Nathan Rourke rushed for a pair of touchdowns and threw for another, lifting the B.C. Lions to a 27-22 win over the visiting Toronto Argonauts in CFL action Friday night at BC Place.
Justin McInnis also had a touchdown for the Lions (8-7) who have now won three straight games. Kicker Sean Whyte added two field goals and three converts. Nick Arbuckle tossed for 281 yards and a TD for the Argos (5-10). Makai Polk had the lone Toronto touchdown, while kicker Lirim Hajrullahu booted five field goals and a conversion.
The Argos opened the scoring near the six-minute mark, when Hajrullahu connected on a 50-yard field goal.
On the Lions' next drive, Rourke was picked off at the Toronto one-yard line by Willie Drew. On the very next play, the Lions returned the favour when Arbuckle, throwing from his own end zone, was intercepted by Jackson Findlay at the Toronto 42.
B.C. turned the Toronto miscue into three points, with Whyte tying things at 3-3 with a 30-yard field goal with 4:06 to play in the quarter.
Toronto reclaimed the lead at 6-3 as Hajrullahu hit an 18-yard field goal as time ran out in the quarter.
Less than a minute into the second quarter, Rourke was intercepted again, this time by Benjie Franklin. The Argos couldn't do anything with the turnover, as B.C.'s Mathieu Betts sacked Arbuckle to force a punt. It was the first of three sacks on the night for Betts, the league leader in that category.
The first touchdown of the game came just under six minutes into the quarter, when Rourke hit McInnis for his sixth receiving touchdown of the season to cap a four-play, 87-yard drive. Whyte's convert made it 10-6 for B.C.
Whyte added a 47-yard field goal with just over two minutes to play in the half, boosting B.C.'s lead to 13-6.
With 13 seconds to play, Rourke was picked off for the third time in the half, this time by Derek Slywka. Hajrullahu hit a 50-yard field goal to pull Toronto within 13-9 at halftime.
A promising Toronto drive to open the second half fizzled out and Hajrullahu hit his fourth field goal, from 35 yards out, to make it 13-12 Lions five minutes in.
Following a defensive pass interference call in the Toronto end zone, Rourke scored from the one-yard line with 3:45 to play in the quarter for his eighth rushing TD of the season. Whyte's convert gave B.C. a 20-12 lead.
As time ran out in the quarter, Hajrullahu kicked another 50-yard field goal to pull Toronto within 20-15.
Early in the fourth, the Lions were aided by a pair of key Argo penalties (pass interference and roughing the passer) and Rourke cashed in with another QB sneak from the one-yard line. Whyte's convert gave B.C. a 27-15 lead with 12:20 to play.
A series of penalties against the Lions helped the Argos march down the field on a six-play, 66-yard drive, with Arbuckle finding Polk for a seven-yard TD with just under six minutes to play. Hajrullahu added the convert to cut the B.C. lead to 27-22.
After a quick B.C. two-and-out, Toronto got the ball back with 4:10 to play. As the Argos neared midfield with just over two minutes to play, Betts sacked Arbuckle again, and the QB's ensuing fumble was recovered by B.C.'s Josh Woods. The Argos had a chance to get the ball back with B.C. in a third-and-short situation, but Rourke wriggled out of a tackle to get a crucial first down with 90 seconds to play. The Lions then ran out the clock for the victory.
With the win, B.C. is now a half-game behind the Calgary Stampeders (8-6) in the battle for second place in the league's West Division. The two teams clash Saturday, Oct. 4 (4 p.m.) in Vancouver.
NOTES: McInnis went over the 1,000-yard receiving mark for the second straight year, while teammate James Butler, the league's leading rusher, surpassed the 1,000-yard rushing plateau for the third time in his career... Rourke moved past the 10,000-yard career passing mark and passed Gerry Dattilio for second on the all-time list for Canadian QBs... B.C. defender Micah Awe reached the 100-tackle mark for the season... Both teams had more than 100 yards in penalties on the night.
