THE CANADIAN PRESS

VANCOUVER -- The Calgary Stampeders used a 48-10 crushing of the B.C. Lions Friday night to show they've taken a giant leap toward returning to last year's form.

The humbling loss left the Lions wondering which direction their season is heading.

Quarterback Henry Burris threw three touchdown passes and Joffrey Reynolds ran for two more as the Stampeders beat the Lions both physically and mentally.

"That was huge," said Burris. "For us to come out and have a total team effort, especially in a tough environment, it was one of the most critical games for us."

Jeremaine Copeland, who caught two touchdowns, admitted he was surprised how badly the Stampeders mauled the Lions.

"You don't expect anything to be like that," said Copeland, who finished the night with three catches for 28 yards. "We expected the game to go down to the fourth quarter."

Lions quarterback Jarious Jackson didn't mince words after the loss.

"Plan and simple, they kicked our ass tonight," he said. "There was no excuses.

"We were in the game at the beginning. I think we had a couple of turnovers that kind of set us back. Once they took the reins it was pretty much over."

The Stampeders erased an early 7-4 deficit by scoring 34 unanswered points as the defending Grey Cup champions improved their record to 2-2. It was Calgary's fifth consecutive victory over the Lions, including three regular season games last year and the CFL West Final.

The Lions dropped to 1-3.

Calgary scored 20 points off turnovers. Reynolds ran for 131 yards on 17 carries. The Stampeder defence had four quarterback sacks, two by defensive end Odell Willis, made two interceptions and forced two fumbles.

"I am very proud," said John Hufnagel, the Calgary coach and general manager. "We knew the chore at hand.

"We got the upper edge and kept it going."

One blemish on the night for Calgary was an injury to receiver Ken-Yon Rambo. He left the game late in the first quarter after his right leg buckled under him while being tackled by Lions linebacker Javier Glatt.

An animated Hufnagel argued from the sidelines that Glatt's tackle was a horse collar, where a tackler grabs an opponent by the pads at the back of the neck. No flag was thrown on the play.

Hufnagel said Rambo had "a sore knee" but the team wouldn't know more until he was examined.

Asked if the play deserved a penalty, Hufnagel shrugged.

"The referee didn't see it as a horse-collar tackle," he said. "I know personally the person who made the tackle.

"It's just part of the game. He had no intention of doing anything detrimental to Ken-Yon."

The Stampeders were already playing without Nik Lewis who missed the game due to a hip injury.

Burris didn't have a dominating night. He completed 16 of 29 passes for 163 yards, but played much of the game on a short field.

"The best part about it was we took care of the ball," he said. "We didn't do anything to give them life.

"When we got the turnovers on defence, we were able to put sevens on the board. That helped take the life out of them."

Rookie Jermaine Jackson also had a touchdown catch of five yards.

Kicker Sandro DeAngelis kicked field goals of 35, 27, 42 and 47 yards.

Jackson scored the Lions' touchdown on a one-yard plunge in the first quarter. Rookie kicker Sean Whyte added a 45-yard field goal in the fourth.

There was very little for Lions fans to cheer about as B.C. managed just 186 yards total offence. Both Jackson and starting quarterback Buck Pierce were booed.

Many among the crowd of 27,191 headed for the exits even before the third quarter was over.

The last time the Lions started the season 1-3 was in 2004. B.C. went to the Grey Cup that year, losing to Toronto.

The Lions kept their dressing room door shut for several minutes after the loss, first for a team meeting, then a players-only meeting.

"They had the ball and they were scoring, and we couldn't stop them from scoring," said veteran safety Barron Miles.

"We've got to buckle down, come together as a team and just perform better."

Both quarterbacks struggled.

Pierce started and put together one good drive in the first quarter, which ended in Jackson's touchdown. After that he was sacked twice, overthrew receivers and tossed an interception.

He finished the game completing eight of 16 passes for 97 yards.

Jackson, the offensive player of the week last week, had his own problems. On his second series he fumbled the snap. The Stampeders recovered on the B.C. 10-yard line, setting up Copeland's second touchdown.

He also threw an interception, which resulted in Reynolds' first touchdown.

He completed two of eight passes for six yards.

Notes: Prior to the game three additions were made to the Lions wall of fame, including Bob Ackles, the former president and chief operating officer who died suddenly of a heart attack last summer. Also inducted were former offensive linemen Ian Sinclair and Gerald Roper. ... Cornerback Trestin George's first name means Noble Warrior in German. ... Slotback Paris Jackson celebrated his 29th birthday. ... Running back Ian Smart returned to action after missing two games with a groin injury.