The B.C. Lions (4-5) visited Hamilton Stadium on Thursday night against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (6-3) in a rematch from Week 8. The B.C. Lions did not have linebacker Isaiah Messam (knee), as he was placed on the six-game injured list. For Hamilton, they did not have fullback Ante Milanovic-Litre (hamstring) for the second week in a row.
First Quarter:
In the first quarter, B.C. Lions returner Seven McGee returned the kickoff for 32 yards to the 42-yard line. Quarterback Nathan Rourke threw two passes for 32 yards, and running back James Butler rushed for two yards as the offense reached the 34-yard line. Kicker Sean Whyte made a 41-yard field goal to give the Lions a 3-0 lead with 12:24 left.
Later in the second quarter, B.C.’s offense went two-and-out. Punter Carl Meyer punted the ball 59 yards to Isaiah Wooden Sr. He got several good blocks in front of him and made several juke moves on his way to scoring a 84-yard touchdown. Hamilton took a 7-3 lead with 9:26 left.
B.C.’s offense was back on the field. Running back James Butler had three carries for 16 yards. The offense made it to the 27-yard line before kicker Sean Whyte made a 35-yard field goal. The Lions trailed the Tiger-Cats 7-6 with 3:03 left.
Late in the first quarter, B.C.’s offense went two-and-out. Punter Carl Meyer punted the ball 46 yards to Isaiah Wooden Sr. The ball went off his shoulder pad and bobbled the ball in the process. The ball was recovered by B.C. player Josh Haggerty with 19 seconds left. Wooden Sr. suffered a right arm injury and was carted off the field. He did not play the rest of the game.
The Lions trailed the Tiger-Cats 7-6 at the end of the first quarter. B.C’s offense had 119 yards (88 yards passing, 31 yards rushing), and Hamilton had five yards (0 yards passing, 5 yards rushing).
Second Quarter:
In the second quarter, B.C. quarterback Nathan Rourke was sacked by Julian Howsare for eight yards, backing the Lions to the 45-yard line. Kicker Sean Whyte missed a 53-yard field goal. Hamilton returner Tim White returned the missed field goal for 11 yards to the four-yard line.
The second quarter was a defensive battle. Both offenses were able to move the ball, but both defenses stepped up when it mattered to force third down.
Late in the second quarter, Hamilton’s offense moved the ball to the 17-yard line. Kicker Marc Liegghio missed a 42-yard field goal wide left. B.C. returner Seven McGee returned the missed field goal for 35 yards to the 25-yard line. Liegghio was injured after the play.
B.C.’s offense moved the ball to the 15-yard line. On the next play, quarterback Nathan Rourke threw a pass to Jevon Cottoy. Cottoy hit three Hamilton players, keeping his legs going on his way to scoring the touchdown. B.C. led Hamilton 13-7 at halftime to cap off a six-play drive for 100 yards.
First Half Stats:
B.C.’s offense had 252 yards (206 yards passing, 59 yards rushing, 13 yards lost), 10 first downs, 1 for 1 in the redzone, and the team was penalized seven times for 55 yards. Quarterback Nathan Rourke completed 13 of 18 passes (72%) for 206 yards, one touchdown, and one carry for 13 yards.
Running back James Butler had eight carries for 46 yards. Wide receiver Ayden Eberhardt made two catches for 78 yards, while Jevon Cottoy made two catches for 22 yards and one touchdown. The defense made one sack.
Hamilton’s offense had 60 yards (56 yards passing, 15 yards rushing, 11 yards lost), 4 first downs, no redzone opportunities, and the team had no penalties. Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell completed 6 of 9 passes (66%) for 56 yards and one carry for three yards.
Running back Greg Bell had three carries for nine yards, and wide receiver Kenny Lawler made two catches for 29 yards. The defense made two sacks.
Third Quarter:
Hamilton got the ball to start the third quarter at the 34-yard line. Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell threw a 54-yard pass to Tim White to the 22-yard line. On the next play, Mitchell quickly threw the ball to Jevoni Robinson for the touchdown. Hamilton took a 14-13 lead with 13:44 left.
B.C.’s offense started at the 35-yard line. Quarterback Nathan Rourke threw three passes for 70 yards to the five-yard line. On the next play, Rourke handed the ball off to James Butler, who ran untouched into the endzone. The Lions took a 20-14 lead with 10:50 left to cap off a five-play drive for 75 yards.
Hamilton quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell led the offense by throwing four passes for 64 yards, and running back Greg Bell had two carries for six yards to the three-yard line. On third down, Mitchell threw a three-yard touchdown pass to Shemar Bridges. Hamilton led 21-20 with 5:56 left to cap off an eight-play drive for 73 yards.
