Nathan Rourke runs riot as Lions down Stampeders in Calgary

CALGARY — Nathan Rourke and the BC Lions got past the Calgary Stampeders on the road and made it look easy against the team sitting second in the West Division. Rourke ran in for a hat trick of touchdowns and threw for another pair as he took over the CFL record for passing yards by a Canadian in a single season in BC’s 52-23 victory.

Rourke was incomplete on just four of his 24 attempted passes, throwing for 331 yards and two touchdowns. He was a danger in the ground game as well, rushing for 43 yards and three touchdowns, including a terrific 26-yard run in the first quarter.

Keon Hatcher Sr. was the lead man in the receiving room, coming down with eight catches for 147 yards. Meanwhile, running back Zander Horvath had 12 carries for 152 yards and a touchdown in place of the injured James Butler. His 72-yard score in the fourth quarter put the game on ice for the Lions.

Cristophe Beaulieu and Micah Awe both intercepted Vernon Adams Jr. in the first quarter as the BC defence kept the Stamps’ offence under wraps for the majority of the contest. The Stamps were held to just two touchdown scores, and were held out of the end zone in the first half.

It wasn’t the reunion Adams Jr. would’ve envisioned prior to his first meeting against the Lions since being traded by BC after two seasons in Vancouver. Calgary’s pivot threw two picks in the first quarter and was eventually ruled out in the third quarter after sustaining an injury.

Dedrick Mills did his part with 13 carries for 65 yards, while catching seven balls for 38 yards to take him over the century mark for yards from scrimmage. Tevin Jones was Calgary’s leading receiver on Saturday, reeling in four balls for 57 yards including fourth-quarter touchdown grab.

RELATED

» 3 stats that defined BC’s Week 16 win over Calgary

» BC, Calgary by the numbers

» Depth Charts: BC | CGY

» Game Notes: Lions at Stampeders

It didn’t take long for Rourke to reach a new milestone and for BC to get on the board. Keon Hatcher Sr. and Justin McInnis were on the receiving end of a pair of first down completions before Rourke connected with Hatcher Sr. for a 33-yard completion which gave Rourke his record and brought the Lions on the edge of the end zone. Rourke took it in himself from a yard out to put the Lions up early.

The Lions’ defence brought their offence back onto the field in short order after creating the game’s first takeaway off of Adams Jr. Looking to push it downfield despite being scurried out of a collapsing pocket, Adams Jr. threw into double coverage over the middle, getting picked off by Beaulieu.

After the Stampeders’ defence forced the Lions to punt it, Adams Jr. threw his second interception of the quarter. This time it was a vigilant Awe getting in between Jalen Philpot and the football as Adams Jr. tried to complete a pass across the middle of the field.

An illegal blocking penalty against Adams Jr. gave BC possession of the football at Calgary’s 14. A 13-yard pass from Rourke to Pickett pushed the Lions to Calgary’s doorstep and then Jeremiah Masoli worked his way into the end zone to give BC a 14-0 lead midway through the opening quarter.

The Leos showed no signs of slowing down on their third offensive series of the game, getting their next touchdown in style with after a pair of incredible plays. First, Rourke sent a deep ball over the top of the Calgary defence to Stanley Berryhill who made a stunning diving grab to gain 51 yards. Then, from 26 yards out, Rourke shook off multiple defenders for a thundering run to the end zone to give BC a 21-0 lead.

A nine-play scoring drive helped the Stamps chip away at the visitors’ lead and more importantly, gain a bit of momentum at the start of the second quarter after a rocky opening quarter. Mills had 35 of his team’s 44 yards on a drive which ended with a 23-yard Rene Paredes field goal.

The Lions continued to look untameable on offence with a third straight touchdown drive. Just when it looked like Calgary’s defence got a big stop on third down, a face mask call against Jacob Roberts kept Rourke and company on the field. On the following play, Rourke found McInnis in space who got into the end zone for a 35-yard score, making it 28-3.

After a Stamps rouge, the home side was able to make it a three-score game before the break. Adams Jr. rushed for one first down and threw for three more before Paredes’ 29-yard kick made it 28-7 at halftime.

A 41-yard kickoff return by Erik Brooks gave the home time a boost coming out of halftime. Shortly after though, Adams Jr. was injured after taking an inadvertent knee to the helmet and was eventually ruled out for the rest of the game. As quarterback P.J. Walker entered the game, an unnecessary roughness penalty against Awe gave Calgary an extra 15 yards. Despite the injury setback, the Stamps were able to get into the end zone through a one-yard Quincy Vaughn score, his fifth rushing touchdown of the year.

With the Stamps seemingly picking up steam off of back-to-back scoring drives, the Lions’ offence kept their foot on the gas. Horvath got loose for a 36-yard rush but it was Hatcher Sr. who caught four balls for 80 yards on the series to set up his team on the three-yard line. Rourke dashed to his left on a quarterback sweep and won the race to the goal line to make it a hat trick of rushing majors and a 35-14 ballgame.

The Lions’ defensive front came up with a stop on third down to give Rourke and the offence another good starting point for their next drive. A handful of penalties held BC back as they eventually settled for a 36-yard Sean Whyte field goal to extend their lead to 38-14 through three quarters.

Walker connected with Jones for a touchdown early in the fourth but there was no way back for the Stamps. Rourke would throw another touchdown to McInnis and later on Horvath took off for a 70-yard major. The Stamps could only add another field goal to their fourth-quarter tally as the Lions got out of Calgary with a 52-23 win.

The Stampeders will travel to Montreal to face the Alouettes in Week 17 on Friday, September 26. Later that evening, the Lions will take on the Toronto Argonauts at Save-on-Foods Field at BC Place.

Click here to read article