The Fifth Quarter Oct. 18

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 19/10/2009 (5834 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

GAME BALLS:

* OFFENCE

Slim pickings here but we’ll turn to B.C. quarterback Travis Lulay, who came on in relief of the injured Buck Pierce and provided just enough to get the win. Lulay’s numbers weren’t great, 13-for-24 for 177 yards with one TD and two interceptions, but he scrambled for 92 yards in key moments to lead his club.

* DEFENCE

The Blue Bombers defensive front four were all over the place in this game with the kids, Phillip Hunt, Odell Willis and Dorian Smith, doing lots of barking, but the big dog, veteran Doug Brown, doing the biting. Brown, who got into a back-and-forth in the media with members of the Lions this week, backed up his words with an all-world game. The nine-year veteran recovered a fumble and had five tackles while spending most of the day battling a double-team. Two picks for Jovon Johnson were also key and if there were any questions about him being an all-star, they are disappearing quickly.

* SPECIAL TEAMS

B.C. veteran Paul McCallum was 3-for-3 on FGs and handled the wind perfectly. Winnipeg’s Alexis Serna missed a pair of field goals and the difference in the kicking game was a major edge for the Lions.

CRITICAL NUMBERS:

7

The Bombers managed just seven points as a result of three Lions turnovers in the first quarter. Two field goals and a single were all the Bombers could muster during a stretch that if properly taken advantage of would have ended the game.

4

The Bombers turned the ball over four times and they’re not good enough to win under those circumstances. It’s a critical sin at any time but in a match described by both coaches as a "playoff" game, that many turnovers are unforgiveable.

FAN-O-METER:

Hard to imagine a better day for watching football and 24,048 customers made their way to Canad Inns Stadium for an average-sized crowd after the club had fretted about poor numbers all week. Those in attendance were into it and noisy at times, but we wouldn’t rate this house as an eardrum buster. Lions defensive tackle Stephen Williams punched Bombers centre Obby Khan in the groin late in the first half and the house erupted in a chant of "B.C. sucks" and then "Obby, Obby," as the fan-favourite was helped off the field. The Bombers had a great opportunity to win the casual fan back, but a terrible second half had lots of folks heading for the exits with time left on the clock.

SCORING SUMMARY:

First Quarter

Wpg — TD Ralph 10 pass from Bishop (Serna convert) 1:32

Wpg — Single Serna 51 4:48

Wpg — FG Serna 39 8:28

Wpg — FG Serna 30 11:06

Second Quarter

BC — TD Marsh 18 interception return (McCallum convert) 2:57

BC — FG McCallum 13 8:10

BC — Single McCallum 66 11:10

BC — FG McCallum 37 12:41

Wpg — FG Serna 12 14:39

BC — FG McCallum 47 15:00

Third Quarter

Wpg — FG Serna 17 11:42

Fourth Quarter

BC — TD Harris 30 pass from Lulay (McCallum convert) 2:03

Wpg — Single Serna 59 4:45

Attendance — 24,048.

B.C. 0 17 0 7 — 24

Winnipeg 14 3 3 1 — 21

INDIVIDUAL

Rushing: B.C. — Lulay 7-92, Harris 21-89, Pierce 2-24, Grice-Mullen 2-(-)2; Winnipeg — Reid 15-72, Ralph 5-34, Bernard 4-15, Santos 1-2.

Receiving: B.C. — Harris 5-92, Wilson 3-43, Simon 2-22, Arceneaux 1-12, Jackson 1-6, Grice-Mullen 1-2; Winnipeg — Bowman 5-92, Edwards 3-66, Ralph 3-31, Bernard 1-29, Oosterhuis 1-8.

Passing: B.C. — Pierce 2-0, 0 yards, 0 TDs, 1 ints, Lulay 13-24-177-1-2; Winnipeg — Bishop 13-32-226-1-3.