Sunday, August 28, 2005

Buckin' the Odds, the Leos stay undefeated

A guy named Buck, proved to be worth his weight in gold Saturday night as the BC Lions relied on third string Quarterback Buck Pierce to engineer a two touchdown late fourth quarter drive to secure undefeated status for another week.

Pierce was pressed into service when Casey Printers found himself sidelined with recurring shoulder problems in the third quarter. Pierce took a bit of time to get used to the Taylor Field surroundings but looked rather comfortable as the fourth quarter began to wind down and the Lions began to wind up.

Spurred on by a Saskatchewan defensive collapse and some untimely (and rider fans and players suggest unbelievable) calls, the Lions charged back down the field twice in the waning moments of the game to take the lead 19-15 and remain the CFL's only undefeated squad this year.

The Riders looked to be in control of this one only to let the Lions back into the game, Saskatchewan seemed unable to control Pierce's attack and he frequently found the right receiver, at the right time with just the right amount of yardage to keep a drive alive.

It was a sloppy looking game for the first thirty minutes as neither side seemed able to get untracked and generate anything resembling offense. As the third quarter got underway Nealon Greene managed to turn on the jets a bit and get the Riders on the board and into the lead as the third quarter was winding down . After that Pierce took charge of the Lions offense and looked impressive as he led the Lions onto the attack.

The strength of the Lions the last two years has been a rather successful and entertaining tandem of Quarterbacks, now it's a trio of Leos that Wally Buono can call upon to conduct his offense. Not a bad situation for a head coach to have as he takes his undefeated squad into the last eight weeks of the season.

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