Lions looking to regain swagger as they host Argos

VANCOUVER — B.C. Lions running back Andrew Harris remembers a time not that long ago when wins at home were almost a given. The CFL club went a combined 22-3 in the regular season and playoffs after returning to a renovated B.C. Place Stadium halfway through the 2011season, including a Grey Cup victory in its own backyard four years ago.

But something changed during a disastrous 2014 campaign that saw the Lions go just 4-5 in Vancouver on the way to a 9-9 season and a firstround playoff exit.

Fast-forward to this season and the Lions (2-1) are still trying to recapture some of that home swagger as they welcome the Toronto Argonauts (2-1) on Friday night.

“You want to create that dominance at B.C. Place,” said Harris. “We want teams to have fear. That was kind of lost last year.”

The Lions won their first home game of the season two weeks ago in dramatic fashion, a 35-32 overtime victory against the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

A big part of the success for B.C. has been the return to health of quarterback Travis Lulay after two seasons marred by injuries to his throwing shoulder. Through three games, the Lions’ No.1pivot has six touchdowns against one interception. While admittedly still not at the level of his 2011 Most Outstanding Player season, Lulay’s teammates have noticed their quarterback’s confidence continue to grow.

“He’s got the ‘it’ factor,” said Lions linebacker Solomon Elimimian. “He’s making plays with his feet, he’s making plays with his arm. He’s doing it all and that’s the Travis that we’re used to.”

With No. 2 Argos quarterback Trevor Harris doing a good job leading the offence with nine TDs and two interceptions in Ricky Ray’s injury absence, the Lions know they face a tough challenge against a squad coming off a bye.

“Toronto’s been pretty impressive early in the season,” said Lulay. “They play physical on defence, vary the coverages up and don’t make it easy on you.”