Travis Lulay leads BC Lions past Sasktchewan Roughriders

CFL.CA STAFF
VANCOUVER — Travis Lulay and the BC Lions offence were firing on all cylinders in their 30-15 victory against the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Saturday night.

The BC quarterback finished the game with 338 passing yards and a touchdown, while also adding 32 yards on the ground in the Lions’ seventh straight win over the Riders.

Wide receiver Chris Williams had a strong debut with his new club, combining with Bryan Burnham for 206 yards receiving on the night.

BC struck first on an opening drive that saw Chris Williams register his first catch as a Lion. Running back Jeremiah Johnson followed with a 15-yard outside run that put kicker Ty Long in range to knock through a 32-yard field goal, putting BC up 3-0.

Williams struck again for the Lions later in the first quarter, using his blazing speed to catch a 49-yard deep ball from Lulay down the right side of the field. The explosive play set the Lions up in Riders’ territory, leading to 47-yard field goal by Long to extend the BC lead to 6-0.

Lulay continued to look impressive on the Lions’ next drive. The Lions’ quarterback hit wide receiver Emmanuel Arceneaux for 26 yards before finding Bryan Burnham with a 35-yard strike. Lulay capped off the productive drive with a 13-yard touchdown pass to Burnham, along with a 3-yard rushing conversion to put BC up 14-0. Lulay finished with 230 passing yards in the first half alone.

The Riders attempted to get things going on offence in the second quarter, but Lions defensive back Anthony Thompson made a brilliant play to intercept a pass intended for receiver Duron Carter.

The Lulay-Williams connection continued make an exciting debut early on, as the quarterback connected with his speedy weapon for 75 yards in the first half. Their dynamic chemistry led to Ty Long adding another point to BC’s lead, after he sent a 64-yard punt through the end zone.

Jeremiah Johnson showed his versatility with a big receiving play on the next drive, reeling in a 38-yard grab that set the Lions up in scoring position once again. Lulay continued to shred the Riders’ secondary with big throws all over the field.

The quarterback appeared to be hurt for a moment near the end of the half, after taking a hit from Riders defensive end Willie Jefferson. Fortunately, Lulay eventually returned to his feet and gave the crowd a thumbs up. The drive led to another field goal by Long, putting BC up 18-0 at the half.

Glenn reached a major career milestone after the half when he surpassed Ron Lancaster for 6th place on the CFL’s all-time passing yards list. Glenn achieved the highlight when he hooked up with running back Cameron Marshall for a 26-yard pass in the third quarter.

The Lions added another point to their lead after a missed field goal from Ty Long resulted in a single point.

The momentum continued to remain on BC’s side as the second half progressed, with Bryan Burnham making perhaps the biggest play of the entire night. The Lions receiver somehow managed to secure a 50-yard catch in heavy traffic, practically stealing the ball away from the Saskatchewan defender.

The remarkable play led to another Ty Long field goal, increasing the Lions’ lead to 22-0 entering the final quarter.

The Riders’ offence was stifled again on their next drive, as Lions defensive back Steven Clarke forced a turnover by stripping the ball from wide receiver Bakari Grant. The fumble was recovered for BC by defensive back Loucheiz Purifoy.

Saskatchewan seemed to get a break when linebacker Henoc Muamba forced a fumble on Jeremiah Johnson, but the Riders’ offence proceeded to give the ball right back when Glenn was picked off by defensive back Chandler Fenner.

BC capitalized on the turnover by marching all the way down the field on a drive that ended with a 2-yard rushing score by running back Shaquille Murray-Lawrence. Ty Long later added a convert and another single to put BC up 30-0.

Johnson and Murray-Lawrence combined for 126 yards on the ground, helping the Lions reach their highest rushing total so far this season.

The Riders ended BC’s shutout bid near the end of the game when quarterback Brandon Bridge threw a deep 46-yard touchdown to Duron Carter.

Bridge later added another touchdown toss with a -yard strike to wide receiver Naaman Roosevelt that brought the score to 30-15. Bridge finished the game 6 for 6 for 114 yards and two touchdowns.

It was too little too late, however, as time ran out and the Lions claimed their fifth victory of the season.

The Riders will face the Lions again next week, with the matchup moving to Riderville for a Sunday evening game on August 13th.