Photo courtesy: David Friedrich/B.C. Lions

B.C. Lions’ quarterback Nathan Rourke and Calgary Stampeders’ defensive lineman Clarence Hicks have been named the CFL’s top performers for the month of September by Pro Football Focus (PFF).

Rourke earned a grade of 91.4 after completing 74.5 percent of his throws for 1,158 yards, five touchdowns, and five interceptions. He also rushed 24 times for 139 yards and seven scores. The native of Victoria, B.C. has already set a new single-season record for passing yardage by a Canadian quarterback and moved past Doug Flutie for eighth all-time on B.C.’s passing list.

The honourable mentions for offensive player of the month were Montreal Alouettes’ quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson (88.4) and Edmonton Elks’ quarterback Cody Fajardo (84.3).

Hicks received a score of 84.7 after recording five defensive tackles, two sacks, and three pass knockdowns. The six-foot-two, 229-pound native of Pensacola, Fla. now has 23 defensive tackles, seven sacks, and one forced fumble on the year.

The honourable mentions for defensive player of the month were B.C. Lions’ defensive lineman Jonah Tavai (83.3) and Hamilton Tiger-Cats’ defensive lineman Julian Howsare (82.8).

The Saskatchewan Roughriders had the CFL’s top-ranked offensive line for September with a group grade of 77.0. Right tackle Jermarcus Hardrick received the best individual grade at 81.3, followed by right guard Jacob Brammer (76.3) and centre Logan Ferland (73.9).

The CFL partnered with PFF for the first time ahead of the 2023 season. The American company uses game footage to review every player on the field and grades their individual performances on a scale from zero to 100.

The league unveils the top-graded players from PFF each week. Offensive and defensive players must play a minimum of 25 snaps to be eligible and special teams players must play at least 10. Ties are broken by the number of snaps played.

The top-graded players from each position were as follows for September.

QB | Nathan Rourke | B.C. | 91.4
RB | Justin Rankin | Edmonton | 81.6
REC | Justin McInnis | B.C. | 82.1
OL | Jarell Broxton | B.C. | 82.8
DL | Clarence Hicks | Calgary | 84.7
LB | Jovan Santos-Knox | Ottawa | 82.1
DB | Kordell Jackson | Edmonton | 82.6
RET | Seven McGee | B.C. | 79.9
K/P | Marc Liegghio | Hamilton | 93.4
ST | Jake Kelly | Winnipeg | 90.5