The Daily Courier

Lions look to clinch playoff berth in battle with Eskimos

- By The Canadian Press

SURREY — A playoff spot will be on the line when Travis Lulay hits the field tonight, but the B.C. Lions quarterbac­k isn’t about to let the high stakes stop him from enjoying the game.

The Lions (8-7) can lock up a spot in the post-season with a win over the Edmonton Eskimos (8-8), and the veteran pivot knows playoffs are never a guarantee in the CFL.

“I’ve been around long enough to know that this is a cool opportunit­y to be playing. I mean, last year at this point in the season we weren’t playing with any kind of post-season hope,” Lulay said after practice on Thursday.

“Hope is a powerful thing. And I think you need to appreciate that.”

The playoffs seemed unrealisti­c for the Lions when they went 3-6 to start the year. But a strong defence has propelled B.C. to victory in five of their last six outings, including a 26-21 road win over the leaguelead­ing Calgary Stampeders last weekend.

The club has been treating every game like it’s a post-season battle, Lulay said.

“We’ve been playing with that kind of intensity for the entire back half of the season,” he said. “We were 3-6 coming into the back half, so we’ve had no room but to think of every game as a playoff-type atmosphere.”

The Eskimos are fighting to stay in the playoff race after a mid-season slump that saw them drop three games in a row.

They ended the losing streak last week with a 34-16 victory over the Ottawa Redblacks. Quarterbac­k Mike Reilly threw for 369 yards in that game.

Reilly leads the league in passing, with 4,974 yards and 28 touchdowns on the season.

Making things difficult for the passer will be key tonight, said Lions head coach Wally Buono.

“With any good quarterbac­k, what you’ve got to do is affect him, make sure things aren’t easy for him. He’s got to have a little bit of doubt,” he said.

“What you’re going to have to make him do is hopefully make a mistake or two and hit him a few times.”

Part of that job will fall to Jordan Herdman, who will take over the centreback post as Micah Awe sits out with a knee injury.

The 24-year-old linebacker said he’s looking forward to playing the crucial role in a clutch game, and his crew has a plan for containing Reilly.

“We’re going to get after him a little bit, make him feel a little uncomforta­ble in the pocket,” Herdman said. “And just play our game. Play that fast, physical football, get takeaways. And we’ll be just fine.”

Reilly started his CFL career with the Lions, spending three seasons as Lulay’s backup before he went to Edmonton in 2013.

The pair have remained close and Lulay said he’s looking forward to playing against his buddy in a game where there’s so much on the line.

“It’s fun to compete against guys you respect a lot,” he said. “Mike’s been playing championsh­ip-level football for a few years, so it’s fun to line up against him.”

Lulay’s not letting friendship or playoff pressure distract him from the task at hand.

“I think you’ve just got to take a big breath and not make it bigger than it is, understand­ing that it’s important,” he said. “We’re playing to win.”

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