HAMILTON– On a night where Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was honoured in his hometown, it was Nathan Rourke putting together an MVP-type comeback performance as the 4-5 BC Lions prevailed 41-38 in overtime over the 6-3 Tiger-Cats in a wild and wacky, back-and-forth Canadian Football League classic.
The result, which featured ten lead changes, snapped a two-game losing streak and may have saved the Lions’ aspirations to stay in the thick of this Western Division race. Now for some Game Takes:
Lions Prevail In Roller Coaster Affair
We pick this one up at the three-minute warning of the second half with the visitors trailing 32-31 and driving to take the lead. Rourke then tossed an interception to Julian Howsare that set up a Tiger-Cat field goal and a four-point lead. With plenty of time remaining, Rourke and the Lions got up off the mat and converted a big 3rd and 12 to Justin McInnis to keep their hopes alive.
The drive ended with a beautiful touchdown pass to James Butler to put them back on top with 38 seconds left. As is life in this great league, it was still enough for Bo Levi Mitchell and company to tie the game with a field goal on the final play of regulation.
Overtime brought about some poetic justice, as the defence that has heard enough flak over the last few weeks came through when Cristophe Beaulieu forced a fumble that DeWayne Hendrix scooped up. From there, it was a few runs to set up Sean Whyte with a closer winning field goal from 19 yards. What a night. What a win. As always, they will savour it for a few hours before getting back to work and correcting some of the things that didn’t go their way.
“It’s a very good football team,” said Rourke of tonight’s battle with Hamilton.
Obviously, we feel like we let the last time we played, we let that one slip from us, but they’re a very, very, very good football team. We expect it’s going to take a lot more wins like that of that quality to close out teams the rest of the season. We’ve got a number of them. It’s a good confidence builder that we can play below our standard of football, make some mistakes and gut out a victory no matter how pretty it looks. A win’s a win. That’s a very good football team.”
Rourke finished his night 24/40 for a season-high 408 passing yards and two touchdowns. Both McInnis and Ayden Eberhardt eclipsed 100 yards receiving with Butler adding 140 of his own from scrimmage, along with a pair of touchdowns. That balance will remain a big key going forward.
“The more I’m around the guy, the more fortunate I am to be the playcaller for a guy like him,” said Buck Pierce of Rourke’s performance.
“He’s growing within our system. He’s continuing to trust guys around him. I thought the offensive line did a good job tonight. JB there in the backfield, he’s doing a great job as well. So, when you’re able to get some 1st downs and some production on 1st down, you’re able to spread the ball around and he did a good job of that tonight.”
And you could tell for sure that the positive vibes throughout the week, despite the two-game losing streak, carried over into the battle in the Hammer.
“I’m a firm believer in practices reflect how you play in the game and how you have to take the week to prepare mentally, physically to be able to perform in the game, and especially when playing teams like Hamilton, “added Rourke.
“So, we have to bring our A game at all times. We can’t expect to have a subpar week of practice and go out there and play our best football. I’m glad we had the energy at practice and hopefully it continues.”
Key Numbers
514- Net offence for the Lions in this high-octane affair.
159– A game-high in receiving yards for McInnis, who was due for a big breakout.
82- A long kickoff return for Seven McGee to set up a third-quarter touchdown run from Jeremiah Masoli. It was a nice recovery for the returner after he lost a fumble right before that, which led to a Hamilton touchdown.
9- the number of walk-off field goals for Whyte in his 17-year career. It’s his second of the 2025 season after his heroics in Montreal on July 5.
8/65- They’ll have to clean up the penalties after committing eight for 65 yards. Seven of those penalties came in the first half, where they had trouble getting going until the late stages.
Quotable
“I feel like they’ve been getting the short end of the stick lately. You know? It feels good for those guys and they always say we got to pick each other up. I’m saying it’s a full team effort, special teams Seven, shaking back. You know what I’m saying, offence, defence, we knew it was going to take all of us.”- Butler on the defence making a big play at the end.
Next Up
The Lions return to Save-On-Foods Field at BC Place for a battle with the Montreal Alouettes next Saturday, August 16. Kickoff is 4:00 pm. Our first annual Show ‘N’ Shine game features an expanded Backyard Party at the Plaza of Nations, celebrating British Columbia’s car culture on display. Tickets start at only $19 and include free entry to the PNE Fair later this month. The first 5,000 fans through the gates receive a free Lions die-cast toy car. Buy Tickets Now