HAMILTON - Having already fumbled one catch, rookie B.C. Lions receiver Emmanuel Arceneaux knew he needed to make amends.
With the Lions at second-and-15 on their own eight-yard line,
Arceneaux ran wide left and pulled in a pivotal 49-yard reception at
the end of the third quarter.
It
denied Hamilton good field position, and set up an eventual
fourth-quarter field goal in the Lions' 34-27 overtime playoff victory
over the Tiger-Cats on Sunday.
With a lot of the pre-game focus on the connection between veteran
receiver Geroy Simon and quarterback Casey Printers, it was Arceneaux who led the Lions with six catches for 120 yards. His 49-yarder was
the longest reception of the game, and went a long way towards restoring his
confidence.
"I felt like I had let my team down on the ball I had fumbled," said
the 22-year-old, who had made a 23-yard catch before fumbling it on the
B.C. 34-yard-line earlier in the third, leading to a Hamilton field
goal.
"I couldn't let that get me down. So when we called that play, I
knew there was a 50-50 chance it might come my way. I didn't know if I
was going to get that ball. But the biggest thing was for me not to get
my head down. And I was able to have another opportunity."
Printers threw to seven receivers, gaining 360 passing yards in
the East Division semifinal. Simon gained 111 yards on
five receptions.
"We've got some spirited guys," Printers said. "I trust them. If I
throw it up there, they're going to make the play. Please don't believe
that it is just a one-man show."
Printers talked about his response to Arceneaux after the fumble.
"No big deal," Printers told reporters. "There's going to be
situations that come up in a football game where it's not going to be
so good. (Hamilton) scored 11 points in the last two minutes left to go
in the game. That wasn't so good."
And yet, B.C. is still alive and headed to Montreal.