Redblacks Upset Lions

With BC starting Jonathon Jennings things looked bright for the Lions as they were taking on an Ottawa team that was 5-9-1, while the Lions were 6-7-0 for 12 points through 13 games.

BC currently sits in the bottom and on this night 19,324 were on hand in hopes of seeing the cellar dwellers in the CFL West Division standings move up as they round out the season.

All hopes of a win were about to come crumbling down and if you are a BC Lions fan it looked as tho the game was all but over in the third quarter with BC leading by a 25-6 margin.

It wasn’t until late in the third quarter that Ottawa chose to try an onside kick, one that saw Ottawa recover that proved to be the turning point in the game.

Not only did Ottawa recover the kick in the Lions half, it was only two short plays later that Diontae Spencer scored a TD two plays later allowing the Redblacks to overcome a 19 point deficit.

The on-field officials ruled that he (Spencer) was ruled down at the one-yard line, but following a coach’s review ruled that he crossed the goal line with the ball and was in the end zone for the TD.

It was Ottawa’s Trevor Harris who was returning from a three game absence due to a shoulder injury and managed to throw three impressive TD passes ending the game 28-38, which was good for 380 yards on the night.

Redblacks receiver Greg Ellingson mentioned “I think in the second half, (we) kind of let it loose and we were a little conservative, maybe, in the first half … and in the second half, we let Trevor (Harris) air it out and show that his shoulder is as healthy as it’s ever been.”

Jennings managed to throw three TD passes with two going to Emmanuel Arceneaux and one to rookie Shaquille Johnson, but that was about to take a turn for the worse.

Lions receiver Bryan Burnham fumbled the ball inside his own 30-yard line that set up the Redblacks for field position that saw Ellingson thrown a 19-yard TD pass, cutting BC’s lead.

The fourth quarter saw Ellingson and Harris play Houdini again, working magic as they connected for a 45-yard pass that get them even at 25.

Following the Redblacks TD, Ottawa attempted a single-point convert from Maher that proved to be successful giving them a 26-25 lead – ironically the first in the game.

It was Maher who nailed a 15-yard field goal less than three minutes later which increased the Redblacks lead to five points.

As the teams walked off the field it was interesting to note that Maher made all three of his field goal attempts that helped move the Redblacks up to a 6-9-1 record, only one point behind the Argo’s for first in the East Division.

The loss is like a “nail in the coffin” for the BC Lions as they remain in fifth in the West Division only two points back of Edmonton, who visit the Al’s on holiday Monday.