called upon: Both have embraced the role to the fullest and understand putting the team’s interest before their own is most important. Fresh legs rule the day and as we get into the real stretch drive, the rotation should be even more beneficial.
Hat tip to Mike Edem. Just before halftime, the free safety made probably the best defensive play of the night, breaking up a pass intended for Kenny Stafford in the end zone. It forced Montreal into a field goal instead of potentially being within two touchdowns at the half. Not only has Edem proven himself to be one of the most reliable members of this defence, he could go down as the best free agent pickup by any team this past offseason.
Next up:
After bye week, the Lions will travel to Edmonton for a big Western showdown with the Eskimos on Friday, September 23rd. It is a 7:00 kickoff.
Matt Baker: mbaker@bclions.com