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The Perfect Storm B.C. 41 - Winnipeg 1

By 250 News

-by John Goodwin


It’s finally over. It was the longest losing streak of BC coach Wally Buono’s career, but demonstrates that just like winning.....losing can take on a life of it’s own.

The Lions slow burn over the past few weeks blew up into a raging inferno last night before a crowd of 30,000 screaming patrons at BC Place Stadium as they gave the Winnipeg Blue Bombers a wire brushing.

It was generally believed by many this team could always be trusted to do the right thing after they’d exhausted all other alternatives, and in every sense of the word it was a clinic as all aspects of their game seemed to return to it’s former self.

With the playoffs just around the corner, there was no better time than now for the Leo’s to turn their fortunes around, as with just three games left in the season (going into this one), any combination of wins by the Lions and Eskimo losses totaling two and the Leos would win the West. 

The Lions appeared to be straining at the leash as confidence had been building on the BC side of the ball with Mighty Dave as well as Casey Printers now both legitimate starters for the team. So much confidence that Lion’s receiver Geroy Simon had “guaranteed” a win in this one..... as if the team needed more pressure to put an end to the misery. That said however if you’re going to crank back the hammer you should pull the trigger and Simon’s predictions were of indeed a foreshadowing of events to follow.

With Dave Dickenson still seeing stars, Casey Printers would be the starter and before the night was out would complete 20 of 26 (76.9%) of his passes for 300 yards....14 of his last 15.... and took to the air for four touchdowns. All three QB’s saw action this game.

It took almost a full quarter for anyone to get the scoring started when at 2:38 of the opening frame 40 yr. old BC kicker Mark McLoughlin would hit for the Lions first FG in the past four games to make the score 3-0. While the 1st quarter stats were fairly even, with these points the unrelenting assault and total
domination had begun. Good news for a team badly in need of a scoringnectomy.

At the 3:04 mark of the second Casey Printers ran the table finishing the drive with a handoff to Antonio Warren at the two yard line for the major, opening the flood gates. The Warren TD, his 16th. of the season would tie him for the league lead with Wpgs. Milt Stegal.

Midway through the quarter DB Baron Miles snuffed out a promising drive by the Bombers when he intercepted Winnipeg QB Kevin Glen on the BC 11 setting up a BC drive of their own. Printers marched his team back to the Bomber 25 only to have his pass picked off by Omar Evans in his own end zone.

At this point in the game Printers was moving the ball with ease mostly through the air .There was virtually no Bomber pressure on the BC quarterback as he bought himself time, avoiding the rush by rolling out of the pocket and using play action to keep the opposition defense honest. At the 12:27 mark of the second, Printers would find the end zone again hitting a wide open Lyle Green for a 30 yd TD...his first since 2003....17-0 BC.

Just two minutes later BC would score once more on a seven yard pass from Printers to Ryan Thelwell to end the quarter.... badly bursting the Blue Bomber bubble....24-0 Lions.

Printers ended the half 17-23 for 234 yards passing vs. 95 total yards offense for Winnipeg. The Lions domination was graphic in the team’s first downs with the Leos leading in that department as well 19-9.

The second half started in the same manner the first ended when the Lions recovered a Bomber backup QB Russ Michna fumble on his own 45 yard line and Casey Printers made them pay by marching the ball to the Winnipeg four, than hitting Geroy Simon for the score....31-0 BC

It was at this point that Winnipeg would score their only point of the night when Jon Ryan would hit a single on a 54 yard kick at 5:26 of the quarter.

Printers, not to be outdone finished his night at 8:10 with a 17 yard pass behind coverage to Paris Jackson in the Bomber end zone...38-1 Lions.

Kicker Mark McLoughlin would round out the scoring with a FG from the 42 early in the final frame.

Third stringer Jarious Jackson would hit Jason Clairmont with a beauty in the Bomber end zone late in the game only to have it called back on an offside call.

The Lions finished the night with 559 yards total offense vs. 214 for Winnipeg.


Notes:

Earlier this week, in an effort to improve on two areas of weakness in the team’s structure, the Lions first traded a 2006 draft choice to the Montreal Alouettes for veteran corner James Whitley with a view to shoring up a mostly inexperienced backfield.. Whitley has played in 9 games for the Al’s this season and prior he was with the NFL Carolina Panthers, the Green Bay Packers and St. Louis Rams.

The Lions also inked a deal with 6' 5" 300lb. offensive guard Zack Wilson. Wilson spent 03 and 04 with the NFL’s Detroit Lions and was in the Denver Bronco’s training camp prior to the start of the season. He will hopefully bring some badly needed help to a deservedly much maligned offensive line that has been mostly a detractor in the Lions season thus far.

The win clinched home field advantage for the Lions in this yrs. playoffs.
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