Ben Burns
2009 CFL GAME OF THE YEAR! *6-0 L6 GOYs*
I'm playing on BC.
It's only the first week of August but at 1-4, this has become a "must win" game for the Lions. I expect them to respond with a massive effort. The scoreboard will show that the Lions got blown out at Hamilton last week. However, I watch every CFL game (at least once) and that one easily could have gone in BC's favor, as it swung on two plays. The Lions had rallied to take a 1-point lead into halftime and had the momentum in their corner. They came out and were about to take control of the second half only to fumble on a 1st and goal from the goal line. The Ti-Cats drove the length of the field afterwards but the BC defense held them to a field goal. I still thought the Lions were going to win at that point, but they fumbled the ensuing kickoff, allowing the Ti-Cats an easy touchdown. While those back to back key turnovers on consecutive possessions proved too much to overcome, my point is that the Lions easily could have been winners last week. Note that BC had an edge in total yards, a significant one, if including return yards. While they had to travel from Hamilton, the Lions are now back home. They've also had an extra day in between games, when compared to Saskatchewan. BC played Friday. The Rough Riders, which are now playing their second straight road game, played on Saturday. Playing back to back road games and playing on a short week can be difficult. Looking at the Rough Riders last 20 games and we find that they've played back to back road games just once. Coincidentally, the second of the back to back road games was a game here at Vancouver. The Lions won by a score of 28-23. While the Rough Riders are coming off a win, that win was against the defending Grey Cup champions. In other words, they could easily be a little emotionally flat or ripe for a 'letdown.' Note that last week's victory was Saskatchewan's second road win. They followed up their first road victory by getting crushed 43-10 the following week. In addition to the fact that they desperately need a victory, the Lions should be further motivated by the fact that they're playing with 'revenge' from an earlier loss at Saskatchewan. That game was only a month ago and BC was a -1 point favorite on the road. Now, they're playing at home and the line is still basically the same. I feel that's great line value. I feel the Lions are better than their record indicates and that the opposite is somewhat true of Saskatchewan. Despite this season's slow start, the Lions, who bolstered their roster this week, have still won 11 of 17 home games. I expect them to be the "hungrier" team here and for that to lead to a very important victory.
*CFL GOY
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