Lions overpower lethargic Stampeders

The B.C. Lions handed the Calgary Stampeders their first loss at home this season with a 29-10 victory Saturday night at McMahon Stadium.

The Lions improved to 4-8 in the West Division, while the Stampeders suffered their first back-to-back defeats this CFL season.

The Lions have won three of their last four games after starting the season 1-7.

Paul McCallum kicked six straight field goals, including five in the first half, before missing a pair of attempts in the second half.

The two clubs traded their lone touchdowns of the game in the final three minutes. B.C.'s Jamal Robertson ran 55 yards for a TD. Calgary's Landan Talley caught a 12-yard touchdown pass from Drew Tate with nine seconds left.

The Stamps, already assured of a playoff berth, were trying to nail down a home playoff game, but the No. 1 offence in the league was stymied by the Lions' defence. Middle linebacker Solomon Elimimian led the way with 10 tackles.

Both starting quarterbacks struggled and were replaced by their backups during the game.

Calgary's Henry Burris made 11-of-26 pass attempts. He was intercepted twice. Drew Tate came in for the fourth quarter and was 8-for-13 for 88 yards and one touchdown pass.

Casey Printers was replaced by Travis Lulay late in the first half after four passes on nine attempts for 62 yards. Lulay finished 5-for-12 and 82 yards.

What this means

While they've locked up a playoff spot, the Stamps (9-3) are far from a cinch to win the West Division. With Saskatchewan's win in Hamilton on Saturday night, Calgary's lead over the Riders has dwindled to one game. Calgary heads into the toughest section of the schedule with a back-to-back against Montreal followed by the Oct. 17 showdown at Regina against the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

The surprising victory by the Lions means the team is now one game ahead of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (3-9), who lost a heartbreaker to Montreal Friday night, for the sixth and final playoff spot. B.C. starts a critical home-and-home series against the Bombers next week.

Players of the game

McCallum's six field goals and two singles were all the offence the Lions needed. The veteran kicker has been sensational this season, missing only four field goals in 49 attempts. But the 40-year-old also showed his punting prowess in the third quarter, pinning the Stampeders inside their five-yard-line. The possession led to a Burris fumble and another McCallum field goal.

Running back Yonus Davis gave the Lions instant field position almost every time he touched the ball on punt and kick returns. Davis (686) trails only Montreal's Tim Maypray (764) and Chad Owens (742) in kickoff return yards.

Unit of the game

In one of the most impressive performances of the season, the Lions' defence held the No. 1 scoring offence to only 10 points. Calgary headed into Saturday night's game averaging 443 yards per contest. Against B.C., the Stampeders could only manage 321 total yards, and a big chunk of that came during a meaningless final drive while scoring their only touchdown with nine seconds remaining.

Key loss

A partial reason for Calgary's stagnant offence could be attributed to the loss of receiver Nik Lewis, who was given the night off to rest a knee injury. To this point, Lewis and Burris have combined for 60 catches, 805 yards and six touchdowns.

What they said

"How many times have we been beaten by Calgary? It's nice to get a big win here at their place and get that bad taste out of our mouth. We finally played the type of game defensively that we've been trying to play all year long. Guys didn't make the mental errors we usually make." — B.C. defensive end Brent Johnson

"It was a horrible night for us. This is an offence that's used to putting up a lot of points and putting up a lot of yardage, but it was one of those nights for us. We didn't get anything going." — Calgary quarterback Henry Burris