The B.C. Lions (6-6) and the Ottawa Redblacks (7-3-1) kicked off Week 13 on a hot and humid Saturday night in the Touchdown Pacific game from Royal Athletic Park in Victoria, British Columbia. This was a rematch from Week 12 where the Redblacks beat the Lions 34-27.
B.C. welcomed back defensive lineman Mathieu Betts to the starting lineup and he made an impact in this game. Unlike their last meeting, this game was not close from the start and the Lions made a statement.
First Quarter:
B.C. Lions got the ball to start the game on their 45-yard line. Quarterback Nathan Rourke and running back William Stanback led the team down to the one-yard line. Rourke scored a one-yard touchdown using the quarterback sneak for a 7-0 lead with 10:26 left capping off an eight-play drive for 65 yards.
After B.C.’s defense forced a two-and-out, the Lions’ offense started on their 16-yard line. They went on an eight-play drive for 89 yards before kicker Sean Whyte made a 12-yard field goal extending their lead 10-0 with 3:09 left of the first quarter.
Ottawa’s offense started with the ball on their 48-yard line. They were able to reach their 55-yard line but the drive stalled and they punted the ball back to B.C. On the final play, B.C. quarterback Nathan Rourke’s pass intended for Alexander Hollins was incomplete. The Lions led the Redblacks 10-0.
B.C. had 154 yards on offense (123 yards passing, 31 yards rushing) and 9 first downs. Quarterback Nathan Rourke completed 7 of 10 passes for 123 yards, one carry for one yard, and one touchdown. Running back William Stanback had 7 carries for 30 yards. Ottawa had 22 yards on offense (20 yards passing, 4 yards rushing, 2 yards lost) and one first down. Quarterback Dru Brown completed 2 of 3 passes for 20 yards.
Second Quarter:
In the second quarter, B.C.’s offense marched down to the Redblacks’ three-yard line. To catch Ottawa’s defense off-guard, they went with a no-huddle play in which quarterback Nathan Rourke threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Alexander Hollins. The Lions extended their lead 17-0 with 8:22 left capping off a 10-play drive for 81 yards.
Ottawa’s offense started their next drive with two incomplete passes. On third down, Ottawa went with a trick play when punter Richie Leone threw a 27-yard pass to Marco Dubois reaching the Lions’ 52-yard line. Quarterback Dru Brown completed a 5-yard pass to Ryquell Armstead before kicker Lewis Ward made a 53-yard field goal and the Redblacks trailed the Lions 17-3 with 6:17 left of the second quarter.
On the first play for B.C., quarterback Nathan Rourke’s pass intended for Ayden Eberhardt was incomplete but a defensive pass interference penalty on Ottawa linebacker Frankie Griffin for 43 yards, put the ball on the Redblacks’ 27-yard line. B.C. running back William Stanback finished the drive carrying the ball two times for 27 yards, including a 14-yard touchdown. It was now 24-3 with 4:43 left before halftime capping off a three-play drive for 70 yards.
When Ottawa’s offense went back out on the field from their six-yard line, they went on an 8-play drive for 66 yards before kicker Lewis Ward made a 45-yard field goal. The Redblacks trailed the Lions 24-6 with 1:15 left of the second quarter.
On B.C.’s next drive, quarterback Nathan Rourke rushed for a gain of 19 yards reaching the Redblacks’ 51-yard line. Next, he completed an 18-yard pass to Justin McInnis to the Redblacks’ 33-yard line. Then, Rourke threw a deep pass to Ayden Eberhardt for a 33-yard touchdown. The Lions led the Redblacks 31-6 at halftime.
First Half Stats:
B.C. had 332 yards on offense (246 yards offense, 86 yards rushing), 23 first downs, and 3 for 4 in the red zone. Quarterback Nathan Rourke completed 16 of 20 passes (80%) for 246 yards, 2 touchdowns, 2 carries for 20 yards, and one touchdown. Running back William Stanback had 10 carries for 60 yards, one touchdown, and three catches for 49 yards.
Wide receiver Justin McInnis made two catches for 62 yards, and Ayden Eberhardt made four catches for 58 yards and one touchdown. B.C.’s defense made two sacks and one tackle for loss. They did not get a penalty in the first half.
Ottawa had 146 yards on offense (137 yards passing, 15 yards rushing, 6 yards lost), 8 first downs, and no red zone opportunities. Quarterback Dru Brown completed 11 of 16 passes (69%) for 110 yards, and one carry for one yard. Running back Ryquell Armstead had three carries for 14 yards and two catches for 17 yards.
Wide receiver Eli Stove made four catches for 41 yards, and Dominique Rhymes made two catches for 23 yards. Ottawa’s defense had no sacks and no tackles for loss. They were penalized 6 times for 79 yards.
Third Quarter:
In the third quarter, B.C. quarterback Nathan Rourke attempted to complete a pass to Keon Hatcher but Ottawa defensive back Damon Webb cut Hatcher off to make the interception and returned it for 29 yards reaching the 13-yard line.
Then, Ottawa quarterback Dru Brown threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Dominique Rhymes. They went for a two-point conversion but did not get it. The Redblacks trailed the Lions 31-12 with 11:51 left of the third quarter.
Ottawa’s defense started to put more pressure on B.C. quarterback Nathan Rourke in the third quarter. With 10:12 left, Ottawa linebacker Davion Taylor sacked Nathan Rourke on second down for a 9-yard loss forcing them to punt the ball.
