Article content
It was a B.C. Lions record home-opening crowd of 53,788 that watched 50 Cent’s pregame concert.
Article content
The 30,000 or so who were left by the time the game wound down got to watch a heck of a finish.
B.C. held on for a 26-17 victory, coming from behind in the fourth quarter for their first win of the year.
Lions wide receiver Ayden Eberhardt has made two catches in 2024, but they’ve both been massive: one for 27 yards last week against Toronto, and a fourth-quarter 59-yard catch that set up Vernon Adams Jr.’s game-winning one-yard plunge with 11 minutes left.
Calgary made it interesting late, benefiting from a couple big Lions penalties — 40 yards combined for many men and and pass interference — on their next drive, before B.C. DB Jordan Perryman forced a Dedrick Mills fumble with 3:45 left to give the ball back to B.C.
Sean Whyte’s 47-yard field goal with 36 seconds left sealed the win for the Lions, putting them up by nine. It made up for the points lost when the Stamps blocked two PATs.
Article content
B.C.’s high octane offence had problems moving the ball consistently, going two-and-out six times, and out in four plays on two other drives. They only had three of 13 drives go more than eight plays.
Adams was just 3-of-6 for 12 yards after the first quarter, but once the Lions started running the ball with William Stanback (15 carries, 69 yards), they had more success. Adams finished the game with 277 yards and two touchdowns on 17-of-29 passing.
Alex Hollins fell just shy of triple digits in receiving yards, making eight catches on a team-high 11 targets for 97 total yards, including a 21-yard touchdown catch just before halftime.
Justin McInnis had another big game for B.C. with 91 yards and a touchdown, following up his 100-yard game against the Toronto Argonauts in Week 1. He had a 45-yard gain wiped off the board with two minutes left by the command centre that would have put him over 100 yards.
The much-maligned Lions offensive line was under pressure again early with the Stamps blitzing on almost every dropback, but Adams managed to end the night without being sacked.
But B.C. got to Calgary QB Jake Maier four times on the night, though he still put up 339 yards and two touchdowns on 26-of-33 passing.
Lions linebacker Ben Hladik had a monster game with 10 tackles and a second-quarter interception.
The Lions (1-1) and Stamps (1-1) now sit second in the West Division, with the 1-0 Saskatchewan Roughriders in action Sunday with a road game in Hamilton.
Article content
Bookmark our website and support our journalism: Don’t miss the news you need to know — add VancouverSun.com and TheProvince.com to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters here.
You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber: For just $14 a month, you can get unlimited access to The Vancouver Sun, The Province, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. Support us by subscribing today: The Vancouver Sun | The Province.
Share this article in your social network