Toronto Argonauts Willie Pile (C) celebrates his interception with teammates Jordan Younger and Jason Pottinger (L) against the B.C. Lions during the second half of their CFL football game in Toronto July 23, 2010. REUTERS/Mark BlinchMARK BLINCH/Reuters
It's often suggested that the difference between winning and losing a football game is a handful of plays over three hours.
No one needs to tell the B.C. Lions that.
For most of Friday night's tilt with the Toronto Argonauts, the Lions held the upper hand both in terms of the scoreboard and in avoiding critical mistakes. But three gaffes after halftime opened the door for Toronto's third come-from-behind win in as many weeks in what wound up as a 24-20 victory.
The first two critical Lion errors came in the third quarter when first Emmanuel Arceneaux dropped a sure touchdown pass from Travis Lulay. Later in the quarter it was running back Jamal Robertson fumbling inside the Toronto five-yard line instead of scoring what would have been his third touchdown of the game.
And most critically, with the Lions nursing a 20-17 lead with 21/2 minutes to play, Lulay fired a pass to the sideline that was picked off by Toronto corner Byron Parker, who returned it all the way for the game-winning score.
"That's not the best way to lose," Lions head coach Wally Buono said. "Those are guys we count on to make plays. That's something that's hard to fathom. But give Toronto credit. They kept themselves in the game."
The interception spoiled a fine night for Lulay in his CFL debut as a starting quarterback, subbing for the injured Casey Printers. He completed 26 of 40 passes with his only two interceptions coming late in the fourth quarter, the second one landing in the hands of Toronto safety Willie Pile with 1:13 to play.
"In the second half, every mistake, it was a dagger to us," Lulay said. "They have that bend-but-don't-break defence, they want you to make the mistake and that's what we did. It's tough to swallow."
"I got a peek at [Parker]and he was back-pedalling and then he made a break on the ball and made the play. He baited me. He's a veteran guy who made a play."
The Argos' second home win of the season - more than they won at Rogers Centre all of last season - puts them at 3-1 on the season while the Lions fall to 1-3 with their third consecutive loss.
Toronto had its own series of mistakes Friday night but escaped unpunished.
Argo quarterback Cleo Lemon threw his third interception of the season, resulting in seven points for the Lions during the opening quarter. Then, during the second half, Toronto twice marched inside the B.C. 20-yard line, but came away with nothing because of turnovers, including Lemon's second interception of the game.
Former Argo Robertson had a decent game, scoring a pair of touchdowns and picking up 45 yards on 10 carries. But he was outdone by Toronto rookie running back Cory Boyd, who passed the 100-yard mark for the third consecutive game.
Boyd had 19 carries for 148 yards and seemed to be wearing down the Lions' defence as the game went on. The Argos trailed 20-10 midway through the fourth quarter when Boyd's legs led the way on a drive that ended with a 16-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Rideau to pull the Argos to within a field goal at 20-17.
The Argos struggled moving the ball throughout most of the first half and trailed 17-3 after Robertson scored his second touchdown of the game on a 13-yard run late in the first half.
Then lightning struck for Toronto when Lemon completed three consecutive passes within a 32-second span, beginning at the Toronto 42-yard line and ending with a 21-yard pass to Jeremaine Copeland in the end zone.