Don Landry
CFL.ca Staff
The B.C. Lions needed their defence to bottle up the Winnipeg Blue Bombers until Quarterback Travis Lulay could start a little something with Spiderman.
The Lulay to Arland Bruce connection, completely short circuited in the first half of the game, was almost unstoppable in the second half, and may have been the key factor in the B.C. Lions building a comfortable lead, one they would not relinquish, in their 34-23 Grey Cup win in front of more than 54 thousand mostly very satisfied fans at B.C. Place.
After a hot start that included a touchdown romp of 19 yards by running back Andrew Harris, the Lions’ offence got a little disjointed, most notably, but not exclusively, when Lulay was trying to hook up with one of his most trusted receivers.
Four times, in the first half, Lulay aimed for Bruce. Four times they failed to connect. When they finally did get it right, Bruce’s reception was negated by an offside penalty, and it was Bruce, himself, who was the culprit.
“It was just a matter of settling into a game, I think,” said a champagne-drenched Lulay, shortly after the final gun. “I did have Arland a couple of times where I missed him. I didn’t have my feet underneath me, the ball sailed a little on me.”
Bruce could tell Lulay was struggling a little, but was sure to make it known that he, too, was unable to locate his groove.
“We both just had to settle down,” said Bruce as the last few wisps of orange confetti fluttered to the turf nearby. “Had to let the game come to us. He did it before I did and then I just had to get in where I could and be patient. Let the game come to me and when the plays present themselves, take advantage of it. And that’s what I did.”
But before he did, and before Lulay did, the Lions’ defence bore down, not letting the Blue Bombers take charge of the game when they had the chance.
Up 11 – nothing and their offence starting to spin its wheels, the Lions defence bent, but didn’t break. They allowed Bomber Quarterback Buck Pierce to pick up some large chunks of yardage as he hit the likes of Greg Carr and Corey Watson, moving the ball deep into B.C. territory. In the end, three forays that might have ended up in touchdowns were, instead, relegated to field goals off the toe of place kicker Justin Palardy.
“The guys did a great job keeping the score down,” said defensive coordinator Mike Benevides. Nine points, the big turnover (an interception by linebacker Anton McKenzie), they kept it down to field goals. I’m just glad the guys did such a good job for three quarters. It gave us enough of a cushion where we could recover, make some plays and at the end of the day, win the game.”
And give Arland Bruce the time to find his stride.
How pronounced was the change in Bruce’s fortunes? Zero catches for zero yards in the first 30 minutes of football. Five catches for 73 yards and a touchdown in the second thirty minutes. Bruce was determined to make it happen, too.
“I talked to the offensive coordinator (Jacques Chapdelaine) and I said: ‘I’m gonna get it right this half.’”
Get it right he did. As did Lulay, who recovered from some early turbulence to start firing a few missiles Bruce’s way. Once they started to get in sync, the Lions’ offence started to hum again. Lulay’s sure Bruce can handle the heat.
“Arland’s a veteran guy,” he began. “I have a ton of confidence in him. You can see by the way I throw the ball to him.”
“That sliding catch he made on a second and long conversion, where the play was challenged and it ended up being a catch… Was probably the biggest play of the night, as it turned out. Just a huge play. Allowed us to extend the drive.”
That same drive was capped with Bruce breaking free in the end zone and hauling in a 6 yard touchdown reception. 31 – 9 Lions at that point. And although the Bombers rallied to make the score respectable, it was pretty much lights out at that point.
“Those guys (Lulay and Bruce) connected and made some big plays,” said Benevides, who had the compliment returned by Bruce.
When asked about the job the Lions’ defence did while he and his quarterback were trying to find a forward gear, Bruce said, with obvious gratitude: “They’ve been doin’ that all year.”
THE EXTRA POINT
Sometimes, key plays are hard to find. Other times, they scream at you. A 66 yard touchdown bomb is like that. Lulay nailed a strike to rookie slotback Kierrie Johnson, late in the third quarter, to give the Lions a 22-9 lead. An impressive feat for Johnson, as he beat Bombers’ all-star Jonathan Heffney for the score.
“There was a couple of times that I was wide open in one-on-one coverage,” said Johnson, who scored his first CFL touchdown on the play. “We talked about it on the sideline, and went back to it. I felt him get my ankle but I thought ‘I can’t get tackled.’ I just used my speed. That’s what I do.”
