CFL B.C. Lions

Lions and Tiger-Cats ready to claw it out Saturday night

Published on September 26, 2008 under Canadian Football League (CFL)
B.C. Lions News Release


The BC Lions (7-5) play host to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (2-10) in a Saturday night catfight under the dome. The Lions enter the game on a three-game winning streak after narrowly defeating the division-leading Saskatchewan Roughriders 27-21 last week. The Lions now find themselves just one game back in the win column behind both Calgary and Saskatchewan after taking back-to-back tilts over the Grey Cup champs.

The Lions and Ti-Cats met three weeks ago in Steeltown with the Leos coming out on top with a 35-12 victory and haven't lost to the 'Cats since the 2004 season. The loss on September 6th turned out to be the final game for then head coach Charlie Taaffe as the Black and Gold come to Vancouver under the leadership of former offensive coordinator Marcel Bellefeuille. The Canadian-born Bellefeuille is winless in his first two games but brings a hungry and determined group into BC Place Saturday.

Lions head coach Wally Buono has seen his team rebound from some post-bye week struggles to put up three consecutive wins and climb back into the West Division race. With games versus struggling Hamilton and Toronto teams on the menu for the next two weeks, the Lions have to stay focused before a mid-October back-to-back showdown with the Edmonton Eskimos.

On offence, the Lions battled both the elements and a strong Saskatchewan defence to put up just a single touchdown in Regina last week. The foot of Paul McCallum provided the rest of the points, 19 of them in fact including six field goals. Quarterback Buck Pierce was effective for the most part, completing 19 of 35 passes for 197 yards before being knocked from the game early in the early stages of the final frame by Saskatchewan's Maurice Lloyd. Most importantly was the absence of an interception for the second time in as many outings for Pierce who should be fine to start Saturday.

Up front, both Lions' QB's had ample time to deliver the ball thanks to an offensive line now playing some of its best football of the season. It wasn't easy versus a ferocious Roughrider front four, however, as noted by right guard Sherko Haji-Rasouli - "They bent me in every direction possible and a few directions I didn't know about."

At running back, Charles Roberts picked up 63 yards on 13 carries (4.8 yard average) including a 16-yard romp in the third quarter last week. Look for continuous improvement from Roberts as he becomes more familiar with the Lions playbook and the players in front of him. Teammate Stefan Logan had just four carries on the night for 10 yards but led the team with 93 yards through the air on nine receptions. Quarterback Jarious Jackson also contributed 36 yards on the ground with some very timely scrambles in the late stages of the win.

Geroy Simon set another milestone last week as he surpassed Jim Young for the all-time TD receptions record with his 66th as a Leo. Simon trails Kenyon Rambo by just 39 yards (1020-981) for the CFL lead among receivers. Jason Clermont should be at full speed after dressing but not playing in last week's game due to shoulder and hand injuries. Paris Jackson is looking to get back on track after a couple drops in Regina last week and registering just a single catch for six yards. First-year Lion Clarence Coleman appears ready to take his roster spot back from teammate Rufus Skillern after missing a few outings with a strained calf.

On defence, Mike Benevides' squad provided the offence with plenty of scoring opportunities with six turnovers evenly distributed by interceptions, fumbles and third-down stops. The most dramatic of the six was likely the goal line stand midway through the fourth quarter after a Dante Marsh interference penalty placed the ball at the one-yard line.

To start the second half last week, the Lions managed to force four consecutive two-and-outs which resulted in two punts, an aborted punt attempt by Jamie Boreham and a conceded safety by Boreham. In fact, the Riders did not run one play on the BC side of the 55 yard line - the one play run from the mid-field stripe did result in a 55-yard Stu Foord TD romp much to the chagrin of Benevides whose defence ultimately gave up four plays of 30 yards or more in the win. The combined yards of just two plays (Foord 55 yards, Dressler 47 yards) account for 102 of 251 passing yards by the 'Riders on the night (41%).

Despite the frustration at times, Benevides has seen his defence climb the CFL rankings in a number of categories including points against (4th, 303, 25.3) rushing yards allowed (3rd, 1275, 106.3), passing yards allowed (4th, 3331, 277.6), total offence allowed (2nd, 4285, 357), sacks (1st, 41) and interceptions (1st, 20).

On the defensive line, the extra attention paid to Cam Wake couldn't prevent the one-man wrecking crew from putting plenty of pressure on the Green and White as he managed two defensive tackles as well as a fumble recovery. Brent Johnson pushed his sack total to nine while Aaron Hunt notched his sixth, moving him into the top five league-wide. The front four will have its hands full this week as the Ti-Cats signed former CFL All-Star Kenton Keith on Monday and appear ready to have him make his debut on Vancouver.

At linebacker, Javier Glatt enjoyed another productive night last Saturday recording eight tackles with teammate Otis Floyd adding four more. Jamall Johnson was all over the field picking up two defensive tackles, a special teams stop and a sack.

The Lions secondary had an interesting night with Barron Miles collecting his league-leading sixth and seventh interceptions of the season off of Michael Bishop and Darian Durant. The total should have been around five however with both Ryan Phillips and Jerome Dennis letting three opportunities slip through their fingers. "Plays like those are game-breakers and we need to make them. We aren't handing out medals around here for knockdowns," said Benevides earlier in the week. There was certainly plenty of metal of the aluminum variety coming the Lions' way after Dante Marsh forced a Corey Grant fumble in the fourth quarter which in turn touched off a hail of beer cans out of the cool Regina night. Fortunately the team escaped without injury and more importantly, with a win.

On special teams, kicker Paul McCallum returned to his former CFL home to kick six field goals including a game-sealing 35-yarder into a stiff Regina breeze with a little over two minutes left to play. Return specialist Ian Smart did just that with regard to the line up, taking the roster spot of Kahlil Hill whom the Lions let go last week. Running with determination and confidence, Smart piled up 92 yards on three returns including a 34-yard romp to open the second half.

After going 3-3 in the season's first third, the Leos have managed to push their record to 4-2 in the last six games. Now faced with a six-game sprint to the finish, the club has an opportunity to secure a home playoff date but as Buono has indicated from day one: "We have to continuously improve as individuals on the little things each and every day."

For more information on the BC Lions Football Club please visit our website at www.bclions.com.

Game Date: Saturday, September 27th, 2008

Location: BC Place

Game Sponsor: Purolator

Kickoff: 7:00 pm (Gates open at 6:00 pm)

Radio: TEAM 1040 (Rick Ball, Giulio Caravatta) - Fans can catch the Lions pre-game show starting at 5:00 p.m.

Halftime: Wendy's Kick for a Million quarter-final

Merchandise: The new 2008/2009 Felions Calendar is still available to purchase during the game at Section 12 on the Level 2 concourse or at any merchandise kiosk.

Pre-Game: The BC Lions Street Party powered by Pepsi and presented by 99.3 The Fox kicks off at 5:00 pm on the corner of Beatty and Robson streets. In addition to live music by Innocent Bystander, 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.

Saturday is also Purolator Tackle Hunger Night under the dome - fans are encouraged to bring a non-perishable food item or cash donation to the Street Party before kickoff and have your picture taken with the Grey Cup!

Check out the B.C. Lions Statistics

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Canadian Football League Stories from September 26, 2008


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