The B.C. Lions (3-3) visited Commonwealth Stadium on Sunday night to close out Week 6 of the CFL season against the Edmonton Elks (1-4). This was the second meeting of the season.
First Quarter:
In the first quarter, Edmonton’s offense was moving the ball with quarterback Tre Ford escaping the pocket two times to run for 34 yards. The Elks reached the 54-yard line before Tre Ford tried the throw the ball to Steve Dunbar Jr., but B.C. defensive back Garry Peters fought Dunbar for the football to make the interception on the 10-yard line.
B.C.’s offense marched down to the 25-yard line. After the drive stalled, kicker Sean Whyte made a 33-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead heading into the second quarter. B.C.’s offense had 104 yards (91 yards passing, 13 yards rushing), and Edmonton’s offense had 51 yards (13 yards passing, 38 yards rushing).
Second Quarter:
In the second quarter, B.C. quarterback Nathan Rourke completed three passes for 34 yards. The offense moved the ball to the 16-yard line. On the next play, B.C. ran a screen play, where Rourke threw a short pass to Jevon Cottoy. Cottoy broke one tackle on his way to scoring the touchdown for a 10-0 lead with 10:04 left to cap off a 10-play drive for 75 yards.
Later in the second quarter, an unusual play happened. B.C. quarterback Nathan Rourke had pressure coming at him. He did a pump fake before throwing the ball which hit the back of the helmet of his teammate Jevon Cottoy. The ball was in the air for a bit before Jake Ceresna intercepted it. He did not have full control as he lost the ball, but Tyrell Ford recovered it on the 19-yard line.
Edmonton running back Javon Leake rushed for three yards, and quarterback Tre Ford completed a 15-yard pass to Steven Dunbar Jr. to the one-yard line. Backup quarterback Cody Fajardo came in to score the touchdown. Edmonton trailed B.C. 10-7 with 5:14 left to cap off a three-play drive for 19 yards.
B.C. returner Seven McGee returned the kickoff for 21 yards to the 22-yard line. B.C. running back James Butler had two carries for 11 yards, quarterback Nathan Rourke completed two passes for 47 yards, plus a roughing the passer penalty on Edmonton moved the ball to the 15-yard line. On the next play, B.C. running back James Butler made a couple of cut moves on his way to scoring a 15-yard touchdown. It was now 17-7 with 2:19 left to cap off a six-play drive for 88 yards.
Late in the second quarter, Edmonton punter Cody Grace punted the ball 52 yards to B.C. returner Seven McGee. McGee got a couple of good blocks before turning on the jets to score a 92-yard touchdown. However, an illegal blocking penalty on B.C. took away the touchdown.
Despite getting the touchdown taken away, B.C. marched on. The offense moved the ball up to the seven-yard line. On the next play, quarterback Nathan Rourke threw a dart through the hands of Edmonton defensive back Kordell Jackson and into the hands of Stanley Berryhill III for the touchdown. B.C. led 24-7 at halftime to cap off a seven-play drive for 101 yards.
First Half Stats:
B.C. had 338 yards on offense (243 yards passing, 102 yards rushing, 7 yards lost), 19 first downs, 3 for 3 in the redzone, and the team was penalized two times for 14 yards. Quarterback Nathan Rourke completed 19 of 22 passes (86.3%) for 243 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, and three carries for 35 yards.
Running back James Butler had 13 carries for 96 yards, one touchdown, and three catches for 35 yards. Wide receiver Stanley Berryhill III made six catches for 80 yards and one touchdown, while Jevon Cottoy made four catches for 53 yards and one touchdown. The defense made one tackle for loss, one forced fumble, and one interception.
Edmonton had 77 yards on offense (28 yards passing, 50 yards rushing, 1 yard loss), 5 first downs, 1 for 1 in the redzone, and the team was penalized four times for 40 yards. Quarterback Tre Ford completed 2 of 8 passes (25%) for 28 yards, one interception, and led the rushers with three carries for 42 yards.
