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Harris and BC top Edmonton at home

Jul 21, 2013 - 5:57 AM Vancouver, BC (Sports Network) - Andrew Harris ran for more than 100 yards and scored three touchdowns on the ground as he helped guide the British Columbia Lions to a 31-21 win over the Edmonton Eskimos at BC Place.

Harris carried the ball 17 times and also caught two passes for another 30 yards for a BC (3-1) squad that has won three straight since opening the campaign with a 44-32 setback at Calgary. Quarterback Travis Lulay converted 18-of-24 for 282 yards and a major, a 76-yard strike to Emmanuel Arceneaux to open the second half.

Mike Reilly started at quarterback for the Eskimos (1-3), hitting on 12-of-20 passing for 148 yards, but he was picked off once and suffered a pair of sacks before heading to the bench in favor of Jonathan Crompton. The rookie backup hit on four of his five attempts down the stretch for 76 yards and a score to Fred Stamps.

Stamps turned three receptions into 62 yards, second only to Nate Coehoorn who had a game-high six catches for 102 yards.

A slow moving affair, Edmonton scored the only points of the first quarter on a 47-yard field goal by Grant Shaw. The Lions tied the contest early in the second frame when Paul McCallum converted a 36-yard field goal.

The first major of the night came on the heels of a crucial penalty by Edmonton, giving BC the ball at the 13-yard line, from which Harris bulled his way into the end zone to give the hosts a 10-3 advantage.

Thanks to a bit of trickery, which included a pass from Cary Koch back to Reilly for 16 yards, the Eskimos were able to tie the score when Kerry Joseph carried the ball into the end zone over the right side.

Lulay gave the Lions the lead in the third quarter when he hooked up with Emmanuel Arceneaux along the left sideline, the receiver then slipping through a tackle and streaking into the end zone from 76 yards out.

Harris put the Lions in scoring position once more just minutes later, vaulting over a defender down near the goal line on a 24-yard pass reception. On the next snap Harris tallied the major when he ran into wide open space on the right side.

Opening up the fourth quarter, Shaw knocked through a 15-yard field goal to cut the Edmonton deficit to 11 points at 24-13. Later in the period Shaw added a single as well.

In the shadow of his own goal posts, Reilly was pressured and began to scramble in the pocket, getting hit as he threw down field. His attempt was picked off by Jabar Westerman and returned to the 14-yard line, setting up the Lions for another potential score in order to seal the win.

Just outside of the four-yard line, BC was faced with a third-and-inches and managed to convert as Thomas DeMarco took the ball to the three-yard line. Two plays later Harris danced his way over the goal line, giving the hosts a 31-14 advantage with just two minutes left in regulation.

On the ensuing possession, Edmonton inserted Crompton at quarterback, pulling an ineffective Reilly. The rookie from Tennessee completed passes to Marcus Henry, Stamps and Koch, a second connection with Stamps leading to a 12-yard touchdown. The scoring drive took less than one minute, but still left the Esks trailing by double figures.

Unfortunately, Edmonton ran out of time and opportunities, en route to a second straight setback.