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CFL Preview - Ottawa (2-11) at British Columbia (7-7) (ET)

GAME NOTES: Shooting for just their third win of the 2014 season, the Ottawa RedBlacks try to make it two in a row this week as they clash with the British Columbia Lions at BC Place on Saturday night.

The latest addition to the CFL, Ottawa had won just once through the first 11 games of the season, a narrow 18-17 triumph over Toronto in the middle of July, but last week the RedBlacks showed up in a big way as they hosted Winnipeg. Not only did Ottawa snap a debilitating nine-game slide, it did so in impressive fashion by recording a lopsided 42-20 triumph. The 42 points were the most this season and two touchdowns more than the program had in any game that didn't go to overtime.

Granted, it is far too early to declare Ottawa's woes long gone, but at least the hometown fans could celebrate the fact that the team came back from an early deficit by scoring three touchdowns in the second quarter alone. Quarterback Henry Burris missed on only seven of his 31 pass attempts, leading to 284 yards and an interception, but no touchdowns. Instead, it was backup Danny O'Brien who did the honors in the second frame when he tossed a five- yard major to Khalil Paden.

Of the 477 yards of offense produced by the RedBlacks, 188 came on the ground and all but eight of those were attributed to running back Jonathan Williams who turned his 21 rushes into 180 yards and two touchdowns. With 229 yards from scrimmage overall, it should have come as little surprise that the running back was named the CFL Offensive Player of the Week.

Not to be outdone, defensive lineman Justin Capicciotti was named the CFL's top Canadian as he recorded a pair of sacks for a squad that held Winnipeg to just 293 yards of total offense. While that number may not sound all that impressive, it should be noted that Ottawa entered the week as the most porous defense with 379.6 ypg allowed. This week the number has shrunk a bit to 371.4 ypg surrendered, so there is still much work to be done in that department.

Winnipeg was allowed to score 20 points, but only one TD was credited to the offense, the rest of the scoring came from the special teams.

While the RedBlacks are trying to build upon an impressive effort last week, the same cannot be said for the Lions who are licking their wounds following a late 19-17 loss to Hamilton on the road. British Columbia, which is set for a bye next week before finishing out the regular season, is just 7-7 on the season overall, which means they've entered the week fourth in the West Division standings.

There's still time and opportunity for the Lions to make a stronger push towards the top half of the division standings, but after a performance like last week there are several questions that need to be answered. BC actually led by double digits in the first quarter and by a point at the break, but still the offense struggled last Saturday night.

Kevin Glenn converted 19-of-33 passes for 188 yards, while receiver Emmanuel Arceneaux was credited with the only passing TD of the night for BC, a 17-yard connection with Shawn Gore. BC has now lost three in a row for the first time since 2011 and the lackluster effort was not lost on head coach Mike Benevides who was clearly frustrated after the dismal performance.

The Lions were held to only 239 yards of offense, a mere 34 net yards on the ground, and were unable to fully capitalize on the 12 penalties, for 128 yards, assessed to the Tiger-Cats. Defensively, the visitors to Tim Hortons Field surrendered 429 yards to a pesky Hamilton squad that is now first in the East Division standings despite a losing record at 6-7.

Through 14 games, the Lions find themselves in the bottom third of the CFL in scoring with only 20.9 ppg, although that's still better than Ottawa which is bringing up the rear with a mere 17.1 ppg, even after last week's offensive explosion. But instead of focusing so much on offense, it should be noted that BC is second in the league in defense, giving up only 297.5 ypg, translating into just 19.2 ppg surrendered as well which is second behind Calgary (18.8 ppg), the only team that has already secured a playoff spot.

This is the second meeting of the season for the clubs, with BC squeezing out a thrilling 7-5 victory in the first encounter at Ottawa back on Sept. 5. In that contest neither side was able to get a sniff of the end zone. Instead, it was BC kickers Paul McCallum and Ricky Schmitt who accounted for all seven points for the visitors, the former hitting field goals of 49 and 34 yards in the second quarter, and the latter notching a 69-yard single in the third quarter for the only points tallied on either side in the second half.

The teams combined for 467 yards of offense, with the Lions surviving 13 penalties for a loss of 109 yards. Travis Lulay hit 18-of-27 passes for 167 yards and was sacked twice, while Burris went 21-of-32 for 188 yards, was taken down three times and tossed a pick.

As a group, the RedBlacks were credited with 12 rushing plays, resulting in just 16 combined yards.

Based on the fact that there has been a team representing Ottawa prior to this season, there is a history between these two cities in the CFL and it shows BC with a 40-18-2 advantage in regular-season battles dating back to 1961. The Lions are enjoying a 10-game win streak over Ottawa and have won all but one of the last 16 encounters heading into this week.

The Lions are a rare breed, particularly hailing from the West Division, as they own a losing record at home this season at 3-4. Although there is reason for BC to have hope this week since it is facing Ottawa, and even if the hosts fall behind they can lean on the fact that they've registered six come-from- behind wins already in 2014.

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