Eskimos beat Lions in OT thriller

For a change, Edmonton Eskimos quarterback Ricky Ray beat a team with his legs instead of his arm Saturday night.

Ray ran for 135 yards — including the winning one-yard touchdown in overtime — as the Eskimos beat the B.C. Lions 31-28 in a game that was potentially pivotal to both teams' playoff hopes.

"We were just taking what they were giving us," said Ray, explaining why he ran so often without necessarily expecting to.

Edmonton moved into a tie with B.C. for third place in the West Division, as both clubs now have 5-10 records with three regular-season games remaining. However, they will not face each other again. The Eskimos took the season series with B.C. 2-1 and, in the event of a tie in the standings, will be awarded third place in the West over the Lions.

The Eskimos posted their third win in four games while atoning for a humiliating 36-11 loss to Hamilton last weekend. They also improved their chances of playing a cross-over playoff game against an East Division opponent, if necessary, as they moved within four points of the struggling Toronto Argonauts.

Ray's winning TD came after a B.C. pass interference call on defensive back Stanley Franks, giving Edmonton the ball on the one. He also threw for a touchdown versus two interception, but the Eskimos garnered most of their yardage on the ground as they rushed for 346 yards compared to 139 in the air. Ray only completed 10 of 20 passes, but the Eskimos racked up 485 total yards.

"I've been playing in this league for eight years and I've never seen Ricky Ray run for so many yards," said B.C. defensive lineman Jonathan Brown. 

"The defence played like [crap]," said B.C. defensive end Brent Johnson. "We practice these assignments and we didn't transfer them over to the game. This is Football 101 and we failed on that."

Roster mix up

B.C. kicker Sean Whyte, who wasn't supposed to be dressed for the game, had staked the Lions to a 28-25 lead on a 21-yard field goal in OT after forcing the extra session with a 48-yard FG on the final play of the fourth quarter.

Just before the kickoff, game officials informed coach and GM Wally Buono that kicker Paul McCallum had not been added to the 42-man active list and could not play. Whyte was forced to scramble into equipment.

This was B.C.'s second straight overtime loss after dropping a 47-35 decision to the Blue Bombers on Monday.

The Eskimos lost two key receivers, Kamau Peterson and Kelly Campbell, to injuries. But Ray said they opted to use the run despite the fact running backs Mathieu Bertrand and Calvin McCarty lined up as receivers.

"We had some injuries, but the good thing was we were playing with the lead most of the game," said Ray.

The Lions led 15-13 at half-time, but the Eskimos rallied in the third quarter. On the Eskimos' opening drive of the third, Ray surpassed the 100-yard rushing mark as he ran for 20 yards on three plays, setting up a one-yard Mathieu Bertrand touchdown run that staked the Eskimos to a 20-15 lead.

Early in the final quarter, Whyte conceded a safety in the end zone to put Edmonton up 22-15.

Ray later guided the Eskimos 73 yards — on 12 straight running plays — to set up a 17-yard Derek Schiavone field goal that gave Edmonton a 25-15 advantage.

With three minutes left, Travis Lulay went to work as he completed a series of passes, including a pair to Geroy Simon, and ran for 16 yards himself to move the Lions to the Edmonton one. Jackson came in again and handed off to Robertson for a touchdown, reducing B.C.'s deficit to 25-22.