Quarterback Nathan Rourke threw for 414 yards and four touchdowns, lifting the B.C. Lions to a 38-24 win over the visiting Calgary Stampeders in CFL action Saturday at B.C. Place.
Keon Hatcher (2), Jevon Cottoy, Zander Horvath and Justin McInnis had touchdowns for the streaking Lions (9-7) who won their fourth straight contest and leapfrogged the Stampeders into second spot in the league's West Division standings. Kicker Sean Whyte added a field goal and five converts.
Vernon Adams Jr. had 303 passing yards and two touchdowns for the Stamps (8-7), who have lost four straight games. Adams also tossed three interceptions. Clark Barnes and Dominique Rhymes had touchdowns for Calgary, with Rene Parades booting three field goals and a convert.
In the first quarter, after the teams traded punts, Calgary got on the board first.
Adams hit receiver Damian Alford for a 58-yard gain, setting up Paredes for a 27-yard field goal and a 3-0 Calgary lead.
With a minute left in the quarter, B.C. struck back, with Rourke connecting with McInnis for a 40-yard touchdown. Whyte's convert gave B.C. a 3-0 lead.
The Lions boosted their lead five-and-a-half minutes into the second quarter, with Cottoy making a nice catch in the end zone from 14 yards out. Whyte's convert made it 14-3.
Calgary was driving late in the quarter, but a Mathieu Betts sack (his league-leading 14th of the year) force the Stamps to settle for a 43-yard Parades field goal to pull within 14-6.
B.C. wasn't done, however, moving down the field and finishing off a six-play, 95 yard drive with Hatcher's 32-yard catch-and-run touchdown with just 13 seconds left. Whyte booted another convert to give the Leos a 21-6 lead at the break.
Rourke finished the first half 16-for-19 for 248 yards and three touchdowns.
The Lions picked up where they left off after the break, finishing a long opening drive with a 10-yard hookup between Rourke and Hatcher. Whyte's fourth conversion gave B.C. a 28-6 lead.
Calgary responded with a solid drive of their own, but the Lions' defence stiffened and force another Paredes field goal, this time from 25 yards to pull Calgary within 28-9 with 7:18 left in the quarter.
Whyte upped the lead to 31-9 with just over two minutes to play, booting a 47-yarder.
With less than a minute left in the quarter, Adams found Erik Brooks for a 55-yard connection deep into B.C. territory. But Adams was intercepted in the end zone by B.C.'s Jackson Findlay, his second straight game with a pick. The Lions carried the 22-point margin into the final quarter.
In the final quarter, the Stamps staged a comeback, thanks in large part to a pair of turnovers, as they picked off Rourke twice.
Adams found Barnes for a seven-yard touchdown, then carried in for a two-point conversion to pull Calgary within 31-14 early in the frame.
Things got more interesting with five minutes to go, when Adams hooked up with Rhymes for a six-yard TD, with Paredes adding the convert to make it a once-score game at 31-24.
The Stamps again got the ball back with a chance to pull even, but with just over two minutes to play, Adams was picked off by Robert Carter Jr., who had two interceptions on the night.
Horvath added some insurance with a 33-yard burst for a major, with Whyte's convert completing the scoring.
B.C. has clinched a playoff spot and has a bye next week as it continues its pursuit of a home playoff date. They host the Edmonton Elks Oct. 17 (7:30 p.m.) and wrap up the regular season Oct. 25 with a visit to the division-leading Saskatchewan Roughriders.
NOTES: Hatcher finished with 10 catches for 112 yards... At halftime, the Lions honoured defensive legend Solomon Elimimian by retiring his No. 56 and inducting him into the team's Wall of Fame... B.C.'s T.J. Lee led the team with eight tackles, surpassing 600 for his career, ranking second all-time in franchise history.
