by John Goodwin 

 

The enigmatic BC Lions deliver up a shocker, and now at a record of 3 and 3 with just 6 points, find themselves only a Calgary win this weekend away from a last place standing in the CFL West.

 

Jason Tucker shows tremendous courage returning to Commonwealth Stadium this night after a dangerous season ending injury, and proved to be too much motivation for the home team, as his Eskimos would rally from a 23-10 deficit early in the third quarter to unceremoniously demoralize and demolish the BC Lions with a 25 point uncontested outburst in the second half of tonight’s game.

 

Indeed it wasn’t supposed to be this way, as a resurgent Lions team following a slow start to the season and now enjoying a three game win streak, appeared to have their mojo back in tact and should handle the upstart Eskimoes with relative ease to position themselves for their run at first place in the West. Right?

 

The team would swagger their way onto the city of champions home field turf forgetting that nothin’ in this world is actually free, and getting stomped on would be their just reward for acquiescing before the game winner had been determined.

 

Ricky Ray took his team almost the entire length of the field to start the game, giving the ball to running back A J Harris who finished off the drive for the score.

 

BC answered on their first possession as well, as Paul McCallum would split the uprights for three.

 

The Lions struck again on a major score, Jarious Jackson to Paris Jackson as the quarter ended 10-7 Lions. The opening frame was the best start to a game the BC quarterback had played all season, completing eight of his nine pass attempts.

 

The attack defense, the BC Lion’s bread and butter, was not to be seen on this night as they played conservatively most of the time, only rushing four and sometimes three allowing Ray too much time to set up. This may well have eventually contributed to their undoing later on when they needed a big play to turn their fortunes around.

 

Jason Clermont would join an exclusive club when he made his four hundreth catch this game. He as well as Paris Jackson were big targets for Jarious Jackson throughout the evening in the absence of Geroy Simon who sat out with a leg injury.

 

Jarious Jackson would again engineer a drive that ended in seven, and Paul McCallum punched in another three to end a very strong half, 20-10 Lions.

At this point the visitors looked to be in control and had dominated the hapless Esks.

 

Lions open the scoring in the third quarter with yet another McCallum FG, his fourth of the night and ninth in a row making the score 23-10 Lions.

 

Both teams traded new and exiting ways to look inept over the next few possessions until a poor decision by Jarius Jackson ended in an Edmonton interception and would prove to be the turning point of the game, not only taking the wind out of the BC sails but lit a firestorm under the Esks who from that point on could do no wrong. Tonight’s hosts would take and built on their new found momentum by in dramatic fashion, from that point on running up their score at will.

 

For a team that was picked to again be the template for Canadian Football excellence this season, this is a devastating blow at a crucial time, and may well be a watershed moment wherein how they answer the bell for the next few games could possibly paint a picture of the team’s fortunes for the entire balance of the season.

 

The Lions should be in a surly mood when these two teams meet in the house that Bobby built next week end, and even a close game in the second half of this home and home series may reasonably be considered a disappointment.

 

On a closing note, former CFL star and distinguished broadcaster Leif Pettersen died Thursday morning at the early age of 57.

He was a class act, respected throughout the game, and a gentleman.

 

RIP Leif Pettersen