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Lions lose leading rusher Harris for rest of regular season with injured ankle

REUTERS/David Stobbe

VANCOUVER - The B.C. Lions lost more than just a key West Division game Saturday night to the Calgary Stampeders.

The Lions announced Monday running back Andrew Harris and receiver Bryan Burnham had been placed on the six-game injury list following B.C.'s 14-7 loss to Calgary at McMahon Stadium.

Harris will undergo surgery Tuesday to repair a dislocated left ankle while Burnham is out with a lacerated spleen. Both are expected to miss the remainder of the regular season.

The loss of five-foot-11, 213-pound Harris is a significant one for a B.C. team already missing starting quarterback Travis Lulay. The Winnipeg native is ranked fifth in CFL rushing with a team-high 652 yards and is averaging a solid 5.3 yards per carry. He has also run for two touchdowns.

But Harris is also a solid receiver, having recorded 46 catches for 529 yards (11.5-yard average) with four touchdown grabs.

Harris rushed for 76 yards on 12 carries against Calgary and added six catches for 29 yards.

Harris, in his fifth CFL season, was hurt in the fourth quarter Saturday and required assistance to leave the field.

With the loss of Harris, Stefan Logan is expected to get the start when the Lions (7-6) visit the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Saturday. Logan has rushed for 508 yards and a touchdown this season.

Hamilton (5-7) is tied for first in the East Division and has won three straight and four of its last five games since the return of starting quarterback Zach Collaros from concussion-like symptoms.

B.C., which has lost two straight, is currently fourth in the West Division standings, four points behind both the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Edmonton Eskimos, who are tied for second with identical 9-4 records.

Calgary leads the way with a CFL-best 11-2 record while the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (6-7) are last in the West Division.

The six-foot-two, 195-pound Burnham is in his first season with the Lions. The former Tulsa star has six catches for 113 yards and a TD so far this year, registering one reception for 23 yards against the Stampeders.

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