VANCOUVER — The BC Lions are through to the Western Final for the third time in the last four seasons.
The Leos defeated the Stampeders 33-30 at Save-on-Foods Field at BC Place to earn a trip to Regina to face the Saskatchewan Roughriders on November 8.
After earning a 13-7 first-half lead, Nathan Rourke and the Lions extended their lead early in the third quarter, but had to survive multiple comeback attempts by Vernon Adams Jr. and the Stampeders.
With the game tied at 30 with 29 seconds left, Rourke and the offence did just enough to position Sean Whyte for the game-winning, walk-off field goal. The veteran delivered from 43 yards out to close out the win.
Rourke gained 223 yards through the air and added 68 more and a score as a runner. Backup pivot Jeremiah Masoli also contributed a major on the ground on a first-half quarterback sneak. Robert Carter Jr. added an important 95-yard kick return for a touchdown that shifted momentum back to BC in the third quarter.
Vernon Adams Jr. and the Stamps were resilient throughout it all, but ultimately were unable to come away with the win. The pivot threw for two majors and receivers Jalen Philpot and Clark Barnes both caught a touchdown. