Finally a win for the Leos. Shocking crowd though. There was some talk of Braley buying BC Place from the government a little while ago. If he does, the first thing he should do is take off the friggin roof.VANCOUVER (CP) - Sean Millington ignored the pain from a broken rib and carried the Lions on his back by rushing for four touchdowns as B.C. won its first game of the CFL season with a 51-21 mauling of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Thursday night.
``You need any win but in our situation it was nice to get a monkey off our back you really don't want to have there,'' said Millington, who went into the game with a broken rib but tied a team record for rushing TDs in a game with runs of one, six, nine and 17 yards.
``The stakes were higher.''
Quarterback Damon Allen also scored on a one-yard run and surpassed 55,000 career passing yards. The defence pitched in with Carl Kidd returning an interception 44 yards for a touchdown and Barrin Simpson scoring on a 39-yard fumble recovery.
``We're doing the things now we need and the things we were saying we were going to do all along,'' said Millington, who finished the night with 50 yards on seven carries.
A crowd of 14,218 saw the Lions improve to 1-3 and keep coach Steve Buratto's job safe for another week.
Hamilton quarterback Danny McManus threw two touchdown passes to Tony Akins before leaving the game late in the second quarter after a brutal hit from Simpson.
``I took it right in the face mask and it was tweedie birds circling around after that,'' said McManus, who returned to action late in the third quarter but threw interceptions on his next two passes, both leading to touchdowns.
``From then on it was downhill.''
McManus completed 11 of 18 passes for 221 yards, three interceptions and two touchdowns. He was replaced by third-string quarterback Pete Gonzalez, who hit Akins on a 22-yard scoring play.
Millington galloped through the Hamilton defence like a horse through a corn field and tied the team record of four rushing touchdowns in a game set by Larry Key on July 31, 1981.
The league record for rushing touchdowns in a game is five, first set by Calgary's Earl Lunsford in 1962 and tied by Martin Patton of Shreveport in 1995.
The Tiger-Cats, who have lost nine of their last 10 games in Vancouver, dropped to 2-2. Wide receiver Andrew Grigg also left the game with a suspected separated shoulder.
``I give them full marks,'' said Hamilton coach Ron Lancaster. ``They beat us up.''
A bad night got worse for the Tiger-Cats with 54 seconds left in the first half when Simpson flattened McManus like a bulldozer rolling over an egg.
The Hamilton quarterback lay flat on the field for several minutes, flexing his right arm. After being attended to by the training staff, McManus slowly walked off the field, but looked like a man whose brain had trouble making the feet move.
Simpson added insult to injury in the fourth quarter when he clobbered backup quarterback Butchie Washington, picked up the loose football and ran for a TD.
Allen, who completed nine of 16 passes for 203 yards before being replaced by Ortege Jenkins in the fourth quarter, called it a big win.
``We knew we were getting better offensively,'' he said. ``I thought our guys played hard. That was a big plus and an encourage booster for our team.''
Notes: Allen has scored 79 touchdowns on the ground in his 18-year career, moving him onto fourth on the all-time rushing list, tied with former quarterback Matt Dunigan. ... Included among the signs in the stands at B.C. Place was one reading Free Iverson. ... In their first three losses of the season the Lions averaged just over 129 yards in penalties, second most in the league. They were called for just 45 yards Thursday.
This was inevitable really. 1 and 5 to start the year is shite. BC should be near the top of the league with the players they have. Hopefully this will turn things around, but one has to wonder if it's too late.SURREY, B.C. (CP) - Steve Buratto has been fired as head coach of the B.C. Lions and the CFL team has called an afternoon news conference where general manager Adam Rita is expected to be named the new coach.
A source close to the team said reports Rita will take over as head coach ``are pretty accurate.''
Buratto confirmed his firing in a radio interview.
``I'm no longer the coach of the B.C. Lions,'' he told CKNW.
``It's obvious that after last night somebody is not buying in. Something has to change. In this game it's generally the guy at the top of the heap. If you don't want to get knocked off the pedestal, don't climb up there.''
Team officials spent most of the morning in meetings. There were reports that Buratto was offered the job of defensive co-ordinator but refused.
Reporters at the Lions practice facility in Surrey said Buratto got in his car and drove away.
The Lions have a 1-5 record, the worst among the CFL's nine clubs. The team is also struggling at the gate, having attracted around 45,000 fans to three home games.
Buratto, 58, took over the Lions in week eight of the 2000 season after the bombastic Greg Mohns left to join the XFL. Soft-spoken but with a spine of steel, he united a fractious 3-4 team and finished the regular season with an 8-10 record. B.C. went on to win the Grey Cup.
Since then the Lions have never been able to live up to their expectations.
Led by aging quarterback Damon Allen, the team sometimes shows flashes of brilliance but remains a constant shade of mediocrity. In 2½ seasons Buratto had a 14-21 record.
Rita began the 1998 season as the Lions head coach but after a 3-6 start, was replaced by Mohns. Although he carried the title of general manager, many in Vancouver questioned exactly what his role was. Rita often was criticized for failing to find talent or develop a quarterback to replace Allen.
Following a 23-15 loss to the Calgary Stampeders on Thursday night it was clear the team needed a major shakeup.
``Things will change,'' team owner David Braley said after the game.
Most of the players were supportive of Buratto.
``I like coach Buratto,'' said linebacker Carl Kidd.
``I don't think you're going to have no better coach that treats his players the way he does. Coach Buratto is a really good man.''<
After Thursday night's loss Allen said any decision about a coaching change was out of his hands.
``I don't care what happens,'' said Allen.
``That's not my mind set. We lost and this football team has to change that. I know the coaches coach and the players play and we're losing games on the football field. This football is not playing to its potential.''
Since winning the 1994 Grey Cup, the Lions have had two seasons with a record over .500.
The Lions major signing over the winter was to hire Bob Ackles as president. Ackles began his career with B.C. as a water boy in 1954 and went on to become general manager, leading the team to the 1985 Grey Cup.
He then spent several years in the NFL, working for Dallas, Phoenix, Philadelphia and Miami. He spent the 2000 season as vice-president of the XFL Las Vegas Outlaws.