Lions ‘hungry to get back on the field’

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This article was published 04/08/2013 (4758 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

VANCOUVER — The B.C. Lions, heavily favoured for Monday’s home game against the visiting Winnipeg Blue Bombers, don’t seem to care a lot about who’s “supposed” to win.

They went through this exercise earlier in the week in Toronto and were handed their lunch, 38-12, to fall to 3-2.

“Coming off last week, we’re hungry to get back on the field, let’s put it that way,” Lions quarterback Travis Lulay said today. “We take a lot of pride in being efficient and when you have four or five red-zone opportunities like we did a week ago, and we didn’t come away with touchdowns, that’s where we need to be better.

“We need to cut out the mistakes that are keeping us from being very good.”

Facing the 1-4 Bombers, you’d think there would be little concern in the Lions’ camp.

“I expect a spirited effort from these guys,” Lulay said. “Since I’ve been around, especially knowing (coach) Tim Burke, I think Winnipeg has a lot of pride in what they do on the defensive side of the football.

“I think those guys probably feel they got stung over the last couple of weeks, so you probably expect a few different wrinkles from them. You’d expect these guys to be spirited and get back on their feet and do what they do best.”

B.C. head coach Mike Benevides expects a spirited game both ways on Monday.

“There’s no doubt after you lose a football game you’re going to be a little bit more anxious, a little more angry and certainly that attitude is the right one,” he said. “But I know the Bombers are going to be of the same mindset. Both teams are going to be angry and looking for a win and it should be an outstanding ballgame.”

The anger is present, Winnipeg product Andrew Harris, the Lions’ outstanding running back, said.

“We’re pissed off,” he said today. “In a lot of ways we kind of felt we were embarrassed by that game (in Toronto). We felt we were the better team going into that game and you never want to lose in that fashion.”

Harris said there is always buzz for him when he faces the Bombers.

“It’s pretty cool to line up against the blue and gold, the team that I watched growing up,” he said. “Definitely I idolized a lot of guys on that team, Milt Stegall, Charles Roberts, and playing against them, it’s exciting for me but it’s another game, a must-win for us.”

tim.campbell@freepress.mb.ca