B.C. Lions quarterbacks Buck Pierce and Jarious Jackson combined for four touchdowns as the Lions clinched a playoff spot with a 28-8 road win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats Saturday.
The win was B.C.'s eighth in nine games, sending the Lions (10-4) to the post-season for the 10th straight year. Hamilton's loss, in front of a soaking wet home crowd of 24,163 at Ivor Wynne Stadium, eliminated the Ticats (4-12) from the playoffs for the second-straight year.
Pierce, normally the back-up QB, got the start with Dave Dickenson still suffering from symptoms of post-concussion syndrome. But Pierce injured his arm near the end of the first half and left the field up 14-0. Jackson, a 29-year-old Notre Dame product, stepped in to throw his first and second touchdown passes of his two-year-old CFL career.
Gilles Colon, Paris Jackson, Geroy Simon and Kendrick Jones each scored touchdowns for B.C. Hamilton quarterback Jason Maas scored Hamilton's lone touchdown. With just 48 seconds left in the game, he hit his hand on a B.C. defender while attempting to pass and was replaced by Kevin Eakin.
B.C. kicker Paul McCallum missed his one field-goal attempt from 42 yards. Hamilton kicker Jamie Boreham did not attempt a field goal. Pat Fleming recorded a punt single.
The 2006 CFL Hall of Fame inductees were honoured in the steady rainfall at halftime. Matt Dunigan, Allen Pitts, Victor Spencer, Henry (Gizmo) Williams and Bobby Jurasin were officially inducted at a ceremony on Friday.
The Lions took a 7-0 lead on their first possession of the game when Pierce hit Colon with an 18-yard TD pass less than five minutes in. Pierce's 39-yard rush on the second play from scrimmage set up the five-play, 82-yard scoring drive.
B.C. went up 14-0 early in the second quarter when Pierce hit Paris Jackson with a 16-yard touchdown pass. That score was also set up by a 29-yard scramble by Pierce.
With three minutes left in the half, Pierce injured his throwing arm when he was hit as he released the ball and stayed down on one knee. Jarious Jackson came in to finish the game.
Hamilton struggled throughout the half with just 65 yards total offence.
The game heated up late in the half when Hamilton defensive back Kevin Timothee was flagged for no yards and then disqualified for rough play after hitting B.C. punt returner Ian Smart. The half ended when McCallum's 42-yard field-goal attempt was wide left and run out by DaVon Fowlkes, who was subsequently tackled by Otis Floyd. The B.C. defender was called for unnecessary roughness, but the penalty was declined and both teams made their way to the lockers in a flurry of shoving and finger pointing.
Hamilton seemed to carry that emotion back onto the field at the start of the third. Two quick first downs kick-started a six-play touchdown drive, ending with a one-yard run by Maas and the Ticats pulled to 14-7.
B.C. came right back, with Jarious Jackson engineering a four-play 47-yard scoring drive, including a 30-yard pass to Paris Jackson, that ended with a four-yard touchdown strike to Simon. It was Jarious Jackson's first touchdown pass of his CFL career.
His second came at the end of the third with a seven-yard strike to Jones. That score was set up by a 43-yard strike from Jarious Jackson to Simon. B.C. led 28-8 heading into the fourth.
Typical of Hamilton's season, the Ticats were threatening deep in B.C. territory and got to third-and-goal with three yards to go early in the fourth, but Maas couldn't hit Kamau Peterson in the end zone and B.C. took over.
