BC Lions shut out Edmonton 27-0 July 29, giving the Elks their 21st straight home loss to set a new North American pro sports record..The Elks entered the game tied with the 1953 St. Louis Browns of Major League Baseball with 20 straight losses. They watched Mission Impossible 7 as a team-building exercise this week, only to find it impossible to get a point on the field..Edmonton had 139 penalty yards in the first half and another 38 in the second, but only 213 yards in net offence. It has been 1,387 days since Edmonton last won a home game, an Oct 12, 2019 victory over the BC Lions..Quarterback Dane Evans was comfortable in his first start with the Lions and led the team on two extended drives in the first quarter. The first drive ended in a 26-yard field goal by Sean Whyte. On BC’s second possession, Evans threw a bomb to Alexander Hollins for 55 yards. The drive ended with a 16-yard field goal. .Edmonton got three of its five sacks in the second quarter before got its first touchdown with 5:11 left in the half. Evans rolled right and found Justin McInnis in the end zone for a 23-yard major score. Whyte converted the TD and later kicked a 41-yard field goal to end the half..The Elks started the third quarter with a two-and-out and punted to the BC 18-yard-line. Following an 18-yard return, BC made a six-play march to the end zone, capped off by a 23-yard pass by Evans to Taquan Mizzell. It was the first touchdown of his career..With nine minutes left in the fourth quarter, Edmonton finally made it past the BC 54-yard line for the first time in the game. However, a 48-yard field goal attempt by Elks kicker Dean Faithfull only made it to the two yard line..Edmonton regained possession after a BC two-and-out, but Elks quarterback Taylor Cornelius was intercepted by Boseko Lokombo. BC had another two-and-out, but Garry Peters got the ball back with another interception. The ensuing drive ended in a 25-yard Sean Whyte field goal, making him a perfect 15-for-15 this season..BC’s 27-0 shutout bettered their record to 6-1, while Edmonton’s dropped to 0-8, its worst start in franchise history. BC also shut Edmonton out 22-0 on June 17. The last time a CFL team was shut out twice in the same season was 1967 when both Edmonton and Winnipeg did so. BC became the first team to record two shutouts since Calgary in 1970..Cornelius went 16-of-30 for 187 yards and two interceptions, stymied by a BC team that has only given up two passing touchdowns all season. His 22 rushing yards on five carries also led his team. On the BC side, Evans was 25-for-32, with 330 yards passing and two TDs. Mizzell led BC with 117 yards rushing from 22 carries..Edmonton has only scored 105 points this season, one less than Montreal, which has played three fewer games. The Elks have only scored 13.1 points per game this season. Ottawa holds the current CFL record for the worst average points per game at 15.4 in 1988 and 2014..The Hamilton Tigers of 1946 and the Hamilton Wildcats of 1949 are the only CFL teams to have ever had a winless season. They merged to become the Tiger-Cats prior to the 1950 season. The last time a CFL team won only one game in a season was 2003 when the Hamilton Tiger-Cats went 1-17..The Lions play the Blue Bombers on Thursday Aug 3. Following a week off, Edmonton will play its next game at home against the Bombers Aug 10. Should Edmonton lose, it will tie its club record of 13 straight losses overall, set Aug 28, 1964. The CFL record is held by Ottawa, which lost 25 games between Nov 10, 1928 and Nov 12, 1932.
