B.C. Lions run all over Alouettes, while Montreal's Duron Carter draws questions

In this week's 12 Audibles, we discussed the importance of the running game, and the B.C. Lions have found more success with it than anyone else this year, averaging 96.2 yards per game. They showed that again Friday night against the Montreal Alouettes, picking up 252 rushing yards en route to a 38-27 win. That overshadowed a solid performance from new Montreal starting quarterback Rakeem Cato, who completed 72.4 per cent of his passes and threw for 255 yards, and Alouettes' receiver Duron Carter's sideline behaviour may further obscure that.

This was an impressive showing for B.C. on many fronts, but especially in the ground game. Running back Jeremiah Johnson led the way for the Lions Friday night, carrying the ball 16 times for 159 yards and three touchdowns. That's an average of 9.9 yards per carry, and it didn't all come on one big play, either; his longest run was 26 yards. Johnson was continually effective pounding the ball. He got some help, though, as the B.C. offensive line was impressive all night, and change-of-pace back Chris Rainey (five carries for 61 yards), quarterback Jon Jennings (three for 31), and short-yardage QB Travis Lulay (one carry for a yard and a touchdown) all contributed as well. The Lions' ground game was key to their victory, and while it wasn't all of it (Jennings also threw for 341 yards and a touchdown and completed 72.7 per cent of his passes), it was a major part.

Meanwhile, Montreal got some positives and some negatives out of this one. Cato's play was generally positive; while he got off to a slow start, his overall stats were decent, with that completion percentage and his one touchdown to no interceptions particularly looking good. Receiver B.J. Cunningham (who was on the practice squad earlier this year, and has worked his way into a key role thanks to injuries) also had a great night, picking up 101 yards on five catches, and Nik Lewis was his typically-solid self, making five grabs for 71 yards and a touchdown. The defence underperformed compared to its standards, though (they'd previously allowed just 23.7 points per game), and Carter may also have been more on the negative side.

On the bright side, Carter caught five passes for 76 yards, including an impressive grab on a 40-yard deep ball, and he also threw a 37-yard pass to Cunningham on a trick play. On the negative side, his sideline behaviour (including what looked like a heated discussion with head coach and general amanger Jim Popp) drew plenty of comment on the TSN broadcast. That's definitely not the way to dispel Justin Dunk's 3 Down Nation story that was published Friday, which featured a former Montreal teammate calling Carter the "Worst. Teammate. Ever." and other past coaches and teammates criticizing him for fights and other drama.

Overall, this is a game that will be seen as a major positive for the Lions. They got the win, improved to 8-3, and did so in dominant fashion, with their ground game particularly clicking and their passing offence also having a good night. Their defence also played well, especially in the first half where they held Montreal to just six points. For the Alouettes, it's more of a mixed bag; they improved from the 24-6 deficit they faced at the half, and there were some good moments from Cato and others. The defence's struggles and the sideline issues may ultimately overshadow that, though.