Follow our live blog while the B.C. Lions take on the Redblacks

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KICKOFF, 7:47 p.m.

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1Q, 14:44: The Lions kickoff to star the game, and Jackson Bennett nearly takes it to the house. Only a Jordan Williams tackle stops him at midfield.

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1Q, 13:37: Woody Baron nearly gets the Lions’ first sack in three games, but Nick Arbuckle manages to fall forward. The Redblacks go 2-and-out to start the game. First down Lions at their own 24.

1Q, 12:10: Vernon Adams spins out of the rush to avoid the sack, then Jacob Scarfone with the huge block to spring him for a 24 yard run.

1Q, 9:40: After Lucky Whitehead dropped the first pass attempt of the game, it’s been seven straight runs by the Lions from Adams, Whitehead, James Butler and Antonio Pipkin. They’re down to the Redblacks 14.

TOUCHDOWN; 1Q, 8:10; Lions 7, Redblacks 0: Adams rolls out to his right and spots Keon Hatcher wide open for the touchdown. It’s his first touchdown pass as a Lion. It was just his second pass attempt of the game.

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1Q, 7:58: Another big return from the Redblacks through uncomfortably porous kick return coverage from the Lions. Devonte Dedmon brings it back 28 yards after a 65-yard Stefan Flintoft kickoff.

I thought they had fixed their coverage. I guess not.

1Q, 4:54: Redblacks putting together a nice drive, the big play a 19-yard run from Devonte Williams. Six plays, 59 yards has them on the doorstep inside the Lions 10.

FIELD GOAL, 1Q, 3:35; Lions 7, Redblacks 3: Lions hold them to a 12 yard field goal attempt after stuffing the Redblacks. Lewis Ward knocks it through to make it 7-3.

1Q, 1:47: Adams tests the Redblacks secondary, and lofts a perfect deep ball to Dominque Rhymes over Darvin Adams (no relation), with the 40-yard pass setting them up in the red zone.

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TOUCHDOWN, 1Q, 0:35; Lions 14, Redblacks 3: On the next play, James Butler III makes a fantastic one-mitt sticky-handed grab, then hits the turbo boost to plow through the arm tackles and into the end zone.

Celebration game is on point today, too. Butler hits them with the Worm, after Hatcher’s Angry Chimpanzee celebration.

1Q, 0:00: 27-yard run by Dedmon is wiped out on a holding penalty by former B.C. Lion Hunter Steward. Guess he’s still loyal to his old team.

First quarter interlude: 

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SECOND QUARTER

2Q, 13:48: Redblacks convert the 1-yard sneak — barely — to keep from going two-and-out for the second time tonight.

2Q, 10:35: Lions had 73 yards rushing in the first quarter, 32 of those coming from Vernon Adams. The Redblacks finding a modicum of success on the ground too, with 38 yards on eight carries, but are limited on their third drive to a 34-yard field goal attempt.

He misses, and Terry Williams brings the ball out to the eight-yard line.

2Q, 8:42: Don’t forget about Jacob Scarfone! On a 2nd-and-8, Adams Scrambles and finds the Bryan Burnham fill-in for 25-yard game.

2Q, 6:33: Adams scrambles, but is pulled down to his knee for the first sack of the game. Good thing, as the ball popped out of his hands just a moment later.

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Next play, the pocket collapses, and it’s two straight sacks, and the Lions kick the ball away.

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2Q, 5:27: A 48-yard punt from Flintoft, but Kevin Francis makes a superb special teams tackle to limit the return to just four yards.

See? I told ya. They fixed the kick coverage.

2Q, 4:49: Redblacks go two and out, and are lucky not to have turned the ball over. On the second down pass, Arbuckle’s pass is nearly intercepted off a deflection. But Paul LaPolice throws the red flag, betting that Jalon Edwards-Cooper got to receiver Darvin Adams too early.

2Q, 4:31: Challenge is unsuccessful. Redblacks kick the ball away.

2Q, 3:33: With Scarfone clearing out the safety on a streak patter, and Lucky Whitehead runs a crossing pattern underneath and hauls in a 26-yard pass. Lions back into Ottawa territory.

2Q, 2:36: Adams uses his legs to escape pressure, spots Rhymes streak down the sideline and hits him down to the Ottawa two-yard dline.

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TOUCHDOWN! 2Q, 2:32; Lions 21, Redblacks 3: Antonio Pipkin comes in as part of the short-yardage package after Butler gets no gain on first down. He slides down the line to the right before diving through the Redblacks defenders into the end zone. Sean Whyte nails the convert, his third of the night.

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2Q, 1:41: Redblacks go 2-and-out for the third time. Lions start on their own 20-yard line after an illegal block penalty on the return.

2Q, 1:21: Pocket collapses on Adams, who’d tried to stay in to find a receiver downfield. It’s the third sack of the night.

