Lions kick aside doubts during CFL playoff push
Bryan Burnham doesn’t remember much about the 15 minutes that might have changed the B.C. Lions’ season.
Oh, he remembers the noise. And the excitement in the huddle. And the frenetic energy in B.C. Place. But when you’re in the firefight and the live ammunition is flying, there is only the next play and your assignment to think about.
“Guys were focused,” the Lions’ receiver said at the team’s practice facility in Surrey. “Everyone was excited, but we were excited because we knew we were going to win that game.”
The Lions, we remind you, were down eight to Hamilton on Saturday night with nine seconds left in regulation time and the ball at their own 51. Yes, this one was in the bag.
“You don’t realize it in the moment, but sitting back and thinking about it, yeah (he offers a low whistle) that was crazy,” Burnham continued. “I think the self-belief is there, but this just reinforces it. Look at what we can do. There’s nothing that’s impossible for this team now.” And may never be again. Three days after the fact, the Lions reconvened in Surrey for Phase 2 of their home-and-home series with Hamilton on Saturday and while it’s unclear what will happen in Steeltown this weekend, one thing is certain.
The two teams will have a helluva time following the Lions’ heart-stopping 35-32 overtime win at The Dome.
If you missed it, the Coles Notes (do they still have Coles Notes?) version of that epic goes something like this. Down 14-3 at halftime and 20-11 midway through the fourth quarter, the Leos came back to take a 21-20 lead with just under three minutes left and coughed that up two plays later on a 55-yard touchdown pass from Jeremiah Masoli to Mike Jones.
Then the real fun started. With 80 seconds left, the Lions turned the ball over on downs on their own 40 but, with 59 seconds left, Ticats head coach June Jones eschewed a 44-yard field goal attempt that would have ended the game and had Lirim Hajrullahu punt the ball through the end zone for a rouge.
This must have seemed like a good idea at the time but, with 33 seconds left, Lions quarterback Jonathon Jennings converted one third down to midfield then, with nine seconds left, speared Shaq Johnson with a 39-yard strike to the Hamilton 20.
From there, Jennings found Burnham for his second touchdown of the game before Burnham made an insane catch on the sidelines for the two-point conversion, tapping his toe just inbounds, a fact that was determined after a lengthy video review because this game needed more drama.
The Leos would go on to win on Ty Long ’s second field goal in overtime — more funny stuff happened, but we don’t have the space to get into it all — and they now sit 6-6 on the season, suddenly in control of their own playoff destiny.
But what do they do for an encore after Saturday night? That question is almost as interesting as those final 30 seconds of regulation.
“There were certain guys who didn’t believe,” said Lions special teams coach Jeff Reinbold. “You could see it in their eyes.
“But there was another group who did believe and that’s the lesson. Anything is possible, especially in the CFL. As improbable as that finish was, it happened. It’s a deposit in their confidence bank that they can face that kind of adversity.”
At least it should because there were any number of positives to take out of that game. Principal among them was the performance of Jennings, who followed up a meh first half with a dynamic second half in which he threw three touchdown passes and the bulk of his 347 passing yards on the night.
The defence, meanwhile, was gashed for two long touchdowns to Jones but sacked Masoli five times, including three by tackle Davon Coleman. Long, finally, was four-for-four on field goals,
including a 51-yarder as he quietly continues a lights-out season.
But if we’ve learned anything about this Lions team, we’ve learned, to borrow a phrase from the stock market, past performance is not an indication of future outcomes.
The Lions have given themselves a chance in Wally Buono’s last season as head coach but, as offensive co-ordinator Jarious Jackson said: “If we go out and lay an egg (on Saturday), it doesn’t mean a thing.”
Still, it was instructive to hear Buono’s reaction to the win. The old Lion liked what it said about his team’s toughness and resiliency. He added Saturday night wasn’t the first time this season the Lions have demonstrated those traits.
But as far as deriving eternal truths out of crazy win, well, Buono wasn’t about to go there. He was, in fact, more focused on Tuesday’s acquisition of running back Tyrell Sutton from Montreal than what had transpired over the weekend.
“You want to put that win behind you,” he said. “It’s another week. This (upcoming) game is more critical for both teams. If you live in the past, it will swallow you up.
“We’re focused on being way better than we were.”
Which might be a more realistic goal than winning another one the way they did on Saturday night.