Lions 37, Elks 29: B.C. is heading again to the playoffs

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“Win fairly, win ugly, simply win.”

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The B.C. Lions did loads of the previous early within the season, however the latter has bared a bucktoothed smile in latest weeks.

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On Friday, the Lions regarded fairly earlier than the make-up washed off below a withering bathe of turnovers — together with a 58-yard choose six — earlier than holding on for a 37-29 win over the Edmonton Elks at Commonwealth Stadium.

It was no Venus de Milo efficiency, reasonably extra according to Venus Williams’s well-known quote. Nevertheless it was an important win, clinching a playoff berth for B.C. for the second straight 12 months, and shifting them to 10-4 alongside the West-leading Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

“I’m tremendous happy with these guys,” mentioned head coach Rick Campbell. “Beating them 3 times, twice of their home, it’s by no means simple.

“There have been some robust moments. They had been discovering their manner again into the sport and that third quarter, we had been getting their finest shot. We simply wanted to keep it up, and our guys made performs after they wanted to be made.

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“It’s a giant deal. Simply ask the groups that aren’t within the playoffs if making the playoffs is a giant deal.”

Lions QB Vernon Adams Jr. linked on 9 of his first 12 passes, however two of them had been interceptions. Elks DB Kai Grey broke on a late throw within the first quarter and took it 58 yards for Edmonton’s first factors in opposition to B.C. this season. He was additionally picked off by Darius Bratton within the second quarter.

A Taquan Mizzell fumble was additionally transformed into factors by Edmonton (4-11).

“It wasn’t fairly, however we bought it finished,” Adams mentioned to the TV cameras as he walked off the sector as the sport ended.

Afterwards, his oft-repeated catchphrase was “I simply need to be higher,” as he ruminated on what went improper. Lots went proper — 265 yards and two touchdowns on 16-of-26 passing — however there have been the 2 interceptions and two reads on the finish of the half that pressured B.C. to accept a subject objective as an alternative of a landing.

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“I gotta be higher for my staff shifting ahead. We began off sizzling and was simply sort of up and down … extra down.

“(However) our staff, we’ve bought combat. We’ve bought combat in us. Even since we had these two losses again to again to Hamilton and Saskatchewan, our power has been completely different. (Making) the playoffs is superb. We’ve bought one objective out the way in which, and now we’re working in direction of the subsequent one.”

Elks QB Tre Ford was held in test — principally — going 20-of-26 for 182 yards and two touchdowns. He didn’t handle a long term till his last drive, when he had rushes of 20 and 12 yards, and completed with 43, whereas getting sacked seven instances. B.C.’s Mathieu Betts had two sacks, and 4 tackles, together with a sort out for a loss.

Edmonton working again Kevin Brown, who went into Friday’s matchup with 318 yards and two touchdowns previously two video games, was sitting at destructive yardage after the primary half earlier than ending with 18 yards.

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Mizzell had his finest recreation in his quick Lions tenure, banking his second 100-yard outing of the season with 117 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries.

His finest was a 48-yard sprint that snapped the Lions out of a second-half droop — they’d had two drives for a mixed -14 yards within the third quarter. It put B.C. in entrance, however the Elks didn’t roll over, breaking via for his or her first landing drive in seven collection to drag inside six factors on the three-minute warming.

The Elks had 219 yards of web offence to B.C.’s 418.

Keon Hatcher was the main pass-catcher for B.C. with 91 yards, whereas Justin McInnis caught his fifth landing — his third in two video games. Jevon Cottoy chipped in with 88 yards, 57 of them approaching a landing catch and run within the second quarter.

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Ford was alleged to be the working quarterback within the recreation, nevertheless it was Adams doing essentially the most injury along with his legs, choosing up 54 yards on the bottom. That included an 18-yard second-and-10 conversion late within the fourth quarter that allowed flipped subject place and arrange the Lions to attain a game-clinching subject objective on their subsequent drive.

“We now have guys which are onerous on themselves — coaches and gamers,” mentioned Campbell. “As a result of they care a lot, they wish to do nicely. Some unhealthy issues are gonna occur and that’s the way you be taught, the way you reply to it. I like having that man (Adams) our staff as a result of he all the time bounces again and finds methods to make performs.”

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