Argonauts.ca staff
TORONTO – Fresh off a week four bye, the Toronto Argonauts head to B.C. for a Friday matchup with the Lions to cap off a four-game Western road trip to begin the 2015 season.
Since the Argos opened the 2015 pre-season at Varsity Stadium on June 9, the team has travelled nearly 30,000 km – 29,674 to be exact – on a five game road trip including stops in Montreal, Fort McMurray, Saskatchewan, Calgary and Friday’s matchup in B.C. With a 2-1 record through the first three games of the 2015 regular season, the Argos have succeeded despite the adversity thus far, and a date with the Lions is all that stands between the Double Blue and sole possession of first place in the East Division.
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The Lions have done some winning of their own of late, taking two straight from the Roughriders to move to 2-1 on the season. QB Travis Lulay showed his tremendous versatility against Saskatchewan, throwing for over 400 yards and three touchdowns in a week three overtime victory, then rushing for over 100 yards in the week four rematch.
“Lulay is rounding into the form that we’re used to seeing him in,” said Argos’ head coach Scott Milanovich. “They’re a good football team, they’re well coached, and I think they’re going to be full of confidence off of two good games, two good wins with the last one on the road.”
But the problems facing the Argonauts don’t stop with Lulay. The Lions have one of the most tenacious defences in the league led by the CFL’s most dynamic linebacker duo in Solomon Elimimian and Adam Bighill. It’s a factor that is at the forefront of Argos’ QB Trevor Harris’ mind as he prepares for the week five battle.
“Their linebacking corps is outstanding,” said Harris. “Their DB’s run extremely well and they’ve got some great pass rushers. They provide some big obstacles for us, but we control our attitude and our effort. We’re going to be ready for the game and we’re excited for it.”
Argos SB Chad Owens was kept in check for the first time in 2015 against the Stampeders after leading the Argonauts in receiving through the first two weeks of the season. The week four bye then came at a perfect time for him and his teammates, allowing them to gear up for the challenge in B.C.
“What a bye week does for you is lets you hit the refresh button, reset… and clear the mind” said Owens. “When you come back you should be excited about football, so the mental side of it you should be locked in.”
The Lions defence offers a stiff challenge for players like Owens – Coach Milanovich himself stressed that they “don’t miss tackles” – but in every challenge there lies an opportunity.
“I like to think that there’s always an advantage somewhere,” said Owens. “You can always look at a defence and find loopholes. They are a great defence led by those two guys in the middle, but it’s up to us to execute.”
After two wins to start the season, the Argonauts head to B.C. after their first loss, meaning the game on Friday will be a good barometer of how the young Argos respond to adversity. Based on what he’s seen in practice and in the dressing room, Milanovich isn’t worried about a tough loss impacting his team’s play.
“I think we’re fine, I like our locker room” said Milanovich. “I think we learned a lot about our locker room in Saskatchewan. It was the same thing last week. We were down 14 and there was nothing but confidence in [the players’] eyes.”
Catch the Argos and Lions as they square off at B.C. Place at 10 p.m. on Friday on TSN and TSN Radio 1050. American fans can catch all the action on ESPN 3.