The B.C. Lions (1-0) kicked off the 2025 season on Saturday night against the Edmonton Elks (0-1) to close out Week 1. For the first time since 1968, two Canadians started at quarterback with Nathan Rourke of the B.C. Lions and Tre Ford of the Edmonton Elks.
First Quarter:
Edmonton got the ball to start the game but they went two-and-out. On B.C.’s first series of the game, quarterback Nathan Rourke completed four passes for 58 yards moving the ball to the Edmonton’s zone. Running back James Butler rushed for two yards, and backup quarterback Chase Brice rushed for one yard setting them up on Edmonton’s one-yard line.
On third down, Brice appeared to have scored a touchdown. However, after further review, Brice did not break the plain and Edmonton took over on their one-yard line. It was an offensive struggle for both teams. The only points scored in the first quarter was by Edmonton punter Cody Grace who punted the ball 66 yards into the endzone for a single point. It was 1-0 Edmonton.
B.C. got the ball for the rest of the first quarter. Quarterback Nathan Rourke completed four passes for 24 yards and running back James Butler had two carries for 21 yards reaching Edmonton’s 25-yard line as the first quarter came to an end. Edmonton had 20 yards on offense (6 yards passing, 14 yards rushing), and B.C. had 128 yards (90 yards passing, 38 yards rushing).
Edmonton quarterback Tre Ford completed 1 of 6 passes (16%) for six yards, and B.C. quarterback Nathan Rourke completed 9 of 10 passes (90%) for 90 yards.
Second Quarter:
In the second quarter, B.C. kicker Sean Whyte made a 22-yard field goal to give the Lions a 3-1 lead with 13:15 left. When Edmonton got the ball back, they ran nine plays for 74 yards, including Tre Ford throwing a 50-yard pass to Arkell Smith, who reached B.C.’s one-yard line. Then, backup quarterback Cody Fajardo scored the touchdown giving the Elks a 7-3 lead with 8:03 left before halftime. Kicker Vincent Blanchard missed the extra point.
B.C.’s offense was inconsistent with 58 yards. At times, they looked to have figured it out only for them to stall without scoring a point. The fans grew impatient knowing this team was better than what they showed on the field. Late in the second quarter, Edmonton had a chance to extend their lead but kicker Vincent Blanchard missed a 48-yard field goal wide left. The Elks led the Lions 7-3 at halftime.
First Half Stats:
Edmonton had 130 yards of offense (82 yards passing, 48 yards rushing), six first downs, 1 for 1 in the red zone, and the team was penalized four times for 15 yards. Quarterback Tre Ford completed 7 of 11 passes (64%) for 82 yards, and three carries for 27 yards.
Running back Justin Rankin had five carries for 15 yards, and wide receiver Arkell Smith made one catch for 50 yards. The defense forced two turnovers.
B.C. had 179 yards (108 yards passing, 71 yards rushing), 10 first downs, and the team was penalized two times for five yards. Quarterback Nathan Rourke completed 11 of 17 passes (65%) for 108 yards, and one carry for 10 yards.
Running back James Butler had seven carries for 59 yards, and one catch for seven yards. Wide receiver Javon Cottoy made four catches for 45 yards, and Keon Hatcher made three catches for 35 yards.
Third Quarter:
In the third quarter, B.C. made the corrections from the first half and began to put points on the board. Quarterback Nathan Rourke began the second half throwing five passes for 39 yards. On the next play, Nathan Rourke faked a handoff before throwing a 34-yard touchdown to Stanley Berryhill III for a 10-7 lead with 10:48 left to cap off a seven-play drive for 72 yards.
Edmonton returner Arkell Smith returned the kickoff for 62 yards before he was pushed out of bounds to B.C.’s 32-yard line. After going two-and-out, kicker Vincent Blanchard missed a 45-yard field goal wide left.
B.C. quarterback Nathan Rourke and running back James Butler combined with five carries logging 50 yards. Rourke also threw three passes for 17 yards. Then, Rourke threw a 37-yard touchdown pass to Stanley Berryhill III for a 17-7 lead with 1:58 left to cap off a 10-play drive for 107 yards.
On the final play of the third quarter, B.C.’s defense got through the offensive line and was chasing Tre Ford. Ford was running around all over the field before throwing a short pass to Justin Rankin, who avoided a couple of tackles for 37 yards to B.C.’s three-yard line as time expired down 17-7.
Fourth Quarter:
In the fourth quarter, Edmonton backup quarterback Cody Fajardo scored a one-yard touchdown and it was now 17-14 with 13:33 left to cap off a six-play drive for 58 yards. B.C. kept their foot on the gas.
Quarterback Nathan Rourke threw four passes for 57 yards and rushed for two yards to Edmonton’s 15-yard line. On the next play, Rourke found a wide-open Justin McInnis for a 15-yard touchdown. It was now 24-14 with 9:54 left of the game to cap off a seven-play drive for 86 yards.
Edmonton’s chances started to slip away when Tre Ford threw a ball nowhere near any of his receivers. Instead, it was picked off by Ben Hladik, who ran it back for 61 yards almost scoring a touchdown before getting tripped up on the four-yard line. B.C. cashed in when James Butler rushed for a four-yard touchdown. It was now 31-14 with 6:59 left of the game.
Edmonton returner Javon Leake returned a 92-yard kickoff return for a touchdown but it was called back on an illegal blocking penalty. They ended up going two-and-out. Edmonton was unable to overcome the mistakes and turned the ball over with 26 seconds left. Nathan Rourke took a couple of kneel downs and the B.C. Lions defeated the Edmonton Elks by the final score of 31-14.
Final Stats:
B.C. had 446 yards of offense (324 yards passing, 124 yards rushing), 25 first downs, 2 for 4 in the red zone, and the team was penalized three times for 20 yards. Quarterback Nathan Rourke completed 27 of 36 passes (75%) for 324 yards, three touchdowns, and five carries for 54 yards.
Running back James Butler had 10 carries for 68 yards, and one touchdown. Wide receiver Stanley Berryhill III had a good night making six catches for 105 yards, and two touchdowns. Kicker Sean Whyte made one field goal for 22 yards. The defense made 37 tackles, nine tackles for loss, two sacks, and one interception.
Edmonton had 248 yards of offense (178 yards passing, 87 yards rushing), 15 first downs, 2 for 3 in the red zone, and the team was penalized six times for 30 yards. Quarterback Tre Ford completed 18 of 27 passes (66%) for 178 yards, one interception, and six carries for 54 yards.
Running back Justin Rankin had seven carries for 24 yards and five catches for 67 yards. Wide receiver Arkell Smith made two catches for 55 yards, and Zach Mathis made four catches for 34 yards. The defense made 41 tackles and one tackle for loss.
Next week, the B.C. Lions visit the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Thursday at 8:30 pm on TSN and CFL+, while the Edmonton Elks are on a bye week. Purchase CFL tickets today on StubHub.
