VANCOUVER – The B.C. Lions looked like they were cruising to victory.
Up by 10 on the visiting Blue Bombers with under seven minutes to go in a game last month, all the Lions needed to do was take care of the football.
But as was the case all night, and really most nights for teams facing Winnipeg’s opportunistic defence, the task proved difficult.
B.C. threw an interception and then fumbled on a kick return in the dying moments for the club’s eye-popping fifth and sixth turnovers in what would turn into a stunning three-point defeat.
When the clubs renew acquaintances in Sunday’s West Division semifinal on the same field, the Lions’ key to victory seems straight forward.
“If you look at how Winnipeg did all year, they won games off turnovers,” said B.C. running back Jeremiah Johnson, whose team finished 12-6 during the regular season. “If you want to keep the game simple, yeah, if we keep the ball in our hands we win the football game.
“Obviously it’s going to come down to more than that.”
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But probably not much more.
The Bombers (11-7) feasted on mistakes in 2016, finishing a CFL-best plus-29 in the turnover ratio, bettering the Calgary Stampeders, who compiled a dominating 15-2-1 record and will host next weekend’s West final, by 10 in that category.
“That’s how they’ve been living and dying,” said Lions defensive back Ryan Phillips. “They capitalize on opportunities, and that’s something we can’t give them.”
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Winnipeg led the league in interceptions with 30 — Hamilton was next with 17 — and defensive touchdowns (five) to go along with 19 fumble recoveries and 10 turnovers on downs, often giving the Bombers’ offence a short field.
“The biggest thing is we have a lot of good athletes,” Winnipeg safety Taylor Loffler said on a conference call this week. “The fact that we fly around to the ball, it just gives us opportunities to get those takeaways.”
BC Lions QB Jonathon Jennings threw for 5,226 yards and 27 touchdowns this year, but Winnipeg’s ravenous secondary gave him some major headaches, with five of his 17 interceptions coming against the Bombers.
“They did a good job of reading my eyes,” said the second-year pivot. “That’s going to be the biggest thing — making sure I’m not telling them where I’m going with the ball.”
Winnipeg swept the season series with B.C. thanks to back-to-back wins in October and was on course to host Sunday’s matchup until a loss to Ottawa two weeks ago opened the door for the Lions, who finished on a three-game winning streak to clinch home field this weekend.
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The Bombers are back in the post-season for the first time since 2011 when they lost to the Lions in the Grey Cup at B.C. Place Stadium. Neither team has won a playoff game since, and Winnipeg started this season 1-4 before ripping off seven straight victories to rekindle hope for a franchise that hasn’t won a title since 1990.
The turnaround coincided with Matt Nichols taking over at quarterback for the Bombers to lead a balanced attack that found its groove once the club’s new faces started to mesh on both sides of the ball.
“They’ve created an identity,” said Lions head coach and general manager Wally Buono. “Those guys have created an identity and they play to it.”
B.C. led the league in rushing, and Emmanuel Arceneaux and Bryan Burnham finished third and fourth in receiving yards in the CFL, with the former leading the league with 13 TDs. Winnipeg, meanwhile, had just one player in the top-15 in receiving — Weston Dressler — but has continued to find ways to win.
“They’re a very good team because they’re very scrappy,” said Lions linebacker Solomon Elimimian, who led the CFL with 130 tackles. “They play solid defence, they have some playmakers on offence, and they’re a tough team on special teams.”
Running back Andrew Harris signed with his hometown Bombers this winter after six seasons in B.C., racking up 1,605 yards from scrimmage and five touchdowns over 15 games, including 266 yards and a TD in those two contests against his former team.
“It would be nice to walk away with a win from B.C. Place, but I would be just as excited if it was anywhere else,” said Harris. “From a personal side there’s a little more excitement, but at the end of the day it’s just about winning this football game.”
Notes: Winnipeg kicker Justin Medlock hit a CFL-record 60 field goals this season and was perfect on converts. … B.C. brought Paul McCallum out of retirement prior to last weekend’s season finale after Richie Leone’s issues in the kicking game reached a breaking point. McCallum, 46, was 4 for 4 on field goals and connected on two converts in his first action since October 2015. … Medlock is the West’s nominee for special teams player of the year, while Elimimian is the division’s representative for the league’s top defensive player.
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