Ottawa’s offense went two-and-out. B.C. returner Terry Williams returned Richie Leon’s punt for 45 yards reaching the Redblacks’ 52-yard line. B.C. quarterback Nathan Rourke and running back William Stanback combined with two carries for 8 yards before the drive stalled with 6:36 left.
B.C. kicker Sean Whyte missed a 51-yard field goal wide right and Ottawa returner DeVonte Dedmon returned the missed field goal for 73 yards to the Lions’ 41-yard line. Ottawa’s offense could not take advantage of the field position and lost 10 yards when B.C. defensive lineman Mathieu Betts sacked Dru Brown. The Redblacks punted the ball back to the Lions. B.C. had the ball on their 20-yard line with 4:14 left of the third quarter.
B.C.’s offense went two-and-out on their next drive. Ottawa had the ball with 2:19 left of the third quarter. On the final play of the third quarter, Ottawa running back Ryquell Armstead rushed for a gain of 5 yards reaching their 45-yard line. The Redblacks trailed the Lions 31-12.
Fourth Quarter:
In the fourth quarter, Ottawa reached the 39-yard line before the drive stalled. B.C. punt returner Terry Williams almost had a touchdown but Marco Dubois caught up to him to make the tackle at the Redblacks’ 23-yard line for a 72-yard return with 13:17 left.
On the second play, Ottawa defensive lineman Lorenzo Mauldin IV sacked Nathan Rourke for a seven-yard loss but a tripping penalty by Mauldin IV erased the sack and gave B.C. 10 yards to the Redblacks’ 13-yard line. Two plays later, B.C. quarterback Nathan Rourke threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Justin McInnis for a 38-12 lead with 11:21 left of the game capping off a three-play drive for 23 yards.
Moving ahead into the fourth quarter, Ottawa’s offense marched down to the Lions’ 9-yard line facing third down. On third down, Ottawa quarterback Dru Brown completed a pass to Anthony Gosselin for a 1-yard loss and a turnover on down. After the play, B.C. defensive lineman Juliano Falaniko was kicked out of the game for slapping an Ottawa player.
B.C.’s offense had the ball with 3:28 left of the game. They took their time killing the clock and left the Redblacks with 49 seconds to work with. Ottawa fullback Anthony Gosselin closed out the game with three carries for 9 yards as the game clock showed triple zeros. The B.C. Lions defeated the Ottawa Redblacks 38-12 to snap a 5-game losing streak.
Final Stats:
B.C. had 444 yards on offense (325 yards passing, 128 yards rushing, 9 yards lost), 29 first downs, and 4 for 5 in the red zone. Quarterback Nathan Rourke completed 21 of 30 passes (70%) for 325 yards, three touchdowns, one interception, three carries for 29 yards, and one touchdown. Running back William Stanback had 20 carries for 93 yards, one touchdown, and 6 catches for 78 yards.
Wide receiver Justin McInnis made three catches for 72 yards, and one touchdown, while Keon Hatcher made three catches for 71 yards, and Ayden Eberhardt made four catches for 58 yards and one touchdown.
B.C. kicker Sean Whyte made 1 of 2 field goals with a long of 12 yards. B.C.’s defense made 44 tackles, three tackles for loss, four sacks, two fumble recoveries, and seven tackles on special teams. B.C. defensive lineman Mathieu Betts made three tackles and one sack. B.C. was penalized 4 times for 40 yards.
Ottawa had 247 yards on offense (233 yards passing, 44 yards rushing, 30 yards lost), 13 first downs, and 1 for 2 in the red zone. Quarterback Dru Brown completed 21 of 33 passes (64%) for 206 yards, one touchdown, and one carry for one yard. Running back Ryquell Armstead had 7 carries for 24 yards and two catches for 17 yards.
Wide receiver Eli Stove made 8 catches for 73 yards, while Justin Hardy made 4 catches for 49 yards, and Dominique Rhymes made 4 catches for 46 yards, and one touchdown. Kicker Lewis Ward made 2 of 2 field goals with a long of 53 yards. Ottawa’s defense made 43 tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack, one interception, two fumble recoveries, and seven tackles on special teams.
Final Thoughts:
First things first, Royal Athletic Park was a nice place to hold the Touchdown Pacific game. The crowd and atmosphere was electric all night long and I think the CFL should have more games there. The Lions play their rivals three times a year and it would be cool to see them play three games a year there to help grow the fanbase or potentially place an expansion team there down the road.
B.C. quarterback Nathan Rourke played a great game. This was his best performance since coming back to the CFL. He was in command of the offense and making some good decisions with the football despite having one interception and he did a good job seeing the field to find some of the guys wide open which led to them scoring 38 points.
Rourke looks happy to be back and we’re glad to have him back in the CFL. He is an exciting player to watch and the Lions are slowly returning to the winning formula. Maybe this win can start a new winning streak as we get closer and closer to ending the season.
The Ottawa Redblacks struggled in this game. They could not get anything going in the first half. Their offense could not execute the plays and the receivers could not create separation to get open. In the second half, it looked like things were starting to turn around after scoring a touchdown but they were unable to solve the Lions’ defense.
I think if they get into this situation again, they have a veteran quarterback in Jeremiah Masoli waiting and if they had put him in the game, I think the score would be much closer than it was.
Next Friday, the B.C. Lions visit the Montreal Alouettes at 7:30 pm on TSN and CBS Sports Network, while the Ottawa Redblacks host the Toronto Argonauts on Saturday at 1 pm on TSN and CFL+. Subscribe to Fubo to watch all of the 2024 CFL Season. Purchase CFL tickets today on StubHub and Viagogo.
