The B.C. Lions are living proof that football teams do indeed win with a stout defence, but it doesn't hurt to have a potent offence, either.
B.C., which posted a CFL-best 13-5 record this year, advanced to its second Grey Cup berth in three years Sunday with a convincing 45-18 West Division final win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders. The Lions, who scored a league-best 27 points per game this year, will face the Montreal Alouettes, who dispatched the Toronto Argonauts 33-24 in the East Division final.
B.C. and Montreal will square off in the Grey Cup on Sunday (CBC, 6 p.m. ET) at Canad Inns Stadium.
It's a good bet the Lions will be favoured for that game, having swept the season series with Montreal 2-0. B.C. won 48-13 on Sept. 1 at Molson Stadium before earning a 36-20 home victory Sept. 16.
In the first game, backup Buck Pierce replaced injured starter Dave Dickenson late in the first half and threw three TD passes. Two weeks later, the Lions sacked Montreal quarterback Anthony Calvillo a club-record 12 times while slotback Geroy Simon had TD catches of 40 and 80 yards from Dickenson as B.C. earned its seventh straight win while handing the Als their sixth straight loss.
This season, the Lions' defence gave up a CFL-low 299 yards per game and finished second in fewest points allowed (18.9 per game). Under the guidance of defensive co-ordinator Dave Ritchie, the unit finished first in sacks (59), led by defensive end Brent Johnston, a native of Kingston, Ont., who again was the CFL's top sack artist with 16 and was named the West Division's nominee as the league's top Canadian and outstanding defensive player. As well, safety Barron Miles had a league-best 10 interceptions.
But often the defence was overshadowed by a prolific offence anchored by Simon, the CFL's top receiver with 105 catches for 1,856 yards and 15 touchdowns. Simon is the overwhelming favourite to be named the league's outstanding player next week in Winnipeg.
If it wasn't Simon's heroics making headlines, then it was the club's quarterback carousel as injuries forced the Lions to go with Dickenson, Pierce and No. 3 Jarious Jackson under centre. Dickenson got the most action, posting an 8-4 record as a starter.
Not that having three different quarterback mattered. The Lions still sported the CFL's top aerial attack, averaging 292 yards per game.
Dickenson, 33, will start in the Grey Cup after ditching some excess baggage on the weekend versus Saskatchewan. Sunday's contest marked Dickenson's first playoff victory as the Lions starter against a Roughriders team that he had compiled a 1-9 record against since coming to B.C. four years ago.
What's more, Dickenson came into the West final having thrown just seven interceptions all year, but four had come against Saskatchewan.
Montreal began the season as a legitimate Grey Cup contender, winning its first seven games. But then the club plummeted back to earth, losing six straight. And once the Alouettes ended that dubious streak, they were hit with the shocking resignation of head coach Don Matthews due to health-related reasons.
That forced general manager Jim Popp to step in and assume coaching duties, and the club went 2-2 down the stretch under his guidance, clinching the conference title with a 24-20 road win over Toronto and securing home field for the division final.
Under Matthews, the Alouettes' forte was their pressure defence. Each year, no Montreal player would be high in the CFL's individual defensive stats, but as a whole the unit would lead the bulk of the team stats. Matthews' mantra was high-risk, high-reward and under him the Als became famous for blitzing players from all points of the field and doing a brilliant job of disguising it.
However, this season teams seemed to catch on to Montreal's swarming defence as the Als dropped to fifth in yards allowed (347 per game), fifth against the pass (257 yards per game) and sixth in rush defence (109 yards per game).
Yet Montreal was back at its pressuring best in the first half against Toronto. The Alouettes did a good job of mixing up their blitzes and sending either linebackers or defensive backs. Argos quarterback Damon Allen rarely had the time to set up in the pocket and look downfield for his favourite target, Arland Bruce III (77 catches, 1,320 yards 11 touchdowns).
Instead, Allen, who finished 9-of-13 passing for 59 yards with an interception, had to dump short passes off to secondary receivers, or run the ball himself as Montreal stormed to a 16-3 halftime lead.
Mark Estelle put an exclamation mark on Montreal's defensive dominance over Allen, intercepting the veteran quarterback early in the third and returning the ball 78 yards for the touchdown and a commanding 23-3 lead.
Toronto backup Michael Bishop then came on and threw two second-half TD passes to help rally the Argos to within a touchdown with 2:03 remaining, but Damon Duval's 44-yard field goal with 51 seconds remained cemented the win. For dramatic effect, Duval waved good-bye to the Argos after booting the field goal.
This marks Montreal's fifth Grey Cup appearance in seven years, but the Alouettes have just one win to show for it, that coming in 2002 against Edmonton. Last year, the Als lost to the Eskimos in overtime.
Included in Montreal's string of Grey Cup defeats was a 28-26 decision to B.C. in 2000. Calvillo has been the Alouettes quarterback in all four previous CFL championship games and will get the start Sunday.