Eskimos run over Lions
Sack happy defence tackles B.C.’S attack as edmonton clinches season series
Eskimos 33, Lions 6
They won the game and clinched the season series against the
B.C. Lions, but the Edmonton Eskimos almost lost their quarterback on the way to a 33-6 win on Thursday night.
Trevor Harris, who has been every bit as good, if not better, than Mike Reilly — the former Eskimos quarterback he replaced in off-season free agency — left in the final minute of the half after taking a hit to his right knee.
Former Eskimos defensive end Odell Willis was originally flagged for a low hit in the pocket, only to have the penalty overturned on a coach’s challenge.
But Harris showed what he was made of, sprinting back out of the tunnel just as the Lions kicked off the third quarter, stopping by the sideline long enough to grab his helmet and take to the field, where he wasted no time hitting Natey Adjei for a 71-yard catch and run into the end zone to lead 23-3.
Making his regular season debut in green and gold, receiver Davaris Daniels followed up with a 28-yard touchdown catch to put Edmonton ahead 30-3.
And that was about all she wrote for a Lions squad re-engineered in general manager Ed Hervey’s image, which showed so much potential in the off-season, only to look like a modern version of the Bad News Bears with a 1-4 start.
Their lone victory came by one point against the winless Toronto Argonauts a week ago, with an assist going to an end zone in Toronto that doesn’t meet league regulations.
With the win Thursday, the Eskimos improve to 3-1, including a pair of victories over the Lions by a combined score of 72-29.
A year ago they lost the season series to the same B.C. squad and that killed their post-season dreams in a tiebreaker after both clubs went 9-9.
Thursday’s game started much the same way as their first encounter, with the Eskimos defence coming up with a sack on Reilly during B.C.’S opening series, this one complements of defensive tackle Mike Moore, who would get another for his team-leading fourth on the year — all of which have come against the former Edmonton quarterback.
And reminiscent of Edmonton’s last game, a 28-21 loss to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers prior to last week’s bye, where all 21 points came off of Sean Whyte’s leg, the Eskimos had to settle for a field goal. The 31-yard kick that put Edmonton on the board first Thursday was Whyte’s 11th straight, pushing his run to 25 of his last 26 attempts going back to last season.
B.C. responded with a 52-yard field goal by Sergio Castillo, his longest of the year, after a deep shot from Reilly to Duron Carter was broken up by the shadow of the goalpost.
After getting shut out of the end zone by the Bombers, it was Edmonton’s turn to shut the touchdown door on the opposition, while the offence made good on their first trip inside B.C.’S 20 yard-line — one that was aided by a 25-yard defensive pass interference call against Lions cornerback Anthony Thompson.
C.J. Gable pushed his way in from two yards out, only to have the major called back by the command centre. That left the running back, who spent the past two seasons watching then-eskimos quarterback Reilly handle those short yardage plays, sitting on the sidelines to witness Harris punch it in from tight to take a 10-3 lead with two minutes left in the first quarter.
The second quarter opened with the Lions running into a string of penalty problems usually reserved for the Eskimos, including roughing by Sukh Chung and a time-count violation against Reilly.
But the Eskimos had to kick it back, after 6-foot-11, 350-pound guard Matt O’donnell left for the trainers table to have his right leg examined, while the Lions also lost left tackle Joel Figueroa in the first half.
Edmonton’s defence stepped up with Jesse Joseph coming up with a sack fumble to put the ball back in Harris’s hands.
But the offence had to settle for yet more field goals, from 36 and 47 yards by Whyte, who also hit from 45 yards in the fourth quarter to push his streak to 14 straight.
Forrest Hightower, who earned an interception on Thursday, and Kwaku Boateng got in on Reilly’s sack party, coming up with Edmonton’s fourth and fifth sacks, all of which came in the first half.
The Eskimos lead the league with 16 sacks, seven of which came in the previous win over the Lions, who have now surrendered a league-worst 17 sacks.