VANCOUVER – Nathan Rourke is aware of his B.C. Lions weren’t at their finest on Friday evening.
It didn’t matter.
The Lions (8-7) withstood a late push from the visiting Toronto Argonauts and floor out a 27-22 victory for his or her third straight win.
“Not fairly, however typically good groups discover a approach,” Rourke stated of the efficiency. “And I believe we’re feeling proper now that we’re enjoying some good soccer as a workforce. If we’re struggling in a single space, different elements can choose you up. And I believe our defence did that tonight, so hats off to them.”
The Canadian quarterback threw for 235 yards, connecting on 16 of his 25 makes an attempt with one landing and three interceptions. He additionally drove in a pair of short-yardage majors.
Justin McInnis reeled in his sixth TD of the season whereas Sean Whyte made two subject targets and three converts.
After lacking Toronto’s 21-19 loss to the Montreal Alouettes final week, Nick Arbuckle began underneath centre for the Argos (5-10) and put up 281 passing yards, going 28-for-38 with a landing go to Makai Polk and one interception.
Kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made 5 subject targets, together with three 50-yard strikes, and one conversion.
The Argos fought, stated head coach Ryan Dinwiddie, however finally got here up brief.
“We had been beat up on the O-line and the receivers,” he stated. “So I’m pleased with their effort and their toughness. It’s a troublesome loss. But I believed, offensively, too many penalties, too many seconds and longs. But the defensive effort was there. They performed adequate soccer for us to win. I believed particular groups did their half, too.”
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B.C. took a 12-point lead early within the ultimate body earlier than the guests mounted a late comeback.
Rourke added his second dashing TD of the evening two-and-a-half minutes into the fourth, discovering area alongside the skin of a pileup on the objective line and diving by means of the our bodies into the top zone. Whyte’s single put the Lions up 27-15.
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Toronto received a lift halfway by means of the quarter when Lions defensive lineman Levi Bell was handed a 25-yard penalty for roughing the passer after he caught Arbuckle with a spear.
Another pricey name got here minutes later when B.C.’s Bradlee Anae was known as for pointless roughness, giving the Argos a primary down on the Lions’ two-yard line.
Arbuckle despatched a seven-yard toss to Polk ultimately zone for the landing and Hajrullahu made the additional level to chop B.C.’s result in 27-22.
The Lions discovered some respiration room with lower than three minutes to go within the sport when Mathieu Betts sacked Arbuckle. B.C. linebacker Josh Woods recovered the ball and darted up the sector.
Lions head coach Buck Pierce preferred what he noticed from his defence on Friday.
“I believed they stored all the pieces in entrance of them for essentially the most half,” he stated. “We didn’t quit a variety of explosive performs. I believe nearly all of their probabilities got here on some penalties that we took. I believed later within the sport, the second half, they did a superb job of tackling and rallying and operating to the ball.”
Both groups struggled to get their offence going early within the sport, and Toronto opened the scoring with an extended subject objective from Hajrullahu halfway by means of the primary quarter.
Minutes later, Rourke escaped from the pocket, received a couple of steps in and lobbed a ball towards McInnis simply over the objective line, solely to see the go picked off by Willie Drew.
The Argos suffered the same destiny on the subsequent possession. Arbuckle launched a rainbow from deep in Toronto territory and rookie Lions defensive again Jackson Findlay jumped as much as make the catch.
“When that ball was coming, it appeared prefer it was coming in sluggish movement,” Findlay stated, including that his mother and father and a few associates had been within the stands to see the play.
“I in all probability may have stayed at my toes after I caught it, nevertheless it was a reasonably cool second. Went down with it, my teammates surrounded me. Stadium type of went quiet for a second and thought perhaps one thing had occurred. But no, fairly cool second for certain.”
Rourke additionally hit a significant milestone on Friday, passing Gerry Dattilio and climbing into second place on the CFL’s listing of all-time passing yards by a Canadian QB. The 27-year-old from Victoria, B.C., now has 10,054 throughout his profession.
“Obviously, any time that type of stuff occurs, I believe it does offer you a second to pause and say, ‘This is cool,’” Rourke stated of the accomplishment. “There’s a much bigger factor than simply this season, with the ability to characterize Canadians in soccer and a variety of nice Canadian quarterbacks.”
“Every time I believe I’m studying a little bit bit extra concerning the sport and the gamers that got here earlier than me, and that’s all the time one thing particular for me, so I’m honoured. It’s not one thing you’re taking pictures for, I might say, nevertheless it’s all the time one thing cool when it occurs.”
NOTES: Toronto was restricted to twenty-eight dashing yards on 12 carries. … The Lions took 5 penalties for 49 yards within the first quarter. … Several B.C. gamers marked milestones within the sport, together with Butler (handed 1,000 dashing yards on the season), McInnis (handed the 1,000 receiving yards mark) and linebacker Micha Awe (handed 100 defensive tackles).
UP NEXT
Lions: Host the Calgary Stampeders on Saturday, Oct. 4.
Argos: Face the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in Toronto on Saturday, Oct. 4.
This report by The Canadian Press was first revealed Sept. 26, 2025.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
