Lions trim Argos in CFL opener

Pick a storyline, any storyline.

There were certainly enough of them on Thursday night as the Canadian Football League kicked off its 2007 season with a 24-22 win by the B.C. Lions over the hometown Toronto Argonauts.

Start with the Lions scoring two second-half touchdowns on short Joe Smith runs to build a 24-15 lead they were able to cling to for the victory in front of 29,157 disappointed fans.

Add a full-blown quarterback controversy in Toronto after Damon Allen spent the night unable to get out from under a Lion onslaught that created six sacks, three by newcomer Cameron (Don't call me Derek) Wake.

Allen was replaced early in the fourth quarter by Michael Bishop, whom many observers felt had earned the chance with his play in the pre-season. He changed the look of the Argo attack by adding a rollout game the 43-year-old Allen just doesn't have anymore.

On his second possession, Bishop marched Toronto deep into B.C. territory before hitting Michael Palmer with an eight-yard cannon strike that closed the gap to 24-22 with the convert.

Bishop came right back a few minutes later, finding Andre Talbot on a 51-yard catch and run major that should have meant a win for the hosts, but it was called back on a holding penalty to rookie running back Jamel White.

On the final Toronto drive of the game, Bishop failed to connect on a third-down gamble and B.C. ran out the clock.

"It's always big to go into someone's house and get a win," said Smith, who had a game-high 79 yards on 18 carries. "Especially to start the season."

Back to that Bishop third-down try.

Argo coach Michael Clemons couldn't bring kicker Noel Prefontaine out for a long field-goal attempt because by that time he wasn't available, having fallen victim to a strange first half of outstanding special teams play.

Lions take early lead

The Lions opened the scoring when Barron Miles got through and blocked Prefontaine's attempted punt at the Toronto two-yard line. The ball was recovered in the end zone for a B.C. touchdown and 7-0 lead, while Prefontaine was left on the field grasping his left knee.

Prefontaine came on and tried a 33-yard field goal a few minutes later that he missed before leaving for good. Emergency backup Chris Hardy, normally a defensive back, took over the kicking duties.

It turned out the knee was just sore, but Prefontaine's head had taken a beating on the turf and "he was too woozy to come back out," said Clemons.

After a Paul McCallum field goal made it 10-1, the special teams struck again. Toronto recovered a bobbled punt at the B.C. 11, and Allen took advantage by hitting Arland Bruce with a strike to close the gap to 10-7. Hardy's convert made it 10-8.

That was when another compelling storyline appeared in the form of Bashir Levingston, the Argonaut returner who had been hobbled last season by changes in blocking rules on kick coverage that took the return almost out of the game completely.

This year, those changes have been rescinded, and the return game is back.

The play was set up when Paul McCallum missed left on a field goal try in the second quarter and Levingston took the ball just inside the back line of the end zone. A burst of speed, a little juke to the right and he was off on a 129-yard, CFL record-setting romp to put the Argos up 15-10 at the half with the Hardy convert.

That broke a mark of 128 yards set in 1990 by Calgary's Ron Hopkins.

One last spurt from special teams came on the opening play of the second half when Ian Smart took the kickoff and ran it back 66 yards to the Toronto six. Two plays later,Smith dove over the pile for a Lions touchdown and a 17-15 B.C. lead with the convert.

Later in the quarter, Smith would have a one-yard plunge for the eventual winning points.

"The offence still has to find its identity," said Lions quarterback Dave Dickenson, who completed 17 of 27 passes for 179 yards and an interception. "We tried a lot of things differently, throwing short, long, run, [and] we need to settle with what works."

For Clemons, he now has to decide whether to stick with his aging quarterback or finally make the decision to go with Bishop. The younger pivot may have given him all the excuses he needs.

"It would probably serve us best not to discuss it," Clemons said of who might lead the team next weekend against Hamilton. "I think you all know [Bishop's play] meant something."