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Lions pound Eskimos 40-22
Courtesy Edmonton Journal:
Rookie running back Arkee Whitlock may have been the CFL team’s scapegoat last week.
This week, there are 46 members of the Edmonton Eskimos who need to look in the mirror, especially after a 40-22 drubbing at the hands of the previously winless B.C. Lions on Thursday night at Commonwealth Stadium.
“That’s exactly what I say,” veteran Eskimos defender Lenny Williams said of the soul search.
“The first game, it was assumed that it just got out of hand; we weren’t used to being down that early in the season, we didn’t know how to respond.
“But for it to happen back-to-back, and especially at home, every player on this team has to look at himself and try to perform better because it’s embarrassing out there.
“It’s like we got out on the field and didn’t realize there was a ball game to play,” Williams continued.
“Other teams coming out and sticking it to us early. … There has to be a lot of soul searching and coming out fighting — starting in practice. The intensity level has to pick up because this can’t go on for 18 games. That can’t happen.”
For anyone counting, that’s now 90 points surrendered in the last two games for the stumbling Eskimos, who find themselves tied with the Lions at 1-2 in the West Division.
What hurt even more was backup Lions quarterback Jarious Jackson came off the bench to tear apart the secondary after starting QB Buck Pierce was knocked out of the game in the first quarter.
Jackson connected with Geroy Simon on a pair of touchdown passes (33 and 40 yards), and added TD tosses of 15 yards and 26 yards to Paris Jackson and Emmanuel Arceneaux, respectively. He finished with 362 passing yards, completing 19 of 28 passes.
The Lions pulled away in the second half after the Eskimos gave their fans a glimmer of hope just before the break.
Edmonton spotted the Lions a 16-0 lead, but only after Pierce took a solid hit from Esks rookie safety Elliott Richardson nine minutes into the game.
Jackson wasted little time getting warmed up, hooking up with Simon on his first play for a 45-yard bomb to the Eskimos one-yard line. Rookie running back Martell Mallett ran it in from there to make it 9-0 at the 10:46 mark of the first quarter.
Edmonton had given up a safety 5:25 into the game.
On the Lions’ next possession, Jackson hit Simon for the 33-yard score to increase the lead to 16-0 at the 3:23 mark of the second quarter.
The Esks finally responded after the Lions backup QB fumbled the ball deep in B.C. territory midway through the second quarter.
Edmonton quarterback Ricky Ray found Maurice Mann for a 12-yard TD catch as Mann jumped high to haul in the pass and cut the B.C. lead to 16-7.
On the next possession, Ray connected with Calvin McCarty on a 17-yard swing pass with 1:07 left in the opening half to make it 16-14.
It was not a sign of things to come. In fact, it was completely opposite.
The Esks started the second half the same way they began the first, with three straight two-and-outs offensively, frustrating the 33,661 fans on Retro Night.
“We don’t help the defence out going two-and-out the eight or nine times that we did. They just end up getting fatigued toward the end and games are getting out of hand. It’s frustrating for both sides,” said offensive lineman Calvin Armstrong.
Ray and Co. managed just 12 yards of offence in the opening 15 minutes. Edmonton’s first first down came 12 minutes into the game when Whitlock ran for six yards after an offside penalty made it first and five.
The Eskimos finished with 180 yards of offence in the opening half, including 36 on the ground on five carries for Whitlock, who improved upon his dismal performance in his CFL debut in last week’s 50-16 loss in Montreal.
Ray finished 17 of 27 for just 166 yards, with two touchdowns and two interceptions. The second pick brought on a chorus of boos from the crowd, which then cheered when backup Jason Maas came into the game 2:04 into the fourth quarter, with the Eskimos trailing 37-14.
Maas managed a late touchdown drive, capped by McCarty’s two-yard run and a two-point conversion to Kamau Peterson. The Lions added a 23-yard field goal from rookie kicker Sean Whyte at 9:15 of the fourth quarter.
