The B.C. Lions (7-6) hosted the Montreal Alouettes (11-3) on Saturday night at B.C. Place Stadium in their second and final meeting of the season.
In the first quarter, B.C. quarterback Nathan Rourke threw three passes for 28 yards to the 54-yard line. The Lions moved the ball to the 27-yard line before kicker Sean Whyte made a 35-yard field goal to put the Lions up 3-0 with 5:16 left.
Later, the Lions had the ball on the 27-yard line. B.C.’s offense moved the ball to the 13-yard line. On the next play, Nathan Rourke’s pass intended for Keon Hatcher was intercepted by Tyrice Beverette in the endzone. The Lions challenged for defensive pass interference and won, moving the ball to the one-yard line. Zander Horvath scored the touchdown to make it 10-0 at the end of the first quarter on a seven-play drive for 83 yards. The Lions had 128 yards on offense, while Montreal’s offense had 34 yards.
In the second quarter, B.C. defensive lineman Levi Bell pressured Davis Alexander. Alexander threw the ball right into the hands of Casey Sayles for a 43-yard pick-six touchdown. It was now 17-0 with 14:27 left.
Montreal started to get back into the game. They had the ball on the 52-yard line. Running back Stevie Scott III had two carries for 21 yards, and Davis Alexander threw an 11-yard pass to Tyson Philpot to the 26-yard line. Two plays later, Alexander threw a touchdown pass to Tyson Philpot. The Alouettes trailed the Lions 17-7 with 12:01 left on the five-play drive for 58 yards.
On the third play for B.C., Montreal linebacker Tyrice Beverette pressured Nathan Rourke. He hit Rourke, causing a fumble that was scooped up by Mustafa Johnson for a 23-yard touchdown. Jose Maltos Diaz missed the extra point. It was now 17-13 with 10:13 left.
B.C. had the ball on the 39-yard line. They moved the ball to the four-yard line, where Nathan Rourke threw a touchdown pass to Keon Hatcher for a 24-13 lead with 4:50 left before halftime on a 10-play drive for 76 yards.
The Alouettes had the ball on the 43-yard line. Davis Alexander started the drive by throwing a 34-yard pass to Tyler Snead to the 33-yard line. During the drive, Alexander threw a pass to Cole Spieker, who kicked the ball and recovered it for a first down, also known as the loophole kick rule. Montreal continued to move the ball to the 17-yard line. On the next play, Alexander ran to his right side before throwing the ball to a wide-open Tyler Snead for a touchdown. The Alouettes trailed the Lions 24-20 with 1:45 left on a 10-play drive for 68 yards.
The Lions had the ball on the 38-yard line. Nathan Rourke led the offense to the 14-yard line. On the next play, Rourke could not find anyone open and took off, diving to the pylon for the touchdown. The Lions led the Alouettes 31-20 with 35 seconds left on an eight-play drive for 72 yards. Montreal kicker Jose Maltos Diaz made a 25-yard field goal. The Alouettes trailed the Lions 31-23 at halftime.
B.C.’s offense had 201 yards. Quarterback Nathan Rourke went 10 of 15 for 135 yards, one touchdown, and two carries for 30 yards. Running back Zander Horvath had nine carries for 36 yards and one touchdown. Wide receiver Keon Hatcher made four catches for 64 yards and one touchdown, while Jevon Cottoy made three catches for 36 yards.
Montreal’s offense had 177 yards. Quarterback Davis Alexander went 10 of 16 for 138 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, and one carry for seven yards. Running back Stevie Scott III had five carries for 27 yards. Wide receiver Tyler Snead made three catches for 65 yards and one touchdown, while Tyson Philpot made three catches for 48 yards and one touchdown.
In the third quarter, Montreal running back Stevie Scott III rushed for four yards before he went down. The ball came out, and the refs let it play out. Tyson Philpot leveled Ronald Kent Jr., which led to some pushing and shoving.
The officials reviewed the play and determined Scott was down by contact. Tyler Snead, Tyson Philpot, and Ronald Kent Jr. were given unnecessary roughness penalties. Montreal moved the ball to the 26-yard line before kicker Jose Maltos Diaz made a 33-yard field goal. It was now 31-26 with 6:35 left. Both teams would go two-and-out to end the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, the Lions had the ball on the 27-yard line. Nathan Rourke threw four passes for 69 yards, and rushed for 11 yards to the three-yard line. On the next play, Zander Horvath scored the touchdown for a 38-26 lead with 10:12 left on an eight-play drive for 83 yards.
On the kickoff, Montreal returner DeVonte Dedmon returned the ball for 24 yards. Josh Haggerty was pushed into him, hitting him low on the right knee. Dedmon went up and landed on his head. A cart was brought, and Dedmon was loaded onto the stretcher. He gave a thumbs-up and was taken off the field. As of this writing, there is no update on his condition. The Alouettes would go two-and-out.
The Lions had the ball on the 40-yard line. Nathan Rourke threw a 20-yard pass to Jermaine Jackson to the 50-yard line. The Lions continued to move the ball to the one-yard line, where Zander Horvath scored the touchdown. It was now 45-24 with 4:14 left on an eight-play drive for 61 yards. It was his third touchdown of the night, and 19th for the season.
Late in the game, Montreal kicker Jose Maltos Diaz made a 50-yard field goal. It was now 45-29 with 2:32 left. The Lions would get those three points back when Sean Whyte made a 42-yard field goal for a 48-29 win over the Alouettes. The Lions have now won six of their last seven games, while the Alouettes have lost eight straight games at B.C. Place Stadium, dating back to 2015. The Lions also split the season series with Montreal.
B.C.’s offense had 429 yards (317 passing yards, 136 rushing yards, 24 yards lost), 31 first downs, 5 for 5 in the redzone, and the team was penalized seven times for 90 yards. Quarterback Nathan Rourke completed 24 of 33 passes (72%) for 317 yards, one touchdown, five carries for 77 yards, and one rushing touchdown. Running back Zander Horvath had 19 carries for 52 yards, three rushing touchdowns, and one catch for 17 yards. Horvath is now four touchdowns away from tying Milt Stegall’s single-season record (23).
Wide receiver Keon Hatcher made nine catches for 137 yards and one touchdown, while Justin McInnis made five catches for 57 yards. The defense made 33 tackles, one tackle for loss, two sacks, one interception, and one touchdown.
Montreal’s offense had 333 yards (277 passing yards, 72 rushing yards, 16 yards lost), 20 first downs, 1 for 3 in the redzone, and the team was penalized 11 times for 117 yards. Quarterback Davis Alexander completed 19 of 36 passes (52.7%) for 242 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, and one carry for seven yards. Running back Stevie Scott III had nine carries for 50 yards.
Wide receiver Tyler Snead made four catches for 84 yards and one touchdown, while Tyson Philpot made four catches for 57 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 48 tackles, one tackle for loss, two sacks, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and one touchdown.
Next Friday, the Montreal Alouettes visit the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at 7:30 pm on TSN, CBS Sports Network, and CFL+. The B.C. Lions are on a bye week.
