VANCOUVER – Nathan Rourke threw a massive 436 yards and four touchdowns, feeding the BC Lions to a dominant 44-3 win over the Toronto Argonauts on Saturday.
Rourke set a new record for passing Canadian quarterback yards, surpassing the 427-yard mark set by Gary Datilio in 1981. The 24-year-old from Victoria, British Columbia, completed 39 of 45 attempts and was fired once.
Kicker Sean White joined in with a pair of lions flights (2-0), including a 50-yard kick.
BC’s defense suffocated Argos (1-1), keeping McLeod Bethel-Thompson at 178 yards. The Toronto quarterback played in 15 of 21 attempts, threw one interception and was fired twice before being replaced at the end of the fourth quarter.
Chad Kelly came in with relief and threw two yards, completing one of the two attempts and was fired once.
The only points for Argos for the evening came after a goal of 23 yards by Boris Bede at the beginning of the second quarter.
The win means BC starts the CFL season with a pair of wins for the first time since 2016.
The Lions came out of the farewell week, but showed no rust at the start of Saturday’s game, starting with eight games and 68 yards.
Rourke slipped out of his collapsing pocket to take 11 yards and a first down, then finished the drive with a clear 19-yard pass to Brian Burnham in the end zone. The veteran in the wide receiver bowed twice to the audience after celebrating his first touchdown of the season.
BC’s defensive unit was tested in Toronto’s first reign of the night, with DaVaris Daniels battling and Bethel-Thompson finding Dejon Brisset on the Lions’ one-yard line.
The lions stood firm and refused the guests all three times when they tried to sneak into the end zone. Toronto turned the ball over.
That call kept the Lions in the ball later in the first quarter.
Rourke’s seven-yard throw to Lucky Whitehead was considered incomplete, but BC head coach Rick Campbell challenged and the call was canceled, giving his side a first down.
Rourke fired a 46-yard bomb at Dominic Rimes in the next game, and White erased the drive with a 21-yard goal to bring the Lions 10-0.
At the beginning of the second quarter, BC’s cornerback Delvin Bro knocked down a long throw from Bethel-Thompson to Brandon Banks and Argos head coach Ryan Dinuidi made his own challenge, arguing with an intervention in the defensive pass. During the review, officials agreed and Toronto received a first down on the BC 21-yard line.
Lions defender David Menard fired Bethel-Thompson in the next game, but Argos still managed to score in the attack, as Bede shot with the field, which reduced the deficit of Toronto to 10-3.
Rourke increased the Lions’ cushion in the middle of the half by finding Rhymes in the end zone with a 19-yard bullet to clear nine games and 70 yards.
BC headed to the locker room 20-3 after White hit a 44-yard goal to complete the second quarter.
A rash of injuries went through BC’s squad at the end of the first half, but with midfielder Bo Locombo, fullback James Butler and rational successor Brian Burnham, all headed to the locker room with injuries at the end of the match. Whitehead also appears to have suffered an ankle injury, but remained in the game.
In the middle of the third frame, Winton McMannis pulled Rourke around the center field for a seven-yard loss. However, the Lions remained unperturbed and sent White for a 50-yard flight experience. He executed the shot, giving BC a 23-3 lead.
The Lions’ defensive end Obum Guacham seems to take revenge on his next possession by firing Bethel-Thompson.
Rourke’s 29-yard throw to wide-open Jevon Kotoy deep in the red zone created BC’s third TD for the evening late in the third quarter. Cottoy took a few quick steps in the end zone and calculated his first major for the season.
The last shot saw Rourke reconnect with Rhymes, this time with a 24-yard throw. Located just outside the end zone, Rhymes easily completed a touchdown and the Lions took a 37-3 lead.
BC’s Gary Peters added to Toronto’s plight in the middle of the fourth quarter, rejecting a Bethel-Thompson pass.
Lions quarterback David Mackie – a substitute defender for the injured Butler – passed the ball over the goal line at the end of the fourth for his first touchdown in the CFL. A successful transformation of White gave the hosts a 44-3 lead.
Kelly took Bethel-Thompson’s place to end the match and was quickly fired by Menard.
The Lions will return to action on Thursday when they face the Redblacks in Ottawa. Argos will host Winnipeg Blue Bombers on July 4th.
NOTES UNDER LINE: Mackie took over for Butler when returning in the second half. and listed 90 rushing yards. … Argos striker Jonathan Zamora limped off the field after being injured in a game in the middle of the fourth quarter. … Saturday marked the 100th match of all time between the two teams. BC has a 60-38-2 advantage in the series.
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