On Saturday night at BC Place, the BC Lions took on the Edmonton Elks in their second meeting of the season. The Lions routed the Elks 59-15 in Week 1 and put on an encore performance in front of the home crowd.
On the Lions’ second possession of the first quarter, quarterback Nathan Rourke threw three passes for 34 yards, reaching Edmonton’s three-yard line. Then, on 1st and 2, Rourke dropped back from the pocket and threw a two-yard touchdown to Dominique Rhymes for a 7-0 lead with 8:01 left.
Edmonton got the ball and marched towards the Lions’ 35-yard line. On 1st and 10, Edmonton quarterback Taylor Cornelius avoided the blitz and ran with the ball before throwing a 19-yard pass to a diving Kenny Lawler for the touchdown, tying the game 7-7 with 3:01 left. Edmonton would not score their next points until the fourth quarter.
BC quarterback Nathan Rourke threw a 49-yard pass to Lucky Whitehead, then a 14-yard pass to Keon Hatcher. Rourke took off for 14 yards and threw a three-yard pass to Dominique Rhymes to Edmonton’s three-yard line. Then, Rourke threw a three-yard touchdown pass to Dominique Rhymes for his second touchdown of the game as time expired in the first quarter, and the Lions led 14-7 to begin the second quarter.
In the second quarter, BC quarterback Nathan Rourke threw his third touchdown of the game to Dominique Rhymes for 15 yards. However, Lions’ kicker Sean Whyte missed the extra point, making it 20-7 with 8:52 left. After Edmonton went two-and-out, the Lions got the ball back. On the first play, Nathan Rourke threw a 69-yard touchdown pass to an all-alone Lucky Whitehead, making it 27-7 with 5:55 left.
Late in the second quarter, Lions’ kicker Sean Whyte made a 47-yard field goal for a 30-7 lead with 1:59 left. Just before time expired, Nathan Rourke threw his fifth touchdown of the game to a leaping Bryan Burnham for 20 yards, and it was 37-7 at halftime.
In the third quarter, The Lions’ defense sacked Edmonton quarterback Taylor Cornelius on their four-yard line. On the next play, the Lions’ defense got Cornelius again in the endzone for a safety, 39-7 with 10:27 left.
After throwing five touchdown passes, Lions’ quarterback Nathan Rourke wanted to add one more stat, and that was rushing for a seven-yard touchdown for a 46-7 lead with 3:15 left in the third quarter. Edmonton had the ball for the rest of the third quarter and began the fourth quarter facing a 2nd and 19. Cornelius threw four straight passes to reach BC’s six-yard line. Then, Cornelius handed the ball off to Maleek Irons, who rushed up the middle and scored a touchdown. It was 46-14, with 12:13 left.
Nathan Rourke played two more series, and Michael O’Connor came in for the rest of the game. The Lions made several substitutions, and James Butler carried the ball for the rest of the game as the Lions routed the Elks 46-14. The Lions are now 6-1, while the Elks drop to 2-6.
Like Week 1, this was the Nathan Rourke show. The Lions did whatever they wanted on the field, and Edmonton could not stop them. Edmonton has undergone numerous roster changes, and will head coach Chris Jones cut more people after this loss.
BC quarterback Nathan Rourke went 34/37 for 477 yards, five touchdowns, five carries for 25 yards, and one touchdown while running back James Butler had 15 carries for 37 yards. Wide receivers Lucky Whitehead had six catches for 148 yards and one touchdown, while Dominique Rhymes had nine catches for 91 yards and three touchdowns. The Lions’ defense allowed 219 yards, 38 tackles, five sacks, one forced fumble, three pass breakups, one interception, and two fumble recoveries. The Lions play the Calgary Stampeders next Saturday at 7 pm on ESPN2.
Edmonton quarterback Taylor Cornelius was 15/26 for 183 yards, one touchdown, and one interception and led the rushers with four carries for 13 yards. Wide receiver Derel Walker led the receivers with seven catches for 91 yards, and the Elks’ defense allowed 540 yards, 60 tackles, one sack, one forced fumble, and one pass breakup. Edmonton hosts the Saskatchewan Roughriders next Saturday at 10 pm on ESPN+.
