The B.C. Lions (3-5) closed out Week 10 of the CFL season on Saturday night against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (3-6) from B.C. Place Stadium. Nathan Rourke returned as the starting quarterback for the Lions after missing several games with a left shoulder injury. On the other side, Harrison Frost got the start for Hamilton.
In the first quarter, B.C. had the ball on the 34-yard line. Running back Zander Horvath began the drive with two carries for 12 yards to the 54-yard line. Horvath rushed for two more yards, while Nathan Rourke threw four passes for 37 yards to the seven-yard line. Then, Rourke finished the drive by throwing a touchdown pass to Zander Horvath for a 7-0 lead with 8:22 left. The drive took nine plays for 70 yards.
Late in the first quarter, Hamilton had the ball on the 29-yard line. Harrison Frost threw four passes for 76 yards to the five-yard line. Running back Johnny Augustine rushed for three yards, plus a penalty on B.C. moved the ball to the one-yard line. Jake Dolegala finished the drive with a one-yard touchdown. The game was tied 7-7 with 1:59 left on a six-play drive for 81 yards.
Nathan Rourke threw a 15-yard pass to Justin McInnis to the 25-yard line. Two plays later, Rourke’s pass intended for James Butler was intercepted by Robert Panabaker for a six-yard return. However, an offside penalty on Hamilton wiped the interception away. The Lions had the ball on the 30-yard line to begin the second quarter. B.C.’s offense had 86 yards, and Hamilton’s offense had 88 yards.
B.C. began the second quarter by punting the ball to Hamilton. The Tiger-Cats moved the ball to the five-yard line, where Harrison Frost threw a touchdown pass to Kurleigh Gittens Jr. for a 14-7 lead with 8:40 left on a nine-play drive for 44 yards.
For the majority of the second quarter, there were a lot of two-and-outs. Late in the second quarter, B.C. running back James Butler rushed for seven yards. Then, B.C. ran a flea flicker with Butler getting the handoff before pitching it back to Nathan Rourke. Rourke threw an 82-yard touchdown pass to Justin McInnis. The game was tied 14-14 with 2:16 left. Hamilton kicker Marc Liegghio made a 47-yard field goal to give the Tiger-Cats a 17-14 lead at halftime.
Hamilton’s offense had 155 yards. Harrison Frost went 13 of 19 for 139 yards and one touchdown. Running back Larry Rountree III had three carries for 13 yards, while Jake Dolegala had three carries for four yards, and one touchdown. Wide receiver Kenny Lawler made two catches for 42 yards, while Keric Wheatfall made three catches for 30 yards, and Kurleigh Gittens Jr. made four catches for 25 yards and one touchdown.
B.C.’s offense had 200 yards. Nathan Rourke went 9 of 17 for 175 yards and two touchdowns. Zander Horvath had four carries for 20 yards. Wide receiver Justin McInnis made three catches for 106 yards and one touchdown, while Jermaine Jackson made three catches for 29 yards.
In the third quarter, B.C. had the ball on the 22-yard line. The Lions moved the ball to the one-yard line before Zander Horvath scored the touchdown for a 21-17 lead with 4:49 left on a 12-play drive for 88 yards. Late in the third quarter, B.C. kicker Sean Whyte attempted a 42-yard field goal, but it was blocked by Philip Ossai.
Just before the third quarter ended, Harrison Frost’s pass was intercepted by Deontai Williams for a 39-yard return to the 29-yard line. The Lions led the Tiger-Cats 21-17 heading into the fourth quarter.
In the fourth quarter, B.C. was able to turn the turnover into points when Sean Whyte made a 33-yard field goal for a 24-17 lead with 13:15 left. Later, B.C. moved the ball to the 44-yard line. On the next play, Nathan Rourke’s pass went off the fingertips of Keon Hatcher, and it was intercepted by Jamal Peters for a seven-yard return to the 44-yard line. Hamilton quarterback Harrison Frost threw three passes for 65 yards, including a 46-yarder to Myron Mitchell to the one-yard line. Jake Dolegala came in and scored the touchdown. The game was tied 24-24 with 7:25 left on a four-play drive for 66 yards.
With under a minute left, B.C. moved the ball to the 17-yard line before Sean Whyte made a 24-yard field goal to put the Lions up 27-24 with 26 seconds left. Hamilton quarterback Harrison Frost threw two passes for 23 yards to the 49-yard line. Kicker Marc Liegghio attempted a 57-yard field goal, but he missed it wide left, and the game was over. The Lions held on to beat the Tiger-Cats 27-24 for their second win in a row.
B.C.’s offense had 436 yards (370 passing yards, 77 rushing yards, 11 yards lost), 22 first downs, 2 for 3 in the redzone, and the team was penalized five times for 36 yards. Quarterback Nathan Rourke completed 22 of 39 passes (56.4%) for 370 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. Running back Zander Horvath had 16 carries for 62 yards and one rushing touchdown.
Wide receiver Justin McInnis made five catches for 159 yards and one touchdown, while Jevon Cottoy made seven catches for 109 yards. The defense made 30 tackles, one sack, and one interception.
Hamilton’s offense had 258 yards (239 passing yards, 26 rushing yards, 7 yards lost), 15 first downs, 3 for 3 in the redzone, and the team was penalized three times for 25 yards. Quarterback Harrison Frost completed 20 of 33 passes (60%) for 239 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and one carry for three yards. Running back Larry Rountree III had three carries for 13 yards.
Wide receiver Myron Mitchell made two catches for 61 yards, and Kurleigh Gittens Jr. made seven catches for 54 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 40 tackles, one tackle for loss, one interception, and one fumble recovery.
Next Thursday, the B.C. Lions visit the Calgary Stampeders at 9 pm on TSN, CFL+, and CBS Sports Network, while the Hamilton Tiger-Cats host the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Saturday at 7 pm on TSN, CFL+, and CBS Sports Network.
