The B.C. Lions (4-5) visited McMahon Stadium on Thursday night to kick off Week 11 of the CFL season against the Calgary Stampeders (4-6) in their second meeting of the season. Nathan Rourke made his return as the starting quarterback for the Lions after missing several weeks with a left shoulder injury.
Calgary got the ball at the 42-yard line to start the first quarter. Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. ran for eight yards before throwing a seven-yard pass to Tevin Jones to the 53-yard line. After an offside penalty on B.C. defensive lineman Mathieu Betts, Calgary kicker Jude McAtamney made a 55-yard field goal to give the Stampeders a 3-0 lead with 12:06 left.
Later, Calgary’s offense moved the ball to the seven-yard line before McAtamney made a 14-yard field goal for a 6-0 lead with 5:53 left. On the second play for B.C., quarterback Nathan Rourke threw a four-yard pass to Jermaine Jackson. Jackson lost the ball, and it was recovered by Zy Alexander at the 43-yard line.
Vernon Adams Jr. threw two passes for 24 yards before he was sacked by Betts for a three-yard loss. Kicker Jude McAtamney made a 29-yard field goal for a 9-0 lead heading into the second quarter. Calgary’s offense dominated the first quarter with 101 yards, while B.C.’s offense had 19 yards.
In the second quarter, B.C. had the ball on the 19-yard line. Four plays later, Calgary brought pressure. Nathan Rourke got a good block to allow him to scramble before throwing an 85-yard pass to Jermaine Jackson to the two-yard line. Running back Zander Horvath scored the touchdown. The Lions trailed the Stampeders 9-7 with 9:17 left on a five-play drive for 91 yards.
Calgary got the ball on the 38-yard line. Dedrick Mills had two carries for seven yards, and Vernon Adams Jr. ran for 11 yards to the 46-yard line. They continued to move the ball to the 15-yard line before Vernon Adams Jr. threw a touchdown pass to Erik Brooks. Kicker Jude McAtamney missed the extra point. It was now 15-7 with three minutes left on a nine-play drive for 64 yards.
B.C. returner Stanley Berryhill III gave the Lions good field position at the 40-yard line after a 27-yard return. Running back Zander Horvath had three carries for 33 yards, and Nathan Rourke rushed for 29 yards to the eight-yard line. Then, Rourke threw a touchdown pass to Keon Hatcher.
The Lions attempted a two-point conversion, but Zander Horvath was stopped short of the goal line. The Lions trailed the Stampeders 15-13 with 1:48 left on a five-play drive for 70 yards. Just before halftime, Calgary kicker Jude McAtamney made a 44-yard field goal for an 18-13 lead.
Calgary’s offense had 205 yards. Vernon Adams Jr. went 11 of 17 for 131 yards, one touchdown, and two carries for 19 yards. Running back Dedrick Mills had nine carries for 48 yards and two catches for 19 yards. Wide receiver Jalen Philpot made three catches for 31 yards, and Tevin Jones made two catches for 21 yards.
B.C.’s offense had 194 yards. Nathan Rourke went 6 of 9 for 121 yards, one touchdown, and one carry for 29 yards. Running back Zander Horvath had seven carries for 45 yards, one rushing touchdown, and one catch for eight yards. Wide receiver Jermaine Jackson made two catches for 89 yards, while Keon Hatcher made three catches for 24 yards and one touchdown.
B.C. got the ball to start the third quarter from the 30-yard line. Running back James Butler had two carries for nine yards, and Zander Horvath rushed for 40 yards to the 31-yard line. Nathan Rourke threw an 11-yard pass to Jevon Cottoy before getting sacked by Clarence Hicks for a four-yard loss. However, Calgary was penalized for too many men, placing the ball on the 10-yard line. Then, Rourke avoided getting sacked before taking off for a 10-yard touchdown. It was Rourke’s seventh rushing touchdown of the season. The Lions took a 20-18 lead with 11:29 left on a six-play drive for 80 yards.
For the rest of the third quarter, both offenses struggled. Calgary only managed five yards, while the Lions had 47 yards. The Lions remained ahead 20-18 heading into the fourth quarter.
In the fourth quarter, B.C. kicker Sean Whyte made a 45-yard field goal to increase B.C.’s lead to 23-18 with 11:57 left. When Calgary got the ball, they lost a couple of key players. Running back Dedrick Mills suffered an injury and went to the locker room, and quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. hit the turf headfirst and was down for several minutes before he walked under his own power and into the medical tent. Josh Love was the new quarterback for Calgary.
With Calgary’s offense struggling, the Stampeders needed a spark. Their defense did the job. B.C. had the ball on the 45-yard line when defensive back Anthony Johnson Jr. picked off Rourke for a 55-yard return to the 25-yard line. B.C.’s defense brought the heat to Josh Love, but they were called for defensive pass interference, moving the ball to the one-yard line.
Quarterback Quincy Vaughn came in to score the touchdown. They went for a two-point conversion. Josh Love completed the two-point conversion to Damien Alford for a 26-23 lead with 4:02 left. On the kickoff, B.C. returner Stanley Berryhill III fumbled the ball, and it was recovered by Calgary defensive lineman Kelon Thomas at the 36-yard line. After going two-and-out, kicker Jude McAtamney missed a 39-yard field goal wide left.
On the second play, B.C. quarterback Nathan Rourke threw a short pass to Justin McInnis for 59 yards to the 11-yard line. Two plays later, Rourke threw a touchdown pass to Keon Hatcher for a 30-26 lead with 2:09 left on a four-play drive for 70 yards.
Late in the game, Calgary quarterback Josh Love threw five passes for 55 yards to the nine-yard line. Then, Love’s pass intended for Jalen Philpot was intercepted by T.J. Lee to seal the game. The Lions beat the Stampeders 30-26 for their third straight win.
B.C.’s offense had 446 yards (301 passing yards, 152 rushing yards, 7 yards lost), 20 first downs, 4 for 4 in the redzone, and the team was penalized nine times for 89 yards. Quarterback Nathan Rourke completed 15 of 22 passes (68.1%) for 301 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, three carries for 39 yards, and one rushing touchdown. Running back Zander Horvath had 15 carries for 102 yards and one rushing touchdown.
Wide receiver Jermaine Jackson made two catches for 89 yards, while Keon Hatcher made seven catches for 83 yards and two touchdowns. The defense made 39 tackles, one tackle for loss, two sacks, and one interception.
Calgary’s offense had 292 yards (206 passing yards, 97 rushing yards, 11 yards lost), 21 first downs, 2 for 5 in the redzone, and the team was penalized four times for 30 yards. Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. completed 13 of 23 passes (56.5%) for 148 yards, one touchdown, and three carries for 25 yards, while Josh Love completed 6 of 10 passes (60%) for 58 yards and one interception.
Running back Dedrick Mills had 10 carries for 49 yards, while Ludovick Choquette had three carries for 11 yards. Wide receiver Dejon Brissett made three catches for 40 yards, Jalen Philpot made four catches for 36 yards, and Erik Brooks made two catches for 27 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 36 tackles, five tackles for loss, one sack, two fumble recoveries, and one interception.
Next Sunday, the B.C. Lions host the Saskatchewan Roughriders at 7 pm on TSN and CFL+, while the Calgary Stampeders are on a bye week.
