CFL B.C. Lions

Lions and Esks tangle Friday night presented by Aussie Soles

Published on August 8, 2008 under Canadian Football League (CFL)
B.C. Lions News Release


Friday night is Ladies Night under the dome - the first 3,000 ladies through the gates on game night will receive a free package of Aussie Soles Charms as well as a pink eco-friendly Lions tote!

The BC Lions Street Party powered by Pepsi and presented by 95 Crave FM kicks off two hours prior to the game on the corner of Beatty and Robson streets. In addition to live music by The Fury, the Felions Dance Team and Leo the Lion will be on hand and there will be plenty of family activities, including face painting, inflatable games and poster making. Exciting new Lions merchandise and great food will also be available.

Game overview

The BC Lions (3-3) host the Edmonton Eskimos (4-2) in a critical West Division game Friday night at BC Place. The club's disappointing 35-24 loss in Edmonton a week ago has left them winless against divisional opponents in 2008 and placed them squarely behind the eight ball from a standings point of view. Taking a 10-point lead into the second half only to be outscored 25-4 has not sat well with the club. The cellar is not familiar territory for a Lions team that has hosted four straight West Division Finals, but just six games into the 2008 campaign it appears that the right to represent the West will be a dogfight to the end.

Head coach Wally Buono may only look back to the 2006 season however to see that his squad has responded well when challenged. That championship season also started relatively slowly and included a July loss in Edmonton (24-17) before the team regrouped for a seven game win streak and a 13-5 overall record. Whether or not this version of the Lions can regain its winning ways in a consistent manner will play out in weeks to come, but looking back through their Grey Cup history over the past 25 years reveals that three of the club's seven appearances in the league championship have come after 3-3 starts.

On offence the Leos enjoyed a very strong opening 30 minutes before getting bogged down in second half in the loss to the Green and Gold. Quarterback Jarious Jackson was 14 for 21 with 175 yards and a TD through two quarters, but would go on to complete just five passes for 42 yards in the second half and also threw two interceptions. Somewhat ironic is the fact that Jarious had been brilliant in the second halves of the two previous games, more specifically the fourth quarters of those games where he was 19 of 27 for 321 yards and two TD's - a efficiency rating of 119.5. Jarious came into the week fourth among QB's with 1531 passing yards but with an equal amount of both TD's and interceptions (9). The Lions need four complete quarters from their offence if they hope to come away with a win against the resurgent Eskimos.

Up front, the O-Line led the way as the Lions rolled up 127 yards on the ground although most of it was Jarious Jackson's (69) and it came in scramble mode. After an eight-sack performance versus Hamilton two weeks ago, the Eskimos were held to just one in Edmonton which came on a wild snap. Right guard Dean Valli came out of the game with an injured back in the third quarter but he will likely be ready for the rematch.

At running back, Joe Smith appeared in just his second career game in Edmonton last week and the final tally wasn't much to write home about. After 120 all-purpose yards versus Montreal two weeks ago, Smith was limited to just 58 yards on 13 carries and one catch for -3 yards. The Leos currently have the fourth ranked ground game with 670 yards to date (111.7 per game). Smith's pounding style is built on multiple carries and late game rumbles when the defence is tired - playing in the heat of BC Place certainly would have worked in his favour but Buono will give Stefan Logan another start (his third) in the hope of creating an offensive spark.

Paris Jackson led the team in receiving for a second straight game, hauling in five passes for 62 yards and a TD, but missing from the Lions' attack was Geroy Simon who was forced to sit out for the first time since the 2002 season due to a strained hamstring. Simon's return to the lineup is unlikely and the offence may have to spend a second week without the services of its most prolific receiver. Last week, teammates Jason Clermont and Clarence Coleman both contributed 60-yard efforts (60, 61 respectively) with Coleman enjoying his largest output on the season with seven receptions. The Lions' vertically inclined offence puts less emphasis on intermediate routes and thus Jason Clermont has seen his production fall off. With a win needed before the bye week, a dose of ‘rugged' may be exactly what the team needs.

On defence, the Lions surrendered a rather lofty 463 yards of total offence to the Green and Gold and need to rebound with a strong effort this week. In the club's three wins, the defence has come up with a combined total of eight sacks and nine interceptions. Outside of six sacks and two interceptions off of two virtual rookies in the loss versus Saskatchewan, the D has just 4 sacks and one interception in losses to Calgary and Edmonton.

Defensive lineman Cam Wake notched his league-leading seventh sack of the season with teammate Brent Johnson pushing his season total to five with two versus Edmonton. Aaron Hunt and Tyrone Williams combined for seven tackles on the night with Matt Kirk and Ricky Foley coming off the bench in supporting roles. The Lions need to get pressure on Ricky Ray if they hope derail the Eskimos high-octane passing attack on Friday.

At linebacker, Javier Glatt was busy last Thursday with six defensive tackles and one more on special teams. Otis Floyd recorded just one tackle and a pass knockdown in the loss. Jamall Johnson and Jason Pottinger continue to show progress as their roles evolve in Benevides' defensive scheme - Johnson chipped in three defensive tackles and two more on special teams with Pottinger rolling up six defensive stops and another on teams. While Glatt leads the club with 30 defensive tackles, Johnson and Pottinger are tied for the special teams lead with 10 apiece.

The Lions secondary did not have the kind of night it had grown accustomed to over the previous three wins and as a unit they will need to regroup in the hopes of bouncing back versus an inspired Eskimo receiving corps. With injured slot back Jason Tucker looking on from a private box in Commonwealth Stadium last week the likes of Kamau Peterson (3/66), Fred Stamps (4/80) and Kelly Campbell (3/75) sliced up the Leos defensive backfield enroute to 25 unanswered points in the second half. Even the rugged A.J. Harris and Mathieu Bertrand added 102 receiving yards from their running back positions, a stat not lost on Buono who told his troops "Either you want to tackle or you don't, but don't try to make it look like you are when you're not."

On special teams Paul McCallum is steadily climbing the scoring charts his 63 points (4th) and 82.4% field goal percentage (3rd). Ian Smart continues to lead all kickoff returners with 709 yards on 217 attempts (26.3 avg.). Only he and the Eskimos' Tristan Jackson have taken a kickoff back for a TD this season. Smart also ranks third in punt returns with 297 yards on 32 returns (9.3 avg.). Kickoff specialist Bret Anderson missed last week's game - the first since a short-lived retirement in 2004.

One-third of the way through the 2008 season, the Lions find themselves with a 3-3 mark - as Buono summed up the mediocre start as "A team with an average record playing average football." The second third of the campaign includes pivotal match-ups with Calgary and Saskatchewan (twice) so the Lions need to start chalking up wins to not only stay in contention for a possible home playoff date but to ensure their playoff berth remains in the West Division altogether.

Check out the B.C. Lions Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Canadian Football League Stories from August 8, 2008


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central