THE CANADIAN PRESS

WINNIPEG -- Running back Fred Reid always sets the bar high for himself, but even he knows a repeat performance against the B.C. Lions on Sunday is an unlikely feat.

When the Blue Bombers visited the Lions on Aug. 21, Reid rushed for a club-record 260 yards on 26 carries in his team's 37-10 victory.

"Ever since that game, teams have been doing a good job game planning us," said Reid, who hasn't had a 100-yard rushing game in six tries since the B.C. triumph.

"Every week I'm trying to come out and have a big game. No matter how much it is, as long as we get that (win) I'm feeling all right about myself."

Reid regained the CFL rushing lead (1,135 yards) in his team's 38-28 victory over Hamilton last week, but he left the field with a hip injury.

He said he felt 95 per cent of his usual form after Saturday's practice and would likely be totally ready for Sunday's home game (TSN, 5 p.m. ET).

His B.C. counterpart isn't so lucky.

Martell Mallet - eight yards back of Reid in the rushing race - is expected to sit out with a sore foot. A.J. Harris will take his spot and make his first start of the season.

Sunday's contest features two clubs on a roll as they jockey for playoff positioning.

The Bombers (6-8) have three straight wins and are tied for second place in the East Division with the Tiger-Cats, who will face the Alouettes (12-2) in Montreal on Sunday (TSN, 2 p.m. ET).

The Lions have put up back-to-back wins and are tied with Edmonton in the West. Calgary and Saskatchewan sit atop the division at 8-6 and battle for the No. 1 spot Saturday afternoon.

While Winnipeg head coach Mike Kelly always has confidence in Reid, he's not expecting a similar outing or the 393 total rushing yards his team finished with against the Lions.

"We hit a stride that night," Kelly said. "I'm sure they'll have answers for us."

If that's the case, Winnipeg can also look to its improved air attack. Quarterback Michael Bishop threw for a season-high 356 yards and three touchdowns against Hamilton.

Lions head coach Wally Buono doesn't want his players to forget the sting of the August loss.

"I hope the guys don't have a short memory," Buono said. "The last time they played us we embarrassed ourselves and that has to weigh on them."

B.C. defensive end Brent Johnson hasn't forgotten, but he believes his team is better than it was two months ago.

"We made a lot of mistakes, but we've looked at the film oodles of times," Johnson said. "I think we're a different team now than was playing out there that night.

"Winnipeg's going to be a good team. They're on the rise right now and we've just got to keep that confidence (from two straight wins) going week in and week out."

In the numbers game, though, it would appear the Bombers have the edge along the ground.

Winnipeg leads the league in rushing yards (1,766), while B.C. has given up the most rushing yards (1,855).

But some B.C. defenders may have extra motivation to have a good showing.

Earlier in the week, Lions defensive end Ricky Foley called Bomber defensive tackle Doug Brown a "little baby" for bringing up an incident that happened before the August game.

Some of the Lions had lined up on the field (instead of in their usual circle) and made crotch-chopping motions toward the Bomber bench.

Brown wrote about it in his weekly newspaper column and Buono apologized to the Bombers and the players involved were fined $75.

Foley, who leads the league with 11 QB sacks, complained it was a team solidarity thing and Brown should never have made it public. Buono has since banned the gesture.

"Once you walk halfway over towards our sideline and line up in a line then it gets personal," Brown said Saturday. "That's crossing the line."

If some Lions want to take him to task on the field, he's ready for them.

"I've been playing pro ball for 13 years, man, and I think I can take care of myself out on the field," Brown said.

"If it gets to that point where it gets a little something extra, then we'll see how it goes."

What the Bombers have to concentrate on is getting Lions QB Buck Pierce out of his rhythm. He tossed a game-winning 62-yard TD to Geroy Simon with 12 seconds left in their 34-31 victory over Edmonton last week.

B.C.'s offence should get a boost with the return of receiver Paris Jackson, who missed last week's game with a knee injury.

"It's a road game we've got to win," Pierce said. "It's a tight race so everything counts right now."

Notes: Winnipeg linebacker Barrin Simpson will be a healthy scratch with the return of LB Joe Lobendahn . . . Receiver Titus Ryan, part of a trade with Calgary last month, will make his Bomber debut . . . Lions all-star DE Aaron Hunt is back after missing one game with a strained shoulder . . . Almost 21,400 tickets had been sold for the game by Saturday morning. The weather is expected to be partly sunny with a high of 15 degrees Celsius.