Late in the third quarter, Hamilton’s offense went two-and-out. Punter Nic Constantinou punted the ball 58 yards to Seven McGee. McGee bobbled the catch, and there was a scramble for the ball. Hamilton player Ronan Horrall recovered the ball at the 15-yard line. Two plays later, quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell threw a nine-yard touchdown pass to Kiondre Smith for a 28-20 lead with 1:56 left.
On the kickoff, B.C. returner Seven McGee ran for 82 yards before getting pushed out of bounds at the 18-yard line. Quarterback Nathan Rourke rushed for 15 yards to the three-yard line, and backup quarterback Jeremiah Masoli finished the drive with a touchdown. They successfully made a two-point conversion, and the game was tied 28-28 heading into the fourth quarter.
Fourth Quarter:
In the fourth quarter, Hamilton running back Greg Bell had three carries for 27 yards, and quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell threw a short pass to Tim White for 11 yards to the 34-yard line. Bell got them closer to field goal range with a five-yard run to the 29-yard line.
On third down, kicker Marc Liegghio missed a 37-yard field goal wide left, but the ball went out of bounds for a single point. It was now 29-28 with 10:57 left.
B.C. quarterback Nathan Rourke threw three passes for 39 yards to the 31-yard line. On third down, kicker Sean Whyte made a 39-yard field goal. The Lions took a 31-29 lead with 8:15 left.
Later, Hamilton’s offense moved the ball to the 36-yard line before the drive stalled. Kicker Marc Liegghio made a 43-yard field goal when the ball hit the left upright and through to give the Tiger-Cats a 32-31 lead with 3:59 left.
Late in the game, B.C. quarterback Nathan Rourke’s pass was intercepted by Julian Howsare. He returned it for 35 yards to the 38-yard line. Hamilton running back Greg Bell rushed for three yards before the drive stalled. Kicker Marc Liegghio made a 42-yard field goal. Hamilton extended its lead to 35-31 with 1:53 left.
B.C. Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke threw three passes for 58 yards, and running back James Butler rushed for 11 yards to the 16-yard line. On the next play, Rourke found Butler in the corner of the endzone for the touchdown. The Lions took a 38-35 lead with 38 seconds left to cap off a seven-play drive for 85 yards.
Hamilton quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell threw two passes for 36 yards, and running back Greg Bell rushed for eight yards to the 22-yard line. Kicker Marc Liegghio made a 29-yard field goal to send the game to overtime tied 29-29.
Overtime:
Hamilton got the ball to start overtime. On the second play, quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell completed a pass to Tim White. White gained one yard before Cristophe Beaulieu stripped the ball out, and it was recovered by Dewayne Hendrix at the 22-yard line.
B.C. running back James Butler had four carries for 23 yards to the 12-yard line. Kicker Sean Whyte made a game-winning 19-yard field goal. The Lions defeated the Tiger-Cats 41-38. The loss snapped Hamilton’s six-game winning streak.
Final Stats:
B.C.’s offense had 514 yards (408 yards passing, 119 yards rushing, 13 yards lost), 25 first downs, 4 for 5 in the redzone, and the team was penalized eight times for 65 yards. Quarterback Nathan Rourke completed 24 of 40 passes (60%) for 408 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, and two carries for 28 yards.
Running back James Butler had 14 carries for 85 yards, one touchdown, four catches for 55 yards, and one receiving touchdown. Wide receiver Justin McInnis led the receivers making eight catches for 159 yards, and Ayden Eberhardt made three catches for 120 yards. The defense made 37 tackles, one sack, one forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries.
Hamilton’s offense had 366 yards (305 yards passing, 72 yards rushing, 11 yards lost), 19 first downs, 2 for 2 in the redzone, and the team had no penalties. Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell completed 23 of 33 passes (69%) for 305 yards, three touchdowns, and one carry for three yards.
Running back Greg Bell had 13 carries for 65 yards and three catches for 19 yards. Wide receiver Tim White led the receivers making five catches for 84 yards, and Kenny Lawler made four catches for 82 yards. The defense made 39 tackles, one tackle for loss, two sacks, one interception, and one fumble recovery.
Next Saturday, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats visit the Saskatchewan Roughriders at 3 pm on CTV, CBS Sports Network, and CFL+, followed by the B.C. Lions hosting the Montreal Alouettes at 7 pm on TSN, CBS Sports Network, and CFL+.
