The B.C. Lions (11-7) hosted the Calgary Stampeders (11-7) on Saturday night from B.C. Place Stadium in a Western Semi-Final matchup. B.C. came into this missing several players, including offensive lineman Dejon Allen (Arm), and defensive linemen Marcus Moore (Elbow) and Jonah Tavai (Thigh).
The Stampeders were missing a few players as well, including wide receiver Malik Henry (Non-Injury Related), offensive lineman Joshua Coker (Knee), and defensive back Damon Webb (Pectoral).
First Quarter:
B.C. Lions kick returner Seven McGhee started the game with a 55-yard kick return to the 40-yard line. Running back James Butler lost two yards, and Nathan Rourke threw a 10-yard pass to Keon Hatcher to the 32-yard line. Kicker Sean Whyte made a 40-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead with 13:01 left.
Later, Calgary’s offense had the ball on the 54-yard line. Running back Dedrick Mills had two carries for 12 yards, and Quincy Vaughn had a carry for three yards to the 41-yard line. On the next play, B.C. defensive lineman Bradlee Anae sacked Vernon Adams Jr. for a two-yard loss. Adams Jr. limped to the sidelines. Kicker Rene Paredes made a 50-yard field goal, and the game was tied 3-3 with 1:32 left.
B.C. quarterback Nathan Rourke threw a seven-yard pass to Stanley Berryhill III to the 47-yard line, and that was all they got. Calgary returner Erik Brooks returned a 46-yard punt by Carl Meyer for 14 yards to the 31-yard line to end the first quarter.
Calgary’s offense had 39 yards (22 yards passing, 19 yards rushing, 2 yards lost), while B.C.’s offense had 29 yards (29 yards passing, 8 yards rushing, 8 yards lost).
Second Quarter:
In the second quarter, Calgary’s offense moved the ball to the 53-yard line. On third down, punter Mark Vassett punted the ball 54 yards. B.C. returner Seven McGhee watched the ball bounce into the end zone and out of bounds for a single point. Calgary took a 4-3 lead with 11:58 left.
B.C.’s offense had the ball on the 40-yard line. Nathan Rourke threw a 29-yard pass to Justin McInnis to the 41-yard line. Calgary’s defense pressured Rourke on the next two plays with Jaylon Hutchings and Justin Sambu sacking Rourke. On Sambu’s sack, it was taken away after Calgary was called for an illegal contract penalty. The Lions moved the ball to the one-yard line.
B.C. backup quarterback Jeremiah Masoli lost the ball on the snap but quickly recovered it to score the touchdown. The Lions took a 10-4 lead with 6:57 left to cap off a 10-play drive for 70 yards.
Late in the second quarter, Calgary quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. threw a 10-yard pass to Erik Brooks to the 49-yard line. After Dedrick Mills rushed for five yards, Adams Jr. threw two more passes for 34 yards to the 22-yard line. Three plays later, B.C. pressured Adams Jr., with defensive lineman Jonah Tavai sacking him for a 10-yard loss. On third down, kicker Rene Paredes made a 35-yard field goal. The Stampeders trailed the Lions 10-7 with 2:37 left.
B.C. running back James Butler started the next drive with a six-yard run to the 46-yard line. Quarterback Nathan Rourke threw two passes for 25 yards and rushed for eight yards to the 31-yard line before the drive stalled. Kicker Sean Whyte made a 39-yard field goal for a 13-7 lead with 43 seconds left.
Calgary quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. quickly moved the offense by four passes for 59 yards and rushed for five yards to the six-yard line, but they ran out of time and missed an opportunity to get three points. The Lions led the Stampeders 13-7 at halftime.
First Half Stats:
B.C.’s offense had 137 yards (126 yards passing, 26 yards rushing, 15 yards lost), eight first downs, 1 for 1 in the red zone, and the team was penalized three times for 22 yards. Quarterback Nathan Rourke completed 9 of 12 passes (75%) for 126 yards and four carries for 17 yards.
Running back James Butler had three carries for six yards. Wide receiver Keon Hatcher made four catches for 51 yards, while Justin McInnis made two catches for 45 yards. The defense made two sacks.
Calgary’s offense had 172 yards (140 yards passing, 44 yards rushing, 12 yards lost), 12 first downs, 0 and 2 from the red zone, and the team was penalized three times for 26 yards. Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. completed 11 of 17 passes (64.7%) for 140 yards and one carry for five yards.
Running back Dedrick Mills had six carries for 31 yards. Wide receiver Jalen Philpot made three catches for 32 yards, while Dominique Rhymes made one catch for 28 yards. The defense made one tackle for loss and two sacks.
