Preview B.C. Lions at Toronto Argonauts
Wednesday, August 31, 2016 7:30 PM
Argos seek to reverse their fortunes at home against the Lions on Wednesday Night Football
TORONTO — The Toronto Argonauts and BC Lions are teams trending in different directions.
Aside from an inability to knock off the juggernaut that is the Calgary Stampeders, BC (6-3) has proven itself to be a more-than-competent football team against the rest of the league.
Toronto, on the flip side, has lost its last two outings in forgettable fashion, on home turf, and against .500 football teams.
The East Division being the wide-open playing field that it is — three points separate first-place Ottawa from last-place Montreal — the Argos know that a win on Wednesday at home could dramatically change their season.
BC is looking to go two-for-two on its eastern road trip and stay relatively close to the first-place Stamps in the West.
The BC Lions are a very good football team playing in a very good division.
While the Leos are 3-1 in their last four and sitting pretty with a 6-3 record few expected them to have at the outset of their 2016 campaign, the rest of the West is now within touching distance.
“This is a league where you have to win, especially in this division,” quarterback Jonathan Jennings told BCLions.com. “We’ve got teams like Edmonton and Winnipeg right on our tails, so we’ve got to continue to climb that ladder and stay at the top.”
The Lions spent a short week in Ontario following their win over Ottawa on Aug. 25 in the nation’s capital, taking some time to recharge their batteries and take in the sights.
“It was nice not to have to travel back home,” admitted Jennings, whose Lions are playing back-to-back games in Ontario for the first time since 1992. “We enjoyed ourselves, did some cool things and saw a pretty cool city.”
Jennings and the multi-headed Lion offence will be looking to exploit an Argos defence which has been mauled in its past two games.
BC leads the league in rush yards (870) and touchdowns (11), and sits middle of the pack in most passing categories. That combination has generated the third-most points (264) in the league.
“We’ve got to very meticulous in the way we attack them,” said Jennings, whose was benched the last time the two teams met — a 25-13 Argo win in Week 3 . “They’re a solid defence, we’re excited to get back at them again — they’re a solid defence (and) we’ve got to make sure we’re not turning the ball over.”
Defensively, the Lions will have to be ready to face three-time Grey Cup champion Ricky Ray and the (likely rejuvenated) Argos offence.
“He knows what to do in the pocket, (has) a lot of veteran savvy — he’s not going to put his team in a position lose,” said BC defensive back Ryan Phillips. “He’s not going to turn over the ball, (and) that gives them a couple more opportunities to make plays.”
Despite a pair of losses to Calgary in his team’s last five games, Phillips is optimistic about the big picture for his Leos team at the halfway point of the season.
“If you told us we’d be 6-3, yeah we’d be happy, we’ve set ourselves up very well,” said the 32 year-old BC veteran. “Two wins on the road trip would be huge; guys are starting to build on character, especially the young guys, and I feel like everything’s coming together.”
It’s been one month since the Toronto Argonauts last won a football game.
Of course, two of the four weeks were byes. The other two, however, were ugly home losses to Winnipeg (34-17) and Edmonton (46-23).
The Argos will be hoping to turn around their fortunes in their third-straight home game at BMO Field, and they’ll be aided by the return of start quarterback Ricky Ray from the injured list.
“Obviously we haven’t played well at home, it’s been disappointing,” said Argos head coach Scott Milanovich, whose team stumbled to a 1-4 home record in the first half of the season. “But there’s a lot of season left and hopefully Ricky will give us a shot in the arm.”
The necessity of some kind of jumpstart for the Argo offence is undeniable; Toronto managed just four offensive touchdowns — three from now-injured third-stringer Cody Fajardo — and emergency starter Logan Kilgore threw seven interceptions in the last two home losses combined.
“I can’t put everything (from) the last two games on that position, but having your starting quarterback means a lot,” said Milanovich. “It’s a calmness, a sense of trust when you have that no.-1 guy back — that (feeling) you can win any game at any point.”
For Ray, who’d racked up nine pass touchdowns to a single interception in the five games before he went down, returning from the injured list this season is different than in 2015, when he missed the start of the season.
“This year I’ve already played five games, feel comfortable with the guys around me, and have gotten reps in,” explained the veteran pivot. “In this situation, there’s no reason (not) to go out and play a good game.”
Ray admits that the challenge posed by BC’s front seven will be a tough one in his return.
“They mix it up very well on defence (and) don’t give you a ton of opportunities to get down the field,” he explained. “A lot of zones, their linebackers (also) drop deep to take throws away (and) tackle so well.”
The Argo offensive line will have to be acutely aware of BC defensive lineman Alex Bazzie and his league-leading eight sacks on Wednesday night, in addition to ever-present linebackers Adam Bighill (62 tackles, 2nd in CFL) and Solomon Elimimian (56 tackles, T-3rd).
“They’re dynamic; Bighill, one play he’s blitzing, the next he’s in zone, then he’s in safety in their coverages,” said Ray of the CFL’s 2015 leading tackler. “He’s dynamic and does a lot.”
