Lions down Roughriders to reach Grey Cup

Nov 13, 2006, 1:20 GMT

Vancouver, BC - Dave Dickenson completed 27-of-37 passes for 274 yards and three touchdowns, as the BC Lions downed the Saskatchewan Roughriders, 45-18, to score a franchise playoff-record points total and reach the Grey Cup against Montreal.

The Lions will play the Alouettes, who beat the Toronto Argonauts 33-24 in the East Final. BC, who finished atop the West for the third straight season, lost the 2004 Grey Cup to Toronto and were downed by Edmonton in last season's West Final.

Joe Smith rushed for 116 yards on 19 carries for the Lions, who finished first in the West Division with the league's best record at 13-5. Paris Jackson caught two touchdowns with 66 receiving yards and Jason Clermont had 98 receiving yards on nine catches.

Kerry Joseph completed 15-of-23 passes for 210 yards with one interception and one touchdown for the Roughriders (9-9), who qualified for the division final by upsetting Calgary, 30-21. Kenton Keith scored a pair of third-quarter touchdowns.

British Columbia got going on a 21-yard field goal by Paul McCallum with 11:40 remaining in the first. Saskatchewan answered on a 40-yarder by Luca Congi with 2:39 to go for a 3-3 first quarter score.

BC blew the game open with a 26-point second quarter. Dickenson hooked up with Jackson on a 14-yard touchdown pass with 11:55 left in the second. Congi then conceded a safety with 10:20 to go for a 12-3 BC lead.

About five minutes later, Dickenson found Smith for a five-yard touchdown pass. McCallum kicked a 20-yard field goal with 1:26 remaining, and the Lions mustered another score when Dickenson threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to Jackson with just 21 seconds on the clock.

Saskatchewan finally got a point as Congi converted a 22-yard single as time expired for a 29-4 advantage.

McCallum kicked a 37-yard field goal with 9:38 to go in the third before the Roughriders got going. First, Joseph hooked up with Keith on a 38-yard touchdown pass with a little over two minutes to go. Then, after Geroy Simon fumbled, Keith kept the ball on the ground next for a four-yard rushing touchdown as time expired for a 32-18 Saskatchewan deficit.

The Lions put the game away in the fourth. McCallum kicked a pair of field goals of 18 yards and 41 yards, respectively. Smith then scored a six-yard rushing touchdown with 2:30 remaining for the final margin.

Game Notes

This was the second time in three years that these two teams met in the West final. B.C. defeated Saskatchewan 27-25 in overtime in 2004, a game that saw McCallum miss two field goals, including one from 18 yards out in overtime.

Family bragging rights were also on the line. Saskatchewan linebacker Reggie Hunt was up against his brother, Aaron, a defensive lineman with B.C., as was Riders safety Tristan Clovis, whose brother, Sebastien, is a defensive back with the Lions.

This game featured a total of 11 players named to the CFL's all-star squad.

© 2006 The Sports Network