Game day: 411

By: Paul Wiecek Posted: 1:00 AM CDT Saturday, Aug. 13, 2011

Reth to Debut?

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 13/08/2011 (5200 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Reth to Debut?

Lions receiver Arland Bruce continued on Friday to insist that he has changed his name to Runako Reth since being traded from the Hamilton Tiger-Cats last week.

“I’m on a new team, it’s a new fresh start and I really changed my name,” Bruce/Reth told reporters at the Lions practice facility in Surrey on Friday. “It’s not a joke, I’m not trying to get attention — it’s real.”

Buck Pierce scored on a 48-yard run against Esks.

Bruce/Reth said he has asked to make his Lions debut against the Bombers tonight with only the name ‘RETH’ stencilled on his game jersey.

Bruce/Reth said he hasn’t registered the name change with any legal authorities, but suggested that he intends to. “I don’t know how it works in Canada because all my mail and cheques come in ‘Arland Bruce.’ But eventually, everything will start turning over.”

Bruce/Reth told reporters in Vancouver earlier this week that he is disavowing what he calls his ‘slave name’ and has chosen Runako Reth because it means ‘Handsome King’ in an African dialect.

Lions head coach Wally Buono said it’s a non-issue with him. “It makes no difference to me,” said Buono.

Hunt Gets Sack

Former Winnipeg Blue Bombers defensive end and 2010 CFL sack leader Phillip Hunt made a successful debut for the Philadelphia Eagles Thursday night, recording one sack and a tackle in a 13-6 Eagles victory over the Baltimore Ravens. Hunt left the Bombers February to sign a 3-year deal with the Eagles. He was listed third at the right end position on the Eagles depth chart this week.

Longest since 2003

One final post-script to that 48-yard Buck Pierce TD run against the Eskimos last week: Pierce’s scamper was the longest run by a CFL quarterback since a 63-yarder by Kerry Joseph in 2003.

Red-hot Start

Bombers fans will be harkening back to the mid-1980’s should Winnipeg manage to beat the Lions tonight. The last time a Bombers team opened a CFL season at 6-1 was back in 1984.

Road Warriors

The Bombers came into the 2011 season having lost 10 straight games on the road — all nine last season plus one more to end the 2009 season. But they are 2-0 on the road this year and with a win tonight in BC would become the first Bombers team to open at 3-0 on the road since 1982.

Key Stat

Buck Pierce has been on fire of late, completing 57 of his last 74 passes for 727 yards, 5 TDS and 1 INT.

Key Matchup

With Winnipeg’s defensive line banged up, the Lions think they might be able to establish a running game that could take some of the sting out of that vaunted Winnipeg pass rush. With BC tailback Jamal Robertson questionable for tonight, the Bombers think the biggest running threat BC will pose will come Lions QB Travis Lulay, who likes to take off and has 115 yards on 18 carries this season.