BC Lions

Nathan Rourke completed 86.7 per cent of his passes in his historic performance (The Canadian Press). Playing in front of another energized BC home crowd, it ...

was able to break through the BC offensive line for a sack. Unfortunately for the Lions the field goal was negated by a penalty, keeping the lead at 17-3 to end the half. On the ensuing drive, the Argos defence was able to force a fumble of their own as full back, David Mackie Completing two quick passes for 21 yards to put the Lions in field goal position with one second left in the quarter. On the ensuing drive for the Lions, it was running back, James Butler who was called upon to lead the BC offence down field. downfield for a 46-yard completion to put the Lions back in scoring range.

Week 3 of the CFL season concluded with the B.C. Lions staying hot to start their 2022 campaign by topping the (1-1) Toronto Argonauts 44-3 at B.C. Place.

However, the Argonauts were unable to capitalize and would have a quick two and out on offence. Nathan Rourke would smell blood and connect with Jevon Cottoy from 29-yards out to give his team a commanding 30-3 lead. Toronto’s defence would hold BC to a field goal to stop the bleeding. Rourke would find Dominique Rhymes from 19 yards out to extend BC’s lead to 17-3. BC would drive down the field with ease against a nonexistent pass rush by the Boatmen, and spotty secondary play. The Lions’ offence would continue to click, despite taking over pinned against their end zone. The penalty netted the Boatmen 37 yards to put them in Lions territory. The big connection was a 48-yard hookup to DaVaris Daniels. One play later, MBT would hit Brandon Banks on a slant down to the one-yard line. However, the Argos’ red zone issues would rear their ugly head when Toronto would fail to score on three straight downs from the one-yard line. British Columbia’s offence picked up right where they left off in week one by marching down the field 66 yards on eight plays. The Lions and Nathan Rourke picked up right where they left off from their home opener. Nathan Rourke would complete over 86 percent of his passes for 436 yards and four touchdowns.

Nathan Rourke is making a case to be No. 4, and the first since 2013. The B.C. Lions quarterback set the all-time record for passing yardage by a Canadian ...

Article content After a few scary minutes with players on both teams taking a knee, he was helped off the field by Burnham and Mackie, and did not return. QB Michael Bethel-Thompson was 15-of-21 for 178 yards and an interception. Article content Article content Whitehead, despite an injured ankle, had 87 yards. Article content And his pocket poise was on point. Article content He leads the league in passing touchdowns (7), even though he’s played one game less than the rest, throwing 436 on the night Saturday. His accuracy, exceptional. Article content Article content

What's more impressive is the fact they got it done despite losing three key starters to injury in a matter of minutes in the first half; Bo Lokombo, James ...

And I’m one of the last guys to leave and he’s still there, eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, trying to find something to do. “There were a lot of great things in that locker room and it’s a tribute to those guys. It will now be interesting to monitor the status of said players as they now face a short week of preparation for their next test. Can you say another Top Performer of the Week nod is coming for Rourke? Probably a safe bet. What’s more impressive is the fact they got it done despite losing three key starters to injury in a matter of minutes in the first half; Bo Lokombo, James Butler and Bryan Burnham each went down with upper body injuries after taking big hits late in the second quarter. And after this one, we think the rest of the CFL should be on notice.

Nathan Rourke threw for a massive 436 yards and four touchdowns, powering the B.C. Lions to a dominant 44-3 win over the Toronto Argonauts on Saturday.

Cottoy took a couple of quick steps into the end zone and tallied his first major of the season. A successful convert from Whyte gave the home side a 44-3 lead. The final frame saw Rourke again connect with Rhymes, this time with a 24-yard toss. The Lions remained undeterred, though, and sent Whyte out for a 50-yard field goal attempt. On review, officials agreed and Toronto was awarded a first down at the B.C. 21-yard line. Midway through the third frame, Wynton McMannis hauled down Rourke around centre field for a seven-yard loss. Whitehead appeared to suffer an ankle injury, too, but stayed in the game. The veteran wide receiver bowed twice to the crowd after tallying his first touchdown of the season. Toronto turned the ball over on downs. The 24-year-old native of Victoria, B.C., completed 39 of 45 attempts and was sacked once. Rourke fired a 46-yard bomb to Dominique Rhymes on the next play and Whyte capped the drive with a 21-yard field goal to put the Lions up 10-0. Rourke scrambled out of a collapsing pocket to pick up 11 yards and a first down, then capped the drive with a crisp 19-yard pass to Bryan Burnham in the end zone.