Als and Lions meet for second time

Jul 16, 2014 - 3:30 PM Vancouver, BC (Sports Network) - Just two weeks after their first meeting, the Montreal Alouettes and British Columbia Lions will square off for the second time this season, as each side attempts to climb back to an even .500 record.

The first meeting between Montreal and British Columbia was a one-sided affair, as the Alouettes rushed to a quick 20-0 advantage by the time the first half came to a close. The Als took the victory in the contest, 24-9, thanks to a career-high four sacks by defensive end John Bowman.

The win was the first and only victory of the season for Montreal, who suffered a week one loss to Calgary. The loss dropped the Lions to a quick 0-2 on the season.

Montreal quarterback Troy Smith paced a subpar offensive effort in the season opener, but bounced back with a solid performance against BC in week two. Smith completed 17-of-29 passes for 187 yards, while running back Brandon Whitaker scored on a 32-yard run in the first quarter.

Kicker Sean Whyte put 12 points up on the board for Montreal as he drilled three of his five field goal attempts, and added two extra points and a single.

With a 1-2 record entering the fourth contest of the season, the Alouettes (two points) are tied with Toronto for the Eastern Division lead. Both Hamilton and the expansion Ottawa RedBlacks are 0-2 to start the year.

The Als were exceptionally close to owning the outright lead in the East following a contest against Winnipeg last weekend. The two teams fought a close battle, but it was the Blue Bombers who came away with a 34-33 win to remain unbeaten at 3-0.

Smith performed well in the losing effort, completing 18-of-32 passes for 309 yards with a season-high three touchdowns. He also had one of his throws picked off.

Smith spread the ball around to seven different targets on the day, and found former NFL wideout Chad Johnson once for a 46-yard scoring strike. It was Johnson's first touchdown grab of the season. Brandon London hauled in four balls for 77 yards to pace the team, while Kenny Stafford and S.J. Green each had a scoring catch.

Whyte accounted for 15 points by connecting on all four field goal tries and all three extra points. Defensively, Alan-Michael Cash notched two sacks of Winnipeg signal caller Drew Willy, and Chip Cox and Jerald Brown paced the defense with six tackles apiece.

British Columbia picked up its first win on the season last weekend following a battle with Saskatchewan. The Lions jumped to an 11-0 advantage in the first quarter, but the Roughriders made it interesting by halftime, trailing 14-13.

The Lions created some breathing room in the final stanza, outscoring Saskatchewan 10-0 for the eventual 26-13 win. Running back Andrew Harris had a strong showing in the victory, scampering for 138 yards and a major on the ground while also racking up 65 receiving yards on five receptions.

Quarterback Kevin Glenn was efficient for British Columbia, completing 16- of-27 pass attempts for 170 yards and a touchdown.

The momentum for the home Roughriders shifted out of their favor late in the first half when a Hugh Charles fumble, which was recovered by J.R. LaRose for BC, set up a Paul McCallum field goal in the waning seconds. The 13-11 advantage for Saskatchewan evaporated, and the Roughriders would not score again.

BC linebacker Solomon Elimimian, who registered seven tackles in the Lions' first win of the season, tops the league in the category having racked up 19 stops on the season.

While Smith has been a target of some criticism this season for throwing interceptions, Glenn has been much more of a culprit in that area.

The BC signal caller has tossed six picks - the most in the league through three games. His passer rating of 62.5 is well below that of Smith's, which checks in at 73.6. Both quarterbacks have connected for three touchdown passes.