The B.C. Lions (9-7) hosted the Calgary Stampeders (8-7) on Saturday night from B.C. Place Stadium in the second and final meeting of the season. Both teams were trending in opposite directions. The Lions came into this game on a three-game winning streak, and the Stampeders had a three-game losing streak.
First Quarter:
In the first quarter, Calgary had the ball on the 16-yard line. Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. began the drive by throwing a 58-yard pass to Damien Alford to the 36-yard line. The offense moved the ball to the 20-yard line before kicker Rene Paredes made a 27-yard field goal. The Stampeders took a 3-0 lead with 9:25 left.
Late in the first quarter, B.C. running back James Butler started the drive with a one-yard run. Next, Nathan Rourke threw three passes for 35 yards to the 40-yard line. Then, Rourke threw the ball to Justin McInnis from the corner of the endzone, resulting in a touchdown. The Lions took a 7-3 lead with 40 seconds left to cap off a six-play drive for 76 yards.
Outside of those two plays, it was a defensive battle. Calgary’s defense sacked Rourke two times, and B.C.’s defense sacked Adams Jr. twice. The Lions led the Stampeders 7-3 at the end of the first quarter. B.C.’s offense had 94 yards (98 yards passing, 11 yards rushing, 15 yards lost), and Calgary’s offense had 85 yards (66 yards passing, 35 yards rushing, 16 yards lost).
Second Quarter:
In the second quarter, B.C. defensive lineman Levi Bell pressured Vernon Adams Jr., causing the ball to go up in the air for a bit before Jonah Tavai made a diving interception. After further review, the command center determined that the ball hit the ground and Tavai did not complete the catch, and it was ruled an incomplete pass.
B.C.’s offense had the ball on the 39-yard line. Running back James Butler started the drive with two carries for five yards. Quarterback Nathan Rourke threw four passes for 47 yards. James Butler picked up another carry for five yards to the 14-yard line.
On the next play, Rourke threw the ball to Jevon Cottoy to the corner of the endzone for a touchdown. The Lions extended their lead to 14-3 with 9:14 left to cap off an eight-play drive for 71 yards.
Later, Calgary quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. threw four passes for 37 yards to the 33-yard line. Three plays later, B.C. defensive lineman Mathieu Betts sacked Adams Jr. for a five-yard loss to the 36-yard line. Kicker Rene Paredes made a 43-yard field goal. The Stampeders trailed the Lions 14-6 with 2:44 left.
With under a minute left, B.C.’s offense moved the ball to the 32-yard line. On the next play, Rourke threw a quick pass to Keon Hatcher. He broke a tackle on his way to scoring the touchdown. The Lions led the Stampeders 21-6 at halftime.
First Half Stats:
Running back James Butler had seven carries for 30 yards and three catches for 33 yards. Wide receiver Keon Hatcher made four catches for 70 yards and one touchdown, while Jevon Cottoy made six catches for 63 yards and one touchdown. The defense made four sacks and one forced fumble.
Calgary’s offense had 139 yards (112 yards passing, 56 yards rushing, 29 yards lost), 7 first downs, 0 for 1 in the redzone, and the team was penalized two times for 15 yards. Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. completed 9 of 14 passes (64.2%) for 112 yards and one carry for five yards.
Running back Dedrick Mills had four carries for 49 yards. Wide receiver Damien Alford made one catch for 58 yards, while Jalen Philpot made four catches for 25 yards. The defense made one tackle for loss and three sacks.
Third Quarter:
B.C. started the third quarter on the 12-yard line. Quarterback Nathan Rourke started the drive by throwing a 21-yard pass to Justin McInnis to the 33-yard line. The offense moved the ball to the 10-yard line. On the next play, Rourke threw a touchdown pass to Keon Hatcher for a 28-6 lead with 11:24 left to cap off a five-play drive for 98 yards.
Calgary’s offense had the ball on the 40-yard line. Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. started the drive by running for seven yards and throwing two passes for 22 yards to the 41-yard line. After getting sacked by Dewayne Hendrix for a one-yard loss, Adams Jr. threw a 24-yard pass to Jalen Philpot before the drive stalled. Kicker Rene Paredes made a 25-yard field goal. The Stampeders trailed the Lions 28-9 with 7:17 left.