Running back Justin Rankin had three carries for four yards, and wide receiver Steven Dunbar Jr. made two catches for 28 yards. The defense made one sack and one interception.
Third Quarter:
In the third quarter, B.C.’s offense moved the ball up to the three-yard line. During the drive, Edmonton defensive end Jake Ceresna hurt his knee for the second time. He was injured in the first quarter, in which he told a TSN reporter that his “knee popped out and they popped back in.”
Ceresna was loaded onto a cart and taken to the locker room, but not before both teams wished him the best. The Lions went for it on third down, and quarterback Nathan Rourke was a yard short of the endzone. Edmonton took over on the one-yard line.
On the second play, Edmonton quarterback Tre Ford completed a short pass to Justin Rankin. However, a holding penalty on Edmonton offensive lineman Mark Evans II in the endzone resulted in a safety. B.C. now led Edmonton 26-7 with 7:58 left.
Later in the third quarter, B.C.’s offense moved the ball up to the 28-yard line, where kicker Sean Whyte made a 36-yard field goal. The Lions led the Elks 29-7 heading into the fourth quarter.
Fourth Quarter:
In the fourth quarter, Edmonton quarterback Tre Ford was sacked by Mathieu Betts for a 17-yard loss to force third down. B.C.’s offense continued to get yards and keep the clock running. B.C.’s offense took over eight minutes off the clock reaching the 23-yard line. Kicker Sean Whyte made a 31-yard field goal for a 32-7 lead with 3:52 left.
Late in the fourth quarter, B.C.’s defense committed unnecessary penalties. Defensive back Deontai Williams speared Arkell Smith with a helmet-to-helmet contact, resulting in a 25-yard penalty, and the ball was placed on the 31-yard line.
On the next play, Edmonton quarterback Cody Fajardo threw the ball in the direction of Kurleigh Gittens Jr. He fought Ronald Kent Jr. to make the catch for the touchdown. It was now 32-14 with 2:34 left to cap off a four-play drive for 70 yards.
Cody Fajardo played one more series. He completed three passes for 43 yards. They were unable to get the first down, turning the ball over to B.C. Chase Brice took a couple of kneel-downs, and the game was over. The Lions dominated to a 32-14 win over the Elks.
Final Stats:
B.C.’s offense had 519 yards on offense (345 yards passing, 183 yards rushing, 9 yards lost), 28 first downs, 3 for 4 in the redzone, and the team was penalized 10 times for 89 yards. Quarterback Nathan Rourke completed 26 of 30 passes (86%) for 345 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, and two carries for eight yards.
Running back James Butler led the rushers with 30 carries for 172 yards, one rushing touchdown, and three catches for 35 yards. Wide receiver Keon Hatcher led the receivers making nine catches for 130 yards, while Stanley Berryhill III made six catches for 80 yards, and one touchdown, and Jevon Cottoy made six catches for 74 yards, and one touchdown. The defense made 19 tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack, two forced fumbles, and one turnover on down.
Edmonton had 160 yards on offense (112 yards passing, 66 yards rushing, 18 yards lost), 10 first downs, 1 for 1 in the redzone, and the team was penalized seven times for 55 yards.
Quarterback Tre Ford stats tonight. 4 of 12 completions (33%) for 34 yards, one interception, and led the rushers with four carries for 47 yards. Backup quarterback Cody Fajardo completed 5 of 7 passes (71.4%) for 78 yards, one touchdown, three carries for 13 yards, and one rushing touchdown.
Running back Justin Rankin had three carries for four yards, and wide receiver Kurleigh Gittens Jr. led the receivers making three catches for 55 yards. The defense made 60 tackles, one sack, one interception, and one turnover on downs.
Next week, the B.C. Lions host the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Saturday at 7 pm on TSN/CTV, CBS Sports Network, and CFL+. The Edmonton Elks are off next week.
