Lions 37 Argonauts 16
VANCOUVER — Quarterback Casey Printers and running back Yonus Davis worked their way through a cheering crowd after the game, giving high-fives and signing autographs.
They looked tired. They looked sore. They also had won, which made it a lot easier to smile through the aches and pains.
The B.C. Lions showed the CFL what they are capable of in a 37-16 destruction of the Toronto Argonauts on Saturday afternoon.
Printers tossed two touchdowns and threw for over 300 yards for the first time this season. Rookie running back Jerome Messam used his size and strength to bully his way to a pair of touchdowns. A growling defence had six sacks and held Toronto to just one point in the second half.
“We’re starting to get our groove,” a soft-spoken Printers said in a noisy dressing room after the Lions won their first game of the season at Empire Field.
“We’re starting to look pretty good on both sides of the ball. Earlier in the year I know everybody was kind of down on us, but our team is so talented. We have expectations of doing this kind of stuff every week.”
The win, before a crowd of 22,703, improved B.C.’s record to 3-7 and moved the Lions into third place in the West ahead of the 2-8 Edmonton Eskimos.
Davis, the slippery rookie who makes up in tenacity what he lacks in size, showed he has some sure hands to go with his fleet feet. He caught a four-yard pass for a touchdown, then set up another touchdown with a brilliant 10-yard run where several Argos were left grabbing air.
“It shows we are turning it around,” said Davis, who rushed for 52 yards on 13 carries and caught three passes for another 19. “We know how it feels to win.”
Messam, who scored on bone-rattling runs of one and four yards, demonstrated his versatility in a series in the second quarter. He bowled over a couple of Argo defenders on a 16-yard run, then showed good hands by hauling in a 14-yard pass.
“I still think there were some things I could have done better,” said the Toronto native who has spent most of the season on special teams. “It was my first time out there in a contributing role and I think I did a good job.”
Alouettes 27 Tiger-Cats 6
HAMILTON, Ont. — Adrian McPherson led both the air and ground attack for the Montreal Alouettes in a dominating 27-6 victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Saturday afternoon.
McPherson, filling in at quarterback for an injured Anthony Calvillo, threw for 238 yards and a TD and added 121 yards rushing for the win.
“I was just doing what the coach tells me to do,” said the 27-year-old who made his season debut for Montreal (7-3) after missing the club’s first nine games recovering from a knee injury. The former Florida State star finished 21-of-37 passing but consistently used his legs to get out of trouble against Hamilton.
“They called the play, I executed the play. I don’t care how we win. I just want to win.”
McPherson got the start as incumbent Calvillo missed his second straight game with a bruised sternum. Calvillo was in attendance Saturday but didn’t dress.
“I thought our football team played very well together today,” said head coach Marc Trestman. “I thought we were a team that really responded well to the environment and didn’t stop playing until the end.”
It was a hostile environment with first-place on the line and with Montreal trying to rebound from an ugly loss to B.C.
“Not only did Adrian step it up, our team stepped it up today,” Trestman said, adding ball control was a key component to the victory. Montreal had the ball for 39:27 compared to Hamilton’s 20:33. “They’ve got a terrific passing game and we wanted to limit their time.”
First-half ball control, Trestman added, and the Montreal defence stopping Hamilton twice inside the 25-yard line in the second quarter, “really kind of set the tone.”
Damon Duval hit on four of his five field goal attempts for Montreal while Hamilton’s Sandro DeAngelis converted on two of his three tries.
The Ticats (5-5) had their four-game win streak halted and missed an opportunity to move into a tie with Montreal atop the East Division.
“We didn’t execute at all, and they did,” said Hamilton head coach Marcel Bellefeuille.
Montreal slotback Ben Cahoon caught a pass late in the second quarter to give him a reception in 137 consecutive games, leaving him tied on the all-time list with legendary Tony Gabriel.
Hamilton’s offence sputtered all day as Kevin Glenn, the league’s second-leading passer coming into the game, hit on just 9-of-23 attempts for 138 yards and one interception before being replaced by Quinton Porter with two minutes left in the third.
Porter didn’t fare better, surrendering an interception to Billy Parker on a pass intended for Arland Bruce III midway through the fourth that led to an on-field brawl between the squads. When the smoke cleared, three of four fouls went against Montreal, which lost defensive back De’Audra Dix to an ejection and was backed up to its five-yard line after being penalized a net 45 yards.
Glenn returned with 1:52 remaining to play. He was sacked at the Hamilton five-yard line on a third-down conversion attempt. That led to a four-yard TD run by Avon Cobourne to put Montreal ahead 27-6.
“I was just trying anything to give a spark to our offence,” Bellefeuille said about switching the QBs. “Just trying to change it up. Hopefully something good would happen.”
When things weren’t happening with Porter, he said he decided to go back to the experienced Glenn.
Glenn was sacked and fumbled on Hamilton’s opening possession in the third quarter. Montreal recovered at the Ticats’ 45-yard line but had to settle for Duval’s 12-yard field goal for a 16-6 lead.