B.C. running back James Butler started the next drive with a six-yard run to the 46-yard line. Nathan Rourke threw three passes for 26 yards, while Butler had two more carries for -1 yard to the 39-yard line. Kicker Sean Whyte made a 47-yard field goal for a 31-9 lead with 2:08 left.
Late in the third quarter, B.C. defensive lineman Tibo Debaillie sacked Vernon Adams Jr. for a five-yard loss. On the next play, Adams Jr. threw a 55-yard pass to Erik Brooks on the 20-yard line. After two incomplete passes, Calgary went for it on third down. Vernon Adams Jr.’s pass intended for Jalen Philpot was intercepted by Jackson Findley in the endzone. The Lions led the Stampeders 31-9 with one quarter left to play.
Fourth Quarter:
In the fourth quarter, B.C. quarterback Nathan Rourke’s pass intended for Stanley Berryhill III was intercepted by Calgary Anthony Johnson Jr. He returned it for 12 yards to the 25-yard line. Calgary quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. threw an 18-yard pass to Dominique Rhymes to the seven-yard line.
Then, he saw Clint Barnes create some separation before throwing the ball to him for the touchdown. They went for a two-point conversion, and Adams Jr. ran it into the endzone. The Stampeders trailed the Lions 31-17 with 11:51 remaining in the game.
Later, B.C.’s offense moved the ball to the 43-yard line. On the next play, Calgary’s defense pressured Rourke, forcing him to overthrow the ball in the direction of James Butler. Calgary linebacker Micah Teitz was there to make the interception on the 39-yard line.
Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. started the drive by throwing two passes for 29 yards. Running back Dedrick Mills had a couple of carries for 29 yards to the 13-yard line. A too-many-men penalty on B.C. placed the ball on the six-yard line. Three plays later, Adams Jr. threw the ball to Dominique Rhymes for the touchdown. The Stampeders trailed the Lions 31-24 with 4:45 left.
Late in the game, Calgary quarterback Vernon Adams Jr.’s pass intended for Tevin Jones was intercepted by Robert Carter. James Butler started the drive with a three-yard run and caught a pass from Nathan Rourke for 44 yards to the 33-yard line. On the next play, Rouke handed the ball off to Zander Horvath, who bulldozed his way into the endzone. The Lions extended their lead to 38-24 with 59 seconds left.
With 38 seconds left, B.C. defensive back Robert Carter picked off Vernon Adams Jr. to seal the game. The Lions completed the season sweep over the Stampeders 38-24, and have now won four straight games, and clinched a playoff spot. Calgary has now lost four straight games.
Final Stats:
B.C.’s offense had 498 yards (414 yards passing, 106 yards rushing, 22 yards lost), 25 first downs, 2 for 2 in the redzone, and the team was penalized eight times for 67 yards. Quarterback Nathan Rourke completed 25 of 32 passes (78.1%) for 414 yards, four touchdowns, two interceptions, and two carries for 22 yards.
Running back James Butler had 15 carries for 42 yards and six catches for 97 yards, while Zander Horvath had two carries for 42 yards and one touchdown. Wide receiver Keon Hatcher made seven catches for 112 yards and two touchdowns, while Jevon Cottoy made seven catches for 99 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 38 tackles, six sacks, three interceptions, and one forced fumble.
Calgary’s offense had 394 yards (303 yards passing, 126 yards rushing, 35 yards lost), 22 first downs, 2 for 5 in the redzone, and the team was penalized five times for 35 yards. Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. completed 21 of 38 passes (55.2%) for 303 yards and four carries for 32 yards.
Running back Dedrick Mills had seven carries for 85 yards. Wide receiver Damien Alford made one catch for 58 yards, while Jalen Philpot made seven catches for 71 yards, and Erik Brooks made five catches for 92 yards. The defense made 44 tackles, three tackles for loss, three sacks, and two interceptions.
Next week, the Calgary Stampeders visit the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at 3 pm on CTV, TSN, and CFL+. The B.C. Lions are off next week.
