British Columbia Lions 20 Saskatchewan Roughriders 23 (September 24, 2006)
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0 commentsNeither team scored on its first overtime possession as Saskatchewan's Luca Congi was wide on a 32-yard field goal and Paul McCallum tried to punt for a single. Both kicks were run out of the end zone. McCallum booted a 36-yard field goal on B.C.'s second possession before Joseph connected with Fantuz for the winning score following a 23-yard pass to the newly-arrived Yo Murphy.
Each team scored a touchdown in the final two minutes of regulation time to force overtime.
Fantuz recovered Kerry Joseph's fumble in the end zone with one minute 41 second remaining to give Saskatchewan a 17-10 lead, but Lions relief quarterback Buck Pierce threw a seven-yard pass to Jason Clermont with 31 seconds remaining to complete a 62-yard march.
Saskatchewan (7-6) snapped B.C.'s six-game winning streak and left the Lions (9-4) tied for first place in the West Division with the Calgary Stampeders (9-5). Saskatchewan occupies third place in the West.
Saskatchewan's first touchdown drive began after its defence stopped B.C. on a third-and-one gamble at the Lions 45. On second down at the Lions 17, Joseph ran up the middle on a quarterback draw and had the ball stripped by Otis Floyd. Fantuz won the scramble for the loose ball after it bounced into the end zone.
B.C. eschewed its usual emphasis on the pass and made considerable use of running back Joe Smith, who ran for 118 yards on 13 carries.
Pierce took over from an apparently uninjured Dave Dickenson with five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Dickenson managed only 97 yards on 17-of-26 passing, while Pierce went 6-for-9 for 62 yards.
Roughriders quarterback Kerry Joseph exhibited his best passing form since suffering a bruised knee in August, but was unable to generate any touchdowns in the first 58 minutes from his 21-for-36, 247-yard effort.
B.C. had the advantage of a 46-kilometre wind in the first quarter and took advantage of it to open a 9-0 lead. A double penalty to Saskatchewan's Kitwana Jones for no yards and unnecessary roughness on a punt return set up the Lions at the Saskatchewan 24-yard line.
Pierce came in for one play to throw a four-yard touchdown pass to rookie Alexis Bwenge, who touched the ball for the first time in his 13-game CFL career.
Roughriders kicker Luca Congi conceded a safety touch late in the first quarter and punted for a 60-yard single in the second. Paul McCallum of the Lions conceded a safety and punted a 46-yard single to make the halftime score 10-3 for B.C.
Congi registered the only points of the third quarter on 53-and 51-yard field goals and an 80-yard punt single that tied the game at 10-10.
Saskatchewan never scrimmaged inside the Lions 40 for the first 57 minutes, in great part because of opportunities squandered by turnovers in the first half.
Late in the first quarter, Lions defensive back Carl Kidd stripped the ball from Kenton Keith on a 38-yard run that would have put Saskatchewan on the B.C. 20-yard line.
In the second quarter, newly-arrived Roughriders receiver Yo Murphy fumbled out of bounds near midfield. Replays indicated that Dante Marsh of the Lions had a foot firmly planted out of bounds when he recovered the fumble, but Saskatchewan head coach Danny Barrett did not call for a review of the play.
Both teams return to action to Saturday, the Lions in Hamilton against the Tiger-Cats and the Roughriders at home against the Edmonton Eskimos.
courtesy of cfl.ca
Date
September 24, 2006
