The Calgary Stampeders didn't just beat the BC Lions on Saturday night, they bruised their spirit.
Calgary pounced on a late BC mistake for a 27-22 victory that sent the Lions to their fifth straight loss.
The Stampeders were filled with confidence afterwards, while the Lions searched for answers.
"The sky's the limit man, the sky's the limit," said Calgary slotback Ken-Yon Rambo, who hauled in a 48-yard touchdown pass four minutes into the game.
"We've got a lot of weapons on offence. You can see we have a lot of great players. We're still getting it together."
The win moved Calgary into first place in the West Division with a 5-1 record, while the loss left BC (1-5) searching for answers.
Long after the game, slotback Geroy Simon sat desolate by his locker. Any physical injury he felt couldn't match his hurt pride.
"Right now we're just not good enough," Simon said in a near whisper. "We make way too many mistakes.
"Losing is hard. I'm accustomed to winning. I work to win. We say the same things every week. The talent is there. The mental side isn't at times."
The game was decided on a familiar, sour note for the Lions.
With his team trailing by just four points late in the third quarter, BC quarterback Travis Lulay was intercepted by safety Dwight Anderson, who returned the ball 48 yards to the Lions 10-yard line.
Two plays later Calgary quarterback Henry Burris found Ryan Thelwell in the end-zone to give the Stampeders an 11-point lead.
The clock showed there was still 15 minutes to play but the Lions' body language said the game was over.
The Stampeders have beaten BC eight consecutive times, a stretch dating back to when John Hufnagel took over as Calgary's head coach and general manager.
Burris, who threw two touchdown passes, said the Calgary offence is finally catching up to the defence.
"We've been played our butts off this year and our defence has been playing very good football," said Burris, who completed 22-of-32 passes for 238 yards and one interception. "Our offence is getting better week in and week out.
"We're just going to continue to get better."
The Lions say their problems aren't physical, but mental.
"Apparently wanting and doing are two different things," said a subdued defensive end Brent Johnson.
"They are a good team. That's the difference. We're a good team at times. They were a good team for 60 minutes. We were a good team for 30."
It was another frustrating ending for Lulay, who was replaced by backup Jarious Jackson. A late Lulay interception resulted in a loss to Toronto and his fumble in the dying minutes cost the Lions a chance to beat Edmonton last week.
"We had chances in the football game," said Lulay, who completed 15-of-28 passes for 159 yards and the interception.
"That (interception) turned the tide. Nothing you can do now but learn from it and move forward."
It was Lulay's third start in place of the injured Casey Printers and it could also be his last. There already is speculation Jackson may start when the Lions play the Roughriders next week in Regina.
Jackson finished the night completing 8-of-17 passes for 99 yards and an interception. He engineered a late drive that ended in Jamal Robertson's second touchdown of the night.
Calgary backup quarterback Drew Tate tossed a one-yard touchdown to Rob Cote.
Calgary's Rob Maver hit on field goals of 17 and 19 yards.
Robertson scored on a five-yard run in the first quarter, then again from the one in the last minute of the fourth. A two-point convert failed.
Lions kicker Paul McCallum was good on field goals of 38, 15 and 27 yards.
Wally Buono, the Lions coach and general manager, kept the dressing room door closed for a long time after the loss. It's the first time in Buono's career that he's started a season 1-5.
"At times they showed we cold compete against any team we played this year," said Buono. "It's not a matter of skill, it's not a matter of schemes.
"I think at times it's a matter of belief and a matter of confidence. It's confusing because you see a lot of good things at times and sometimes you see things that are very surprising."
A crowd of 24,876 watched the game, which was played in cool, damp conditions after a day of steady rain in Vancouver. It was the first taste of adverse weather at Empire Field, the $14.4-million temporary stadium the Lions are using this year.
The change in venue is necessary because of construction of a new $458-million retractable roof at BC Place Stadium in downtown Vancouver.
The Lions came into the game with the CFL's lowest scoring offence and faced a Calgary defence that had allowed the fewest points.
The Calgary defence showed a new wrinkle on some second-and-long plays. The Stamps put one player at the line of scrimmage, with the rest of the defence standing several yards back. As the Lions prepared to snap the ball, the Stamps brought more rushers to the line.
The ploy seemed to confuse the Lions early, resulting in Lulay being sacked once and hurrying several other throws.
The wily veteran Burris caught the Lions napping early in the first quarter. He launched a long ball to Rambo, who had gotten behind defensive back Stanley Franks. Rambo, who just returned to action last week after missing almost a year with a leg injury, made the catch before falling into the end zone.
Notes: The last time BC beat Calgary was Nov. 3, 2007, in a 25-24 game played at BC Place. ... Not dressed for the Lions were offensive tackle Jon Hamiester-Ries (ankle) and defensive tackle Aaron Hunt, who was put on the nine-game injured list after surgery Friday for a torn pectoral muscle. ... The injury to Hamiester-Ries resulted in BC starting three imports on the offensive line...The Lions wore their retro 1970s uniforms.