Third Quarter:
In the third quarter, B.C. quarterback Nathan Rourke threw two passes for 13 yards and rushed for 44 yards to the seven-yard line. On the next play, Rourke faked a handoff before running into the end zone for the touchdown. The Lions extended their lead to 20-7 with 11:16 left to cap off a four-play drive for 64 yards.
Calgary’s offense had the ball on the 37-yard line. Vernon Adams Jr. began the drive by throwing an 11-yard pass to Jalen Philpot to the 48-yard line. On the next two plays, Jalen Philpot rushed for 11 yards and Dedrick Mills rushed for four yards to the 47-yard line.
Vernon Adams Jr. also rushed for 17 yards to the 30-yard line. Then, Adams Jr. saw Jalen Philpot blow by Jackson Findley before throwing the ball to him for the touchdown. The Stampeders trailed the Lions 20-14 with 7:51 left to cap off a five-play drive for 73 yards.
On the kickoff, B.C. returner Robert Carter Jr. returned a 65-yard kickoff, weaving around Calgary players on his way to scoring a 95-yard touchdown. The Lions led 27-14 with 7:16 left.
Calgary had the ball on the 40-yard line. Dedrick Mills rushed for seven yards. They got a break on third when B.C. was called for an offside penalty, giving them a first down. Two plays later, running Dedrick Mills rushed for 43 yards to the six-yard line.
Mills would get an additional two yards, and Vernon Adams Jr. rushed for two yards to the two-yard line. On third down, Adams Jr. threw a touchdown pass to Clark Barnes. The Stampeders trailed the Lions 27-21 with 2:08 left to cap off an eight-play drive for 70 yards.
B.C. had the ball on the 31-yard line. Running back James Butler caught a pass from Nathan Rourke for 24 yards and rushed for seven yards to the 48-yard line. The third quarter ended with the Lions leading the Stampeders 27-21.
Fourth Quarter:
The Lions began the fourth quarter by punting the ball to Calgary. Calgary’s offense had the ball on the 22-yard line. Eight plays into the drive, Vernon Adams Jr. threw a 40-yard pass to Clark Barnes to the 12-yard line. Two plays later, Adams Jr.’s pass was intended for Damien Alford, but it was incomplete.
However, a defensive pass interference penalty on B.C. defensive back Garry Peters moved the ball to the one-yard line. On the next play, Quincy Vaughn came in and scored the touchdown. Kicker Rene Paredes missed the extra point. The game was tied 27-27 with 7:46 left to cap off an 11-play drive for 88 yards.
Late in the game, B.C. quarterback Nathan Rourke threw two passes for 17 yards. On the next play, Rouke had pressured in his face before getting sacked by Jaylon Hutchings for a seven-yard loss. On third down, Calgary returner Erik Brooks fumbled the ball, and it was recovered by Kieran Poissant on the 32-yard line. Despite the turnover, B.C. went two-and-out. Kicker Sean Whyte made a 39-yard field goal for a 30-27 lead with 1:07 left in the game.
Calgary had the ball on the 37-yard line. On the second play, Vernon Adams Jr. threw a 42-yard pass to Jalen Philpot, who took a hit after making the catch. They would go two-and-out afterward, and kicker Rene Paredes made a 38-yard field goal. The game was tied 30-30 with 29 seconds left.
B.C. had the ball on the 26-yard line. James Butler rushed for five yards, and Nathan Rourke threw two passes for 43 yards to the 36-yard line. Kicker Sean Whyte ended the game by making a 43-yard field goal. The B.C. Lions defeated the Calgary Stampeders 33-30.
Final Stats:
B.C.’s offense had 298 yards (223 yards passing, 97 yards rushing, 22 yards lost), 15 first downs, 2 for 2 in the red zone, and the team was penalized six times for 48 yards. Quarterback Nathan Rourke completed 16 of 22 passes (72%) for 223 yards, six carries for 68 yards, and one rushing touchdown.
Running back James Butler had seven carries for 25 yards. Wide receiver Justin McInnis made four catches for 84 yards, while Keon Hatcher made four catches for 51 yards. The defense made 48 tackles, four sacks, and one fumble recovery.
Calgary’s offense had 476 yards (334 yards passing, 170 yards rushing, 28 yards lost), 26 first downs, 2 and 4 from the red zone, and the team was penalized four times for 36 yards. Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. completed 23 of 33 passes (69%) for 334 yards, two touchdowns, and three carries for 24 yards.
Running back Dedrick Mills had 14 carries for 111 yards. Wide receiver Jalen Philpot made seven catches for 120 yards and one touchdown, while Clark Barnes made four catches for 73 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 33 tackles, one tackle for loss, and three sacks.
The B.C. Lions visit the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the Western Final next Saturday at 6:30 pm on TSN and CFL+.
