Five storylines for Bombers vs. Lions

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This article was published 09/10/2015 (3989 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Vancouver — Five storylines to consider heading into tonight’s CFL game between the B.C. Lions and Winnipeg Blue Bombers at BC Place Stadium:

1. A new kicker debuts

The Bombers will have a new place-kicker this weekend for the first time since Lirim Hajrullahu won the job in training camp prior to the 2014 season.

Import Sergio Castillo was handed the job after a solid week of practise and the debacle that was Hajrullahu’s performance in last weekend’s 24-23 loss to the Edmonton Eskimos.

With Hajrullahu missing four of five field-goal attempts and a convert last weekend, the Bombers are going to give Castillo a chance to demonstrate in a game what’s been a monster leg in practice — he made a 57-yarder in practice Thursday with at least 10 yards to spare.

Hajrullahu will continue to handle the punting duties.

Blue Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea was vague this week when asked who would handle kickoffs against B.C., suggesting at one point both men might get a chance.

2. Jon Jennings — fluke or for real?

The Lions backup QB was one of the CFL stars of the week with a history-making performance in a Lions’ rout of the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Jennings became the ninth CFL QB in history to throw four TD passes in just his second career CFL start.

If that wasn’t enough, Jennings also caught a TD pass on a “throw-back” from receiver Austin Collie.

It was a performance for the ages, but it came with the very big caveat, coming against a Riders’ defence that has been abysmal this season.

Do it again this week and Jennings will have converted some non-believers.

But as of right now, a QB who had the advantage of very little game film on him put up some big numbers against a very bad defence.

3. This week’s point spread matters

The Bombers won the first meeting against the Lions this season — 23-13 at Investors Group Field on July 30.

The second meeting comes in Vancouver today and to win the season series — and own any tiebreaker should the two teams finish tied in the standings at season’s end — the Lions need to beat Winnipeg by at least 11 points.

What if the Lions win by 10 points, creating a situation where both teams won one game by the same margin? Then the next tiebreaker would be the teams’ respective divisional records and that also favours the Lions.

4. Stopping Andrew Harris

The Lions are 9-2 when the Winnipeg native rushes for 100 yards or more in a game, which tells you all you need to know about how integral Harris is to the offence.

Two of those 100-plus yard performances have come against the Bombers over the years and Harris has posted three century marks already this season, including one last week in an impressive win over the Roughriders.

Harris leads the CFL in rushing and has been one of the few consistent bright spots on offence for a Lions squad that had until last weekend struggled to find traction in the absence of injured starting QB Travis Lulay.

5. Road kill

The Bombers are 1-5 on the road and haven’t won anywhere but Investors Group Field since Week 1, when they won in Regina in what was an omen of things to come for the woeful Riders.

That is going to have to change — pronto — if the Bombers are going to put together any kind of late-season surge.

Three of Winnipeg’s four final regular-season games are on the road, including the next two — today in Vancouver and in Ottawa next weekend, against a Redblacks squad that is perhaps the biggest surprise in the CFL this season.

paul.wiecek@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @PaulWiecek