Lions offense struggles in loss to Alouettes

MONTREAL, PQ (NEWS1130) – Veteran quarterback Kevin Glenn was picked off twice with no touchdown throws as the BC Lions were hammered 24-9 by the Montreal Alouettes to fall to 0-2 to begin the CFL season.

The Lions last started a season 0-2 in 2011 when they lost their first five games before rattling off 11 straight wins on their way to a Grey Cup Championship.

On the Lions’ second drive of the game, Montreal’s defense opened the scoring. Glenn was intercepted by defensive tackle Scott Paxson, and then he lateralled the ball to linebacker Chip Cox, who walked into the endzone for the touchdown.

Before the first quarter was up, Montreal stretched its lead. Brandon Whitaker found a hole and got some blocks, busting off a 32-yard dash to the endzone to make it 14-0.

The Alouettes booted a pair of field goals in the second quarter to take a 20-0 advantage into halftime.

Paul McCallum finally broke the shutout in the third quarter, as he connected on a 24-yard field goal.

Early in the fourth quarter the Lions went on a long drive and looked to cut the deficit to 10 points. Glenn made a big mistake though, and was intercepted in the endzone.

After Montreal added four points through a field goal and a rouge, Glenn was replaced under centre by former NFL pivot John Beck. Beck completed just two of his five pass attempts, but one of his completions was to Courtney Taylor for a seven-yard touchdown. The Lions went for two points but were unsuccessful.

Glenn went 13-for-25 through the air for 159 yards. The veteran has now thrown six interceptions through two weeks in his first season with BC. Last year, Glenn had just seven interceptions all season as a member of the Calgary Stampeders.

The Lions running game was shut down as Stefan Logan and Andrew Harris combined for just 54 yards on the ground.

BC will be back out on the road next weekend, as it will pay a visit to the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Saturday, July 12.