Jun 29, 2007, 2:10 GMT
Toronto, ON - Joe Smith scored two rushing touchdowns in the third quarter, as the Grey Cup-champion B.C. Lions began defense of their CFL championship on the road with a 24-22 win over the Toronto Argonauts.
Dave Dickenson completed 17-of-27 passes for 179 yards with an interception for the Lions, who came into the contest having lost both of their exhibition games to the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Geroy Simon, the CFL's outstanding player last year, caught four passes for 48 yards, and Jason Clermont had four receptions for 38 yards in the win.
Damon Allen completed 14-of-18 passes for 130 yards and a touchdown for the Argonauts, whose defense last year allowed a league-low 18.5 points, just ahead of B.C. at 18.9 per game. Michael Bishop completed 7-of-13 passes for 75 yards and a score. Arland Bruce caught seven balls for 80 yards and a touchdown, while Jamel White rushed for 44 yards on 14 carries in the loss.
Trailing 15-10 at halftime, B.C. got the lead back in the third quarter on a pair of rushing touchdowns by Smith. After a 76-yard kickoff return by Ian Smart to start the second half, Smith plugged it in from two yards out with 13:45 remaining, and 11 minutes later he scored again from the one-yard line.
Toronto kept the score close, 24-22, after an eight-yard touchdown pass from Bishop to Michael Palmer with 8:32 left in the fourth quarter. The Argos got the ball just inside B.C. territory in the final minute, but Bishop's 3rd- and-11 pass intended for Frank Murphy got knocked down by Korey Banks as B.C. then ran out the clock.
B.C. got on the scoreboard with 3:12 remaining in the first quarter when Jamall Johnson recovered a blocked punt in the end zone.
Noel Prefontaine's 42-yard single got Toronto on the board with 14:46 left in the second.
About ten minutes later, the Lions scored again, on a 33-yard field goal by Paul McCallum with 4:20 left in the second.
Toronto, though, notched two touchdowns in the final two minutes of the first half. Leron Mitchell recovered a Cory Rodgers fumbled punt return before Allen hooked up with Bruce on an 11-yard touchdown pass with 1:57 left. Bashir Levingston then returned a 129-yard missed field goal for a touchdown with just 28 seconds on the clock for a 15-10 halftime lead.
Game Notes
Levingston's score was the first missed field goal returned for a touchdown for Toronto since July 27, 2002 against Edmonton. It also broke the CFL record of 128 yards set by Calgary's Ron Hopkins in 1990...The Lions are still adjusting to the loss of offensive coordinator Jacques Chapdelaine to Edmonton. Steff Kruck and Dan Dorazio are sharing those duties this season.
© 2007 The Sports Network
Game Notes.
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