Code Blue for playoff hopes
VANCOUVER— The B.C. Lions held off a late push by the Toronto Argonauts on Saturday night to claw out a crucial 26-23 victory.
The Lions (7-7) drew first blood and never gave up the lead, but they were tested late in the game when the Argos (3-11) put up a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns. The loss leaves Toronto eight points behind the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (7-7) for second place in the East Division with four games to play, with a West Division team almost certain to claim a crossover berth.
Lions quarterback Jonathon Jennings threw for 199 yards and one touchdown.
Toronto’s McLeod BethelThompson put up 97 passing yards and a touchdown, but he threw four interceptions before he was replaced by James Franklin in the fourth quarter.
The backup threw for 103 yards and two touchdowns.
The Lions opened the scoring midway through the first, with Jennings tossing a 14-yard bul- let to Cory Watson. The slotback spun and gently placed the football in the end zone for a touchdown.
Ty Long’s convert attempt went wide, but the kicker made up for the play with four successful field goals in the first half alone. His longest was for 51 yards.
Long added two more field goals in the fourth quarter, and had a tackle late in the game.
Toronto kicker Zack Medeiros made one field goal, a 27-yarder in the second.
One of the Argos’ biggest plays of the night came from running back Brandon Burks, who made a massive 68-yard bolt down the sideline before B.C.’s Anthony Orange hauled him to the ground.
Burks didn’t make it into the end zone, but he put his team in scoring position. A minute later, Bethel-Thompson tossed a five-yard pass to slotback Llevi Noel for Toronto’s first touchdown of the night.
Toronto kept things interesting down the stretch, with Franklin making a 20-yard pass to Duron Carter in the end zone with less than three minutes to go. The play marked Carter’s first touchdown for Toronto.
The Argos tried for a twopoint convert, but Lions defensive lineman Shawn Lemon foiled the plan with a tackle.
In the game’s final minute, Franklin found wide receiver Myles White and connected with a five-yard pass for another touchdown. After a Medeiros convert, the Lions held on to their three-point lead.
It was a much-needed victory for the Lions, who are chasing the Edmonton Eskimos (7-7) and Winnipeg Blue Bombers (8-7) for a playoff berth.
The Argos host the Tiger-Cats at BMO Field on Friday.