On Saturday night at BC Place, the newly revised BC Lions (1-0) took on the new-look Edmonton Elks (0-1). Before the game, One Republic put on a concert before the game started.
Once the game began, the Lions went hunting. Lions’ quarterback Nathan Rourke couldn’t have asked for a better debut, going 26/29 for 282 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions, seven carries for 78 yards, and two touchdowns.
Rourke’s first touchdown of the game came in the first quarter when he threw a ten-yard touchdown to James Butler for a 7-0 lead with 10:09 left in the first quarter.
After Elks’ kicker, Sergio Castillo, made a 35-yard field goal, making it 7-3, the Lions marched down the field to score another touchdown. Lions’ running back James Butler broke out a 36-yard run for the endzone that made it 14-3 Lions with 3:18 left in the first quarter. The score remained 14-3 after one-quarter of play.
At the start of the second quarter, Elks’ kicker Sergio Castillo made another field goal for 37 yards, cutting the Lions’ lead 14-6. Then, the Lions added another touchdown. Lions’ James Butler continued his dominance with a 21-yard rushing touchdown that made it 21-6 with 9:53 left in the second quarter. The game was starting to get out of hand.
After the Elks went two-and-out, the Lions got the ball back. Then, in an encore, Nathan Rourke led the Lions down the field before throwing his second touchdown to James Butler for six yards, and the Lions’ lead was 28-6 with 3:59 left in the second quarter. Elks head coach Chris Jones was stunned, and so were the TSN broadcasters.
The Elks moved the ball a bit before punting it back to the Lions. Once again, Nathan Rourke added another touchdown for a two-yard run, and the lead grew to 35-6 with 1:59 left in the second quarter.
After the Lions’ defense made an interception, BC added one more touchdown before halftime. Quarterback Nathan Rourke threw a six-yard touchdown pass to Keon Hatcher, making it 42-6 with nine seconds left in the second quarter. Edmonton had no answers in this game.
On the first series of the third quarter, the Elks finally scored a touchdown on a one-yard run by third-string quarterback Kai Locksley, making it 42-12 with 11:15 left of the third quarter. The Lions’ offense slowed down in the second half, knowing they had this game in the bag. On the next Elks’ possession, they added three more points on a 30-yard field goal by Sergio Castillo, and the score was 42-15 with 5:32 left in the third quarter.
On the next Lions possession, the Lions marched down the field and scored another touchdown when Nathan Rourke took off for a 17-yard touchdown run for a 49-15 lead with 1:01 left in the third quarter. By that point, Lions head coach Rick Campbell should’ve pulled his starter and let the backups play.
In the fourth quarter, the Lions added more points when Sean Whyte made a 13-yard field goal for a 52-15 lead with 3:28 left in the game. After the Lions’ defense made another interception, Michael O’Connor replaced Rourke in the fourth quarter. O’Connor scored the game’s final touchdown on a one-yard touchdown, and the Lions won the game 59-15.
Lions’ running back, James Butler, finished the game with 17 carries for 108 yards, two touchdowns, six catches for 33 yards, and two touchdowns, while wide receiver Lucky Whitehead led the receivers with six catches for 110 yards.
The Lions’ defense allowed 316 yards, 46 tackles, four sacks, three pass breakups, and four interceptions.
While this was a statement win, the Lions might have given away too much as their opponents will have plenty of game film to study them. Nevertheless, this was a good win for them, but can they keep it up when they start playing the good teams like Winnipeg and Saskatchewan.
For the Elks, quarterback Nick Arbuckle went 20/29 for 254 yards, no touchdowns, three interceptions, and one carry for six yards. Elks’ running back James Wilder had eight carries for 39 yards, and wide receiver Kenny Lawler led the receivers with five catches for 72 yards.
The Elks’ defense allowed 469 yards and 52 tackles. They couldn’t get to Nathan Rourke and had difficulty breaking through the Lions’ offensive line. They were pushed around and were exhausted as the Lions had possession of the ball for over 34-minutes. The way the defense played, the league will have no problems putting up 40 or more points.
No one expected the Elks to be contenders this season and what happened Saturday night showed they have a lot of work to do. This is a rebuilding year for the Elks, and the team showed no urgency or want to compete. However, how they played on both sides of the ball, many teams will mark wins on their calendars before they even play Edmonton.
Next week, the Lions will have a bye, while the Elks host the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Saturday at 9:30 pm ESPNews. Tickets for the game can be purchased thanks to our friends at StubHub.
