VANCOUVER — Andrew Harris ran for 103 yards and a touchdown as the B.C. Lions beat the Toronto Argonauts 24-16 in CFL action Thursday night.
The Lions (1-1) made up for a poor effort in Calgary last week as they won the home opener of their 60th season before a crowd of 25,255 at B.C. Place Stadium.
The Argos dropped to 1-1 as they remain winless in Vancouver since 2002. Toronto hasn’t started a season 2-0 since 1997.
Harris atoned for a poor showing in B.C.’s season-opening loss in Calgary a week earlier. He also caught six passes for 49 yards.
B.C. quarterback Travis Lulay completed 20 of 34 passes for 249 yards and a touchdown. Toronto QB Ricky Ray was good on 28 of 39 pass attempts for 215 yards, and ran for a meaningless touchdown in the game’s final minute.
Controversial defensive lineman Khalif Mitchell played his first game against B.C. after being traded to the Argos in the off-season. He and his linemates applied steady pressure on Lulay, but the Lions quarterback eluded it most of the time.
The Argos only managed one sack, by Mitchell, and his late needless roughing-the-passer penalty set up a fourth-quarter Harris touchdown after Toronto had reduced its deficit to 17-9.
Instead, it was the B.C. defence that shined, limiting Toronto to three field goals until the game was decided.
The game featured two replacement kickers, who accounted for much of the scoring as Hugh O’Neill filled in for injured B.C. kicker Paul McCallum.
McCallum is out with a groin injury suffered in the warmup before the first pre-season game. The Argos’ Noel Prefontaine substituted for Swayze Waters after he injured his groin on a convert attempt in Week 1.