Canadian Football League

Saturday, August 20, 2005

Lions still undefeated in Canadian Football League

Quarterback Dave Dickenson threw for two touchdowns and ran for another, but Casey Printers had to finish the B.C. Lions' 39-15 victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats Friday as both CFL clubs' fortunes continued in opposite directions.
Printers came in late in the second half to engineer a long touchdown drive after Dickenson left with a separated shoulder.
Before he left, Dickenson threw scoring strikes to Jerel Myers and Paris Jackson as the league's leading passer clicked on 11 of 14 attempts for 138 yards.
The victory improved the Lions' best start in their 52-year history to 8-0 while the Ticats are slinking off to an 0-8 beginning to their season for the second time in three years.
The Lions won their 11th consecutive regular season game and the Tiger-Cats, who have lost their last three games by a combined 70 points, now find themselves playing for pride instead of a playoff berth.
It can get worse for Hamilton before they set a club record for consecutive losses to start a season. They began 0-12 in 2003 when they finished 1-17.
Antonio Warren ran for a fourth B.C. touchdown, Duncan O'Mahony kicked a 34-yard field goal and four converts and Hamilton kicker Jamie Boreham conceded a safety.
Third-string quarterback Buck Pierce entered the game late in the fourth quarter and hit Warren with a league-leading 10th touchdown on a 19-yard pass.
Hamilton starting pivot Khari Jones converted a third down gamble to run for a one-yard TD in the second quarter.
Jones, who was good on eight of 15 passes for 74 yards while being sacked four times, also didn't complete the game.
Danny McManus entered the contest early in the fourth quarter after DeVonte Peterson's recovery of a Printers fumble gave the Ticats a first down on the B.C. 38.
The drive stalled when McManus, who missed two games with a sprained thumb, was sacked on a third-down gamble. Another McManus drive was snuffed out by a Jason Crumb interception.
However, the veteran connected with Craig Yeast for a five-yard touchdown receception with no time remaining and found D.J. Flick for a two-point conversion to complete the scoring.
The Lions took a 13-0 first-quarter lead when Jones, making his first start as a Ticat, was sacked on his first two possessions.
Dickenson scored the game's first TD on a nine-yard scamper up the middle after Tony Tiller recovered an errant snap on a punting down to give the Lions possession on the Hamilton 33.
O'Mahony missed the convert when Crumb, taking over for Printers as the holder, bobbled the snap.
The Lions scored again on their next possession as Dickenson engineered a seven-play, 86-yard drive that culminated in Myers' diving catch of an 18-yard pass for his first CFL touchdown.
Jones made it 13-7 on a third-one plunge. The drive saw Craig Yeast haul in three catches for 35 yards.
An Aaron Lockett return gave Dickenson a short field to work with and he found Jackson with a nine-yard throw in the corner of the end zone.
Dickenson had to leave the game when Donnavan Carter crashed him to the B.C. Place turf as he threw, separating his left (non-throwing) shoulder.
Printers, who threw for more than 100 yards, took over late in the half and drove B.C. 100 yards to paydirt with 17 seconds remaining.
He began the drive with a 27 yard run and almost scored on a run from the Hamilton six yard line. Warren scored from a yard out to give B.C. a 27-7 halftime cushion.
Geroy Simon was the favourite receiver of all three Lions quarterbacks, finishing with nine receptions for 112 yards.
Running back Troy Davis led the Hamilton offence with 18 carries for 91 yards.
NOTES: The Lions' third jersey made its debut ... it's black with orange trim and mountain lion paw patches on the shoulders ... the Lions continued the new design with a black paw on their white helmets, reminiscent of the orange paw on black helmets worn in the 1960s ... kick returner Aaron Lockett was back in the B.C. lineup after missing a week with a hip flexor injury ... he had kickoff returns of 52 and 42 yards ... the Ticats arrived here Thursday after spending the previous six nights in Winnipeg where they lost 44-14 to the Blue Bombers last weekend.

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