Sat Oct 11 02:28:59 2008

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Eskimos hold off BC

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Vancouver, BC (Sports Network) - Ricky Ray threw for 311 yards on 23-of-35 passing and rushed for a touchdown, as the Edmonton Eskimos staved off a late British Columbia rally to edge the Lions, 27-20.

Calvin McCarty gained 70 yards on 16 carries with a score for the Eskimos (9-6), who moved one-half game behind Calgary and Saskatchewan for the Western Division lead for the time being. The Roughriders and Stampeders will meet on Monday afternoon. Mathieu Bertrand added a rushing TD in the win, while Kelly Campbell garnered 128 yards on four grabs.

Stefan Logan had 41 receiving yards and rushed for 51 more for the Lions (9-6), who are tied with the Eskimos. Jarious Jackson was 11-for-22 passing with 126 yards and a TD in defeat. Bret Anderson had a touchdown catch and Paul McCallum had a pair of field goals.

Edmonton started the game off with a drive from its own 17-yard-line. A 49- yard reception by Campbell highlighted a drive that ended as Ray ran in a one-yard score with 9:45 left in the first to give the Eskimos a 7-0 lead.

About seven minutes later, LaVar Glover picked off Ray and brought it back 18 yards to the end zone. The score tied the game at 7-7, which held up to the second quarter.

McCarty capped a five-play, 58-yard drive with a three-yard TD run to give the Eskimos a 14-7 lead with 10:06 left before the half.

Bertrand's one-yard touchdown scamper gave Edmonton a 21-7 lead with 3:16 left before the intermission.

Each team traded field goals and the Eskimos went into the break ahead 24-10.

After the majority of the third quarter possessions resulted in punts and turnovers, Noel Prefontaine nailed a 13-yard field goal with 36 seconds left to give the Eskimos a 27-10 lead.

Anderson hauled in a six-yard touchdown pass with 4:10 left in the game to bring the Lions within 27-17.

McCallum added a 40-yard field goal with 36 ticks left to make it a one- possession game, though the Lions had already dug themselves into too deep a hole.

Game Notes

Lions defensive end Cameron Wake recorded a sack, giving him 20 for the season and leaving him 6 1/2 short of the league's single-season record...B.C.'s Jason Clermont sprained his left MCL in the fourth quarter...Late in the second quarter there was a scuffle between the two teams that resulted in the ejection of Edmonton's Siddeeg Shabazz.