2Q, 1:04: Lions have their first 2-and-out of the night, with Adams’ completing a pass to Hatcher, but the Lions receiver getting tackled 15 yards shy of the first down marker.

Flintoft’s punt is tipped, and a no-yards penalty is tacked on top of that, putting Ottawa on the B.C. 36 yards line.

2Q, 0:41: Nathan Cherry gets caught on the hard count, and the offside penalty moves Ottawa five yards closer. Arbuckle hits Justin Hardy for 18 yards on the next play.

FIELD GOAL! 2Q, 0:15; Lions 24, Redblacks 6: Me: “Booooooooooooooooooo! Be a man, do the right thing” *Russell Peters voice*

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The Redblacks, down 18, go for a 22-yard field goal, and get it from Lewis Ward.

FIELD GOAL! 2Q, 0:05; Lions 24, Redblacks 6: See? I’m proven right. Adams hits Hatcher for a 34-yard field goal, and Sean Whyte comes on for a 43-yard field goal.

HALFTIME

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THIRD QUARTER

3Q, 13:55: The Lions open up the second half right where they left off. Adams hits Lucky Whitehead for a 54-yard pass on the first play from scrimmage. It would have been more — he was wide open in the middle of the field — but had to wait on Adams’ pass getting to him.

3Q, 13:17: Back to back James Butler runs has the Lions down inside the five yard line. But it’s a bad result on the second run, as Lucky Whitehead has Shaheed Salmon roll up on his legs from behind as he’s blocking. He stays down, writhing in pain, and has to be helped off the field.

PREGAME

It’s two hours to gametime, and there’s no better time to talk basketball.

I spent the morning talking with a trio of ex-NBAers; former Vancouver Grizzlies Antonio Harvey and George Lynch. Also in the house… none other than Stevie Franchise himself.

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The three were in town ahead of the screening of Kay Jayme’s latest documentary — The Grizzlie Truth — at the Vancouver International Film festival on Saturday.

I wrote about it here. 

Steve Francis became an instant villain the moment the Grizzlies drafted him in 1999, despite him telling the Grizz ahead of time he didn’t want to play in Vancouver. In hindsight, it was an understandable moment; but at the time, with him being petulant and in near tears as he shook David Stern’s hand on draft night.

He never came to an agreement with the Grizz, and ultimately was traded before the start of the season.

Francis had the talent and ability to change the trajectory of the franchise, but it was just another miscalculation by the team’s front office and another torpedo hitting the sinking ship below the waterline.

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Looking back, Lynch agrees the moment needs to be viewed in a different light.

“Steve (was) the first example of athlete having a voice and, taking a chance, throwing his stuff out there knowing that he may never play in another NBA game again, because the owners had that power,” said the former Grizzlies forward. “He gave players the power to speak up, gave players the power to say ‘this is where I want to be traded,’ and he should get credit for that because he was probably one of the first guys to do it.”

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LET’S GET TO THE FOOTBALL

The Lions are on a six-day week after their loss to the Stampeders, and that’s a good thing. The quicker they can put that game behind them, the better.

“Sometimes short weeks are a good thing  … especially when you come off a loss, you want to get back out there and get back at it,” said head coach Rick Campbell. “As a coach, I’m hoping that we always had the urgency to get a win regardless of what happened the week before.

“If that helps the cause, then great. Every every win is going to be big coming down the homestretch here so we wanted to just put all that energy into into this game and see we can get a W.”

Here’s how they’re lining up tonight:

BC LIONS

OTTAWA REDBLACKS

If you missed my pre-game stories and the gameday, here they are below:

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WHILE WE’RE WAITING

Now, while mascots are generally fun-loving characters, there are those occasionally who transcend to a higher plane of entertainment existence. Like Cosmo the Cougar, from Brigham Young University. (Yes, that Brigham Young.)

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LIFE OF BRYAN

T-minus 10 minutes: The Lions have a Burnham-sized hole in their lineup. Bryan Burnham was put on the six-game injured list with a broken wrist this week, depriving Vernon Adams Jr. of his most dependable receiver. 

Jacob Scarfone rotates into the lineup, with Keon Hatcher moving over to take Burnham’s role in the slot. 

When Burnham missed time earlier this season with broken ribs, Hatcher put in his best performance of the season — also against Ottawa. He caught all seven targets for 166 yards and a touchdown. 

But Adams knows they’re missing a key component of their offence, one responsible for four touchdowns and 596 yards of receiving yardage. 

“That’s a big loss. He’s like a safety (net) for me,” said Adams. “I know he’s always gonna do the right things, and all these guys will but I know he’s been here a long time and he knows his game in and out.

“Big loss there, but Scarfone, he’s great all week all year. He’s been that next guy up and he knows every position on the field. So feel comfortable with him.”