VANCOUVER -- Andrew Harris rushed for 102 yards and a touchdown as the B.C. Lions beat the Calgary Stampeders 26-7 in the final game of the regular season for both teams Friday night.
The Lions (11-7) had already secured third place, while the Stampeders (14-4) were already assured of first place and an opening-round playoff bye in the West Division. The clubs approached the game like an exhibition contest, with each deploying three quarterbacks and resting several other players.
Lions QB Travis Lulay, in his first game since mid-September, also scored a touchdown for the Lions.
Paul McCallum kicked four field goals from 46, 44, 17 and 23 yards and two converts to account for the rest of B.C.'s scoring.
Calgary's Rene Paredes booted field goals of 46 and 21 yards while the Stampeders' other point came on a punt single.
The Stampeders suffered a blow when they lost running back Jon Cornish, who entered the game as the CFL's rushing leader, with an apparent shoulder injury. Cornish recorded only four carries for 14 yards before leaving the game.
The Stampeders started well with quarterback Kevin Glenn guiding them on a 10-play opening drive that concluded with a 46-yard field goal by Paredes. Calgary had to settle for three points after Adam Bighill sacked Glenn on the previous play.
But the Lions got off to a rough start as Buck Pierce threw a pass way beyond intended receiver Courtney Taylor and was intercepted by Deron Mayo. Fortunately, the B.C. defence held the Stampeders in check, forcing a Paredes punt from midfield.
Pierce tried another long bomb on his next attempt and caught a break as Brandon Smith was called for pass interference on Nick Moore. The B.C. quarterback then moved his club to the Calgary one-yard line.
The Lions elected to gamble on a third-and-one situation and quarterback Thomas DeMarco came in. But instead of plunging forward, he handed the ball off to Harris on a reverse and the running back took the ball into the end zone for a touchdown.
The Stampeders picked up a point on Maver's 60-yard punt single on the final play of the first quarter to close the gap to 7-4.
McCallum's 47-yard field goal at 6:23 of the second quarter put the Lions ahead 10-4.
Drew Tate then took over at quarterback for Calgary as coach John Hufnagel proceeded with a plan to use all of his signal-callers. But Tate did not generate anything and the Stamps were forced to punt.
Lulay then came in at quarterback for B.C., getting his first action since he was sidelined with a shoulder injury while scoring a touchdown Sept. 15. Lulay, who missed six games, did not put his wonky shoulder to the test right away.
Harris chalked up 51 yards on four plays that included three runs and just one seven-yard pass reception. But Lulay then connected with Nick Moore on a 36-yard pass that put the ball at the B.C. one-yard line. Instead of bringing in DeMarco again, B.C. coach Mike Benevides kept Lulay in, creating a scenario similar to the play on which he was injured against Montreal.
But this time, Lulay opted to fake a hand-off and go right, instead of left, and ran untouched for a touchdown that, with McCallum's convert, gave the Lions a 17-4 lead that stood up until halftime.
Pierce completed four-of-nine passes for 41 yards while Lulay was good on three of four, accumulating 54 yards, before they were both pulled. Harris exceeded rushed for 68 yards on eight carries in the first half.
Glenn finished with five completions on eight pass attempts before getting the rest of the night off. Tate completed two-of-four passes for just 13 yards in the first half.
DeMarco took over the B.C. quarterbacking reins in the second half.
Paredes booted a 21-yard field goal to reduce Calgary's deficit to 17-7 at 11:39 of the third quarter. But the Stamps could not generate much with quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell at the helm in the fourth quarter and B.C. cruised to its second straight win.
Notes: Harris finished with 998 yards on the season. a As a result of Pierce's start, CFL teams deployed 19 different starting quarterbacks this season, according to the league. He was viewed as a "double-counter" because he started for both Winnipeg and B.C. The actual number of quarterbacks to start a game was 18. He was the third Lions QB to receive a start. a Calgary also lost defensive tackle Demonte Bolden, receiver Marquay McDaniel and defensive tackle Micah Johnson to injuries in the first half. a B.C. nickleback Korey Banks sat out with a lower-body injury, while linebacker Anton McKenzie was sidelined with an undisclosed ailment that kept him out of practice all week.
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