Jennings, Lions spoil Ti-Cats' gritty comeback

Jonathon Jennings ran hot and cold, but his fast feet helped the B.C. Lions avoid embarrassment with a 45-38 home victory against the road-weary Hamilton Tiger-Cats Saturday night at B.C. Place.

In a quintessential tale-of-two-halves CFL game, the Lions (5-2) prevailed after squandering a 20-point halftime lead.

The Tiger-Cats (3-4), fuelled by a strong comeback game from quarterback Zach Collaros and a 126-yard missed field goal return touchdown by Brandon (Speedy B) Banks, scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns that were both topped off by successful two-point converts to level the score at 38-38 with 3:11 left.

Jennings, who to that point had not converted a second down since the half, orchestrated a six-play, 81-yard drive to retake the lead with 1:24 left. The Lions regained the lead through a 30-yard touchdown by Emmanuel Arceneaux after Jennings scrambled to buy time. Following the catch, Arceneaux spun upfield and outran the Tiger-Cats' pursuit.

Hamilton, which was at the end of a four-game road stretch, drove to B.C.'s 36-yard line in the final minute. On a third-and-five with 20 seconds left, Collaros went to the end zone instead of throwing underneath for a sure first down. Safety Mike Edem batted the pass down to seal the win.

For the Lions, the win sets up a West Division first-place showdown at home against the league-leading Calgary Stampeders (5-1-1) on Friday. The winner will own the all-important head-to-head tiebreaker that could come in handy at the climax of the regular season.

In spite of a zero-completion third quarter, Jennings was 20-of-32 for 306 yards with three touchdowns and one interception.

Jeremiah Johnson rushed for two TDs and scored a two-point convert. Arceneaux made five receptions for 105 yards and two TDs, while Bryan Burnham also made a 38-yard TD catch on the Lions' first offensive play of the game.

Richie Leone was 1-of-2 on field goals, but averaged a ridiculous 62.4 yards on seven punts, including a 78-yard single.

Collaros, in action for the first time since rehabbing the torn right ACL he suffered in September 2015, was 24-of-40 for 331 yards with two TDs and one interception.

Possession receiver Luke Tasker scored his first TD of the season, while Terrence Toliver also had a receiving TD and backup QB Jeremiah Masoli scored on a one-yard rush. Brett Maher had a 3-of-3 night on field goals, running his streak of successful attempts to 13.

For the third time in four games, Hamilton fell into a huge hole by halftime.

Collaros absorbed five sacks in the first half – including one apiece from the Lions linebacker trio of Adam Bighill, Solomon Elimimian, and rookie Loucheiz Purifoy. Thanks to better protection – including the occasional use of a six-man offensive line – the 27-year-old was not dropped once after the break.

The Lions and Stampeders traded close wins in their first two meetings. On July 29, B.C. missed a chance to clinch the season series, blowing a late 15-point lead before Calgary grabbed a 44-41 overtime win.

Hamilton hosts the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Saturday. The Tiger-Cats have been on the road for five of their seven games, but do not have back-to-back home dates until October.