Lions 33, Ticats 30: Sean Whyte wins the sport, however Vernon Adams harm casts pall over victory

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The storylines have been, in anatomical phrases of no specific order: Sean Whyte’s foot, Vernon Adams Jr.’s knee, and Rick Campbell’s ticker.

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The Lions rolled into Tim Horton’s Subject Friday night time needing a win to maintain their slim first-place hopes alive, and left 33-30 winners over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats after one other defibrillator-worthy closing 60 seconds.

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“An time beyond regulation recreation final week, after which this weekend; good for leisure, onerous on a coach’s coronary heart,” stated Campbell.

A chippy, back-and-forth recreation ended with the Lions popping out on prime, holding their slim hopes of first place within the West Division alive. The Lions (12-5) host the Calgary Stampeders subsequent week of their regular-season finale, and must win that and hope the idle Winnipeg Blue Bombers lose each their closing two video games to take first.

The Stamps (5-11) saved their playoff hopes alive with a 26-19 win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders (6-11) Friday night time.

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Right here’s what we discovered …

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WHYTE’S FOOT

He’s been Mr. Dependable this season, however Friday night time, he bought to be the hero.

Whyte related from 48 yards with no time left on the clock to win the sport, 60 seconds after Marc Liegghio had tied it with a single-doink hit from 48 yards.

Whyte was 4-for-4 on the night time, additionally connecting from 46, 36, and 32, as he improved his CFL-leading proportion to 94.2 per cent (48-of-51).

His companies have been sorely wanted Friday night time, because the Lions offence had a stuttering first and fourth quarters. B.C. punted on three of their first 4 drives earlier than placing collectively a nine-play, 71-yard drive capped off by a Dominique Rhymes landing. The following two resulted in three factors off of Whyte’s foot, earlier than Alex Hollins hauled in a five-yard strike within the fourth quarter.

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Adams was picked off late within the fourth, with an acrobatic play from Dexter Lawson Jr. snuffing out the Lions drive once they have been in discipline purpose vary and nursing a three-point lead. Adams was harm on the play, resulting in the final-minute discipline purpose trade.

ADAMS’ KNEE

Whereas pursuing the play after throwing the interception, Adams was taken out by a blind-side block by Hamilton’s Mohamed Diallo, reaggravating the MCL harm to his left knee that saved him out of motion earlier this yr. He examined it out on the sideline, limping closely, however his teammates satisfied him the playoff video games have been of extra significance, and he gave option to Dane Evans.

He was 21-of-30 for 296 yards and two touchdowns, whereas Evans went 4-for-4 for 42 yards on his solely sequence.

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“I really feel good,” Adams stated after the sport.

“I simply really feel so joyful for this staff, this character win. So joyful for Dane, to return right here, recreation profitable drive in his home. It’s big, man. We wish to end going up, trending up. So this was an ideal win for us to return again.”

His standing for subsequent week is up within the air, however Campbell anticipated him again for his or her first playoff recreation — each time that’s — on the very least.

“Between the final recreation and the bye week, it offers us a while for him to recuperate,” stated the Leos head coach. “We’re hoping it’s not a long run factor.”

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Evans, who left Hamilton beneath a darkish cloud within the low season, was lauded in his return with a tribute on the jumbotron. He paid the Ticats again by engineering a 42-yard drive in 53 seconds, hitting Keon Hatcher (twice) and Alex Hollins all for first-down yardage.

His closing go noticed Hatcher catch and dive to the turf to cease the clock on the Hamilton 41-yard line with one second left. Final week, Dominque Rhymes missed the possibility to do the identical and was tackled after time had expired.

“We simply wanted to win this week after we let one go final week. We simply have to get again on observe,” stated Evans. “For me personally, I imply, anytime I play Hamilton in my profession it can all the time be further motivation simply the best way (my time in Hamilton) ended. It was only a unhealthy ending. However it is a nice ending, and I’ve labored my ass off to be on this place. I do know my staff, my new staff can see that and I’m glad I used to be capable of step up right this moment.

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“(The tribute) was very stylish, actually. Truthfully, I used to be telling among the guys I didn’t assume that might occur. This was an ideal metropolis for me and my household for a very long time, and it sucks it needed to finish the best way it did. I’m very grateful to be in BC. The tribute was very good… a contact class, and I actually actually admire it.”

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PLAYER WATCH

Lions defensive Mathieu Betts was pissed off by double-teams and post-whistle provocations a lot of the night time. A 3rd-quarter stretch that noticed him flagged first for contacting the kicker (extending a Ticats drive) then getting an pointless roughing penalty for his deal with on Tyreiek McAllister (tacking 15 yards on the drive) summed up his night time.

Hamilton took a 21-20 lead six performs later after a Tim White landing.

However, with seven minutes left within the fourth quarter, Betts lastly broke by means of for his first sack of the night time, dragging down Matthew Shiltz.

It gave him 17 on the season, tying the single-season document by a Canadian.

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Lions operating again JaQuan Hardy made his first begin for B.C., getting 26 yards on eight carries, together with an 18-yard sprint within the first quarter. However it was on go safety — like his pancake block on 282-pound Ticats defensive deal with Casey Sayles — that shall be his spotlight in movie evaluate this week.

BY THE NUMBERS

61: What number of yards extra the Ticats gained than B.C. on Friday. Hamilton had a 406-345 benefit.

17: First-down conversations by the Ticats on 28 makes an attempt, a giant a part of why they dominated the time of possession.

46: Yards lined by B.C. linebacker Josh Woods on his second quarter pick-six. He faked a blitz, faking out Bo Levi Mitchell, who floated a go to James Butler out of the backfield that Woods simply picked off.

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99: Penalty yards on eight accepted flags, one other subject that may have Campbell’s ticker pounding in his chest.

135: Yards passing for Mitchell in his house debut for the Ticats. He was 13-of-19 for 135 yards and two touchdowns general. He left the sport early within the second half — a deliberate departure, as a part of his slow-roll return to to lively responsibility from harm — and Matthew Shiltz went 14-of-19 for 180 yards and a landing.

The Tiger-Cats (8-9) host the Montreal Alouettes (9-7) subsequent week of their common season finale, however can’t catch the Als for second within the East with the loss.

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