Five reasons B.C. went from worst to first

In many ways, the story of the B.C. Lions is the key narrative of the CFL season. The Lions came in with high expectations and seemed like a reasonable pick to make it to the Grey Cup, but slumped to a 0-5 start and were 1-6 after seven weeks. However, they were never as bad as they seemed, at one point leading the West Division with a +13 point differential despite a 3-6 record, so it wasn't as surprising as you might think when they went on an incredible 8-1 run in the second half of the year and clinched first place in the West with a dominant 43-1 pounding of Montreal Saturday night. Here are five reasons the Lions went from basement-dwellers to the kings of the West.

1. More experience for Travis Lulay: The maturation of Lulay (seen above diving for more yards against Calgary's Charleston Hughes), in just his third CFL season and his first as a full-time starter, has been one of this year's most interesting stories. Experience is crucial for CFL quarterbacks, and it usually takes a while for American quarterbacks to adapt to a game featuring bigger fields, 12 men on each side of the ball (which completely alters route and coverage patterns) and far more pre-snap motion. At first, Lulay looked like he might defy that typical curve; he proved excellent almost immediately after taking over for Casey Printers in 2010 and finished last season with some very impressive statistics, including a 64.5 per cent completion percentage. He struggled early this year, though, partly thanks to issues with his receivers and offensive line but partly thanks to his own play. As time went on, Lulay became more acclimatized with his receiving corps and B.C.'s offensive system, and he was a huge part of the Lions' stretch drive. He's a worthy candidate for Most Outstanding Player, and he may even win that despite his less-than-stellar 58.7 per cent completion rate on the year; he did throw for 4,815 yards on the season, second only to Anthony Calvillo, and he chucked 32 touchdowns against nine interceptions. He's been continually improving with experience, and that bodes well for the Lions' playoff fortunes.

2. The defence stepping up: Much of the focus on the Lions' turnaround has been on their potent offence, which notched 511 points on the year (28.4 per game), second in the league behind only Montreal. However, the defence deserves a lot of credit as well. The defensive line in particular has terrorized opposing quarterbacks, with Khalif Mitchell, Keron Williams, Brent Johnson and Aaron Hunt combining for 30 sacks and several others chipping in more, but the linebacking corps (led by the CFL's second-leading tackler, the ferocious Solomon Elimimian) and the secondary (featuring key veterans like Ryan Phillips, Korey Banks and Dante Marsh) have also played key roles. The defence wasn't really all that bad even in most of B.C.'s early losses, but they really turned it on in the second half and became one of the league's most feared units. They allowed only 385 points on the year, while no other CFL club conceded less than 400.

3. The acquisitions of Tad Kornegay and Arland Bruce: Saskatchewan's curious decision to waive veteran linebacker/defensive back Tad Kornegay midway through July sparked plenty of outrage from Riders' fans, but it's paid major benefits for B.C. The Lions picked Kornegay up and he became a key part of their defence, frequently starting at halfback and using his versatility to provide both solid pass defence and impressive blitzing/run-stopping. Meanwhile, Hamilton also made a decision to part with a veteran star in Early August, shipping receiver Arland Bruce to B.C. for just a third-round pick and a conditional selection. Bruce immediately improved the then 0-5 Lions' offence and became "a second #1" to Geroy Simon, making opposing defences' lives extremely difficult. He also quit causing off-field drama and brought veteran leadership to the Lions. The key pickups of Kornegay and Bruce were crucial to turning the Lions' season around.

4. The consistency of Paul McCallum: This isn't really a change, as the CFL's oldest player was very good all year. The 41-year-old kicker finished with the league's most kicking points (203), hit 50 of his 53 field goals for an incredible 94.3 per cent field goal percentage (by far the best ever recorded in a CFL season, beating out former Lions' legend Lui Passaglia's 90.9 per cent in 2000), and averaged an impressive 42.1 yards on punts. Still, McCallum was even more incredible than usual down the stretch, breaking Dave Ridgway's record with 30 consecutive field goals and hitting a 53-yarder on the same night to shatter Calgary hearts. He's the natural choice as the league's Most Outstanding Canadian and had arguably the best kicking season in history, impressive considering that he was deservingly nominated as the Lions' top player last year but then went through an off-season where it looked like they'd trade or cut him. His consistent performance is a huge reason for B.C.'s solid season.

5. The emergence of Andrew Harris: One of the Lions' key issues at the start of the year was a reluctance to run the ball. Jamal Robertson was effective when called upon, but wasn't used much, perhaps due to coaching concerns about his age. Jerome Messam and Jamall Lee would have been nice, but Messam was traded to Edmonton following a training-camp incident (that still hasn't been revealed) and Lee got hurt early on. After the Lions largely ignored the ground game for the first part of the season, they eventually realized the value of a balanced attack, and hat led to the rise of Harris. Harris is a Canadian back from junior football's Vancouver Island Raiders who's been around the Lions for a few years, but finally got his shot this season. He made a decent impression on the ground, rushing 96 times for 458 yards (4.8 yards per carry) and a touchdown, but his key value came on short screen and swing passes; he picked up 395 yards and seven touchdowns on 30 catches. He brought balance to the Lions' attack, was a key part of their resurgence and may be crucial to their playoff success.