Game 2: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
B.C. Lions 28
Toronto Argonauts 15
The Good
The Argos hung in with a talented B.C. Lions team for more than three quarters, and even took the lead early in the fourth. The defence — led by Bear Woods, Johnny Sears Jr., Marcus Ball, Shawn Lemon and Victor Butler — proved yet again that it is much better than last year, registering four sacks and a pair of turnovers, and it only surrendered its first touchdowns of the season after more than seven shutout quarters over the first two games.
Receiver Armanti Edwards caught 10 passes for a game-high 131 yards and a touchdown. Think Saskatchewan regrets that trade for Peter Dyakowski yet?
And yes, the crowd was small, but who knew 11,000-and-change dedicated Double Blue fanatics could be so loud?
The Bad
The Argo offence: Quarterback Ricky Ray threw for 327 yards, but the offence stalled on nearly every drive. Star receiver S.J. Green was mostly invisible, only hauling in two passes. Several drives were oddly reminiscent of former coach Scott Milanovich’s offensive schemes.
The running game: It was non-existent, registering a paltry 22 yards on eight carries, seven of them by running back James Wilder. Gene Wilder wouldn't have fared much worse. Thankfully, Brandon Whitaker is expected back for the game against Ottawa.
The Ugly
The fourth quarter. The Argos took a 15-10 lead on the first play of the fourth quarter, and then it was all downhill after that. The defence, exhausted from too much time on the field, finally collapsed, and just like that, B.C. scored 18 straight points to secure the victory.
The crowd size: It’s all anyone seems to be talking about, and 11,219 is a number that’s causing much anguish and hand-wringing across the league, from CFL fans of all stripes on chat boards to, no doubt, execs in the Argonauts boardroom. But remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day and if the Argonauts prove to be competitive on the field, surely the numbers will improve. Right?
Image: Martese Jackson returns a kick against BC
Image Source: Argonauts.ca