The Hamilton Tiger-Cats (2-1) hosted its first home game of the year at Hamilton Stadium on Friday night against the B.C. Lions (0-2). Heading into this game, many fans expected a shootout between quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell and Nathan Rourke. It was anything but a shootout.
Hamilton set the tone of the game in the first quarter. Kick returner Isaiah Wooden Sr. ran for 33 yards to the 52-yard line. Bo Levi Mitchell threw a two-yard pass to Kurleigh Gittens Jr. to the 54-yard line. On the next play, Mitchell threw a 56-yard touchdown pass to Kiondre Smith. B.C. defensive back Jackson Findley stumbled covering Smith. Smith fell to make the catch, but he was not touched and walked into the endzone. The Tiger-Cats took a 7-0 lead with 13:45 left.
On B.C.’s first drive of the game, running back James Butler had two carries for -2 yards, and Nathan Rourke threw passes for 46 yards to the 23-yard line. Then, Hamilton’s defense got back-to-back sacks from Philip Ossai and Quavian White. Kicker Sean Whyte made a 40-yard field goal. The Lions trailed 7-3 with 9:19 left.
When Hamilton got the ball again, Bo Levi Mitchell was picking B.C.’s secondary apart by throwing two passes for 69 yards to the one-yard line. Jake Dolegala came in and scored the touchdown for a 14-3 lead with seven minutes left to cap off a four-play drive for 70 yards.
Late in the first quarter, James Butler had two carries for 12 yards, while Nathan Rourke threw the ball five times for 53 yards, plus an illegal contact penalty on Hamilton, which moved the ball to the five-yard line. B.C. failed to score a touchdown and had to settle for a Sean Whyte 14-yard field goal. The Lions trailed the Tiger-Cats 14-5 with a little over a minute left.
Bo Levi Mitchell’s pass to Kiondre Smith was incomplete, but a defensive pass interference penalty on B.C. moved the ball to the 23-yard line. The Tiger-Cats gained 16 more yards to the seven-yard line as the first quarter ended. Bo Levi Mitchell went a perfect 5 of 5 completions for 140 yards and one touchdown.
In the second quarter, Bo Levi Mitchell threw a seven-yard touchdown pass to Maximilian Mang for a 21-6 lead that took four plays for 70 yards. B.C.’s defense did not pressure Mitchell, and the offensive line did a great job protecting Mitchell all night long.
With their backs against the wall, B.C. quarterback Nathan Rourke threw three passes for 54 yards, while James Butler had two carries for 12 yards. B.C. would get in the redzone again, but still could not get into the endzone. Kicker Sean Whyte made a 17-yard field goal. It was now 21-9 with 8:42 left.
Hamilton had a chance to get those three points back, but kicker Marc Liegghio missed a 45-yard field goal wide left. B.C. had a ton of injuries coming into this game, and it got worse. Wide receiver Kieran Poissant injured his right knee. He put no pressure on it, and he was carted off to the locker room.
Three plays later, Rourke’s pass intended for Jermaine Jackson was intercepted by Stavros Katsantonis at the 49-yard line. Bo Levi Mitchell continued his dominance by throwing a 49-yard touchdown pass to Kenny Lawler. Kicker Marc Liegghio missed the extra point. The Tiger-Cats led the Lions 27-9 at halftime.
The Tiger-Cats had 240 yards on offense. Bo Levi Mitchell completed 9 of 10 passes for 218 yards and three touchdowns. On the other side, B.C.’s offense had 207 yards. Nathan Rourke completed 11 of 19 passes for 159 yards, one interception, and one carry for six yards. B.C. running back James Butler had 10 carries for 50 yards.
In the third quarter, Bo Levi Mitchell threw a five-yard pass to Kurleigh Gittens Jr. to the 27-yard line. After Mitchell threw an incomplete pass, Hamilton challenged for defensive pass interference and won.
Hamilton took their time moving the ball to the eight-yard line, where Mitchell threw a touchdown pass to a wide-open Maximilian Mang. The Tiger-Cats led 34-9, which took 11 plays for 88 yards. Late in the third quarter, B.C. kicker Sean Whyte made a 43-yard field goal. The Lions trailed the Tiger-Cats 34-12. After B.C. failed to convert on third down, Hamilton running back Larry Rountree III rushed for three yards to the 23-yard line to end the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Bo Levi Mitchell threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to Kurleigh Gittens Jr. for a 41-12 lead with 14:21 left. After that touchdown, Hamilton let off the gas for the rest of the game. On B.C.’s next drive, they moved the ball to the 45-yard line. Punter Carl Meyer punted the ball 46 yards into the endzone, where returner Myron Mitchell conceded the single-point. It was now 41-13.
Nathan Rourke remained in the game. He threw seven passes for 80 yards to the 17-yard line. During the drive, B.C. lost two offensive linemen to injuries. After James Butler rushed for three yards, Rourke threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Nick Cenacle. It was now 41-20 with 3:31 left. The drive took 11 plays for 101 yards.
With two minutes left, Chase Brice was the new quarterback for B.C. He completed six of seven passes for 87 yards, including throwing an 18-yard touchdown pass to Nick Cenacle. The Tiger-Cats defeated the Lions 41-27.
Hamilton’s offense had 347 yards (285 passing yards, 63 rushing yards, one yard lost), 18 first downs, 3 for 3 in the redzone, and the team was penalized six times for 54 yards. Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell completed 15 of 18 passes (83%) for 285 yards and five touchdowns. His five touchdowns tied his career high in a single game. Running back Larry Rountree III had 18 carries for 62 yards.
Wide receiver Kenny Lawler made four catches for 81 yards and one touchdown, while Kiondre Smith made two catches for 72 yards and one touchdown, Kurleigh Gittens Jr. made four catches for 43 yards and one touchdown, and Maximilian Mang made three catches for 22 yards and two touchdowns. The defense made 51 tackles, one tackle for loss, three sacks, one interception, and one turnover on downs.
B.C.’s offense had 444 yards (378 passing yards, 79 rushing yards, 13 yards lost), 29 first downs, 2 for 4 in the redzone, and the team was penalized five times for 91 yards. Quarterback Nathan Rourke completed 24 of 35 passes (68.5%) for 291 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and one carry for six yards. Running back James Butler had 15 carries for 62 yards and two catches for nine yards.
Wide receiver Nick Cenacle made nine catches for 120 yards and two touchdowns, while Justin McInnis made five catches for 81 yards. The defense made 29 tackles and three tackles for loss.
Next Saturday, the B.C. Lions host the Calgary Stampeders at 7 pm on TSN, CFL+, and CBS Sports Network. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are off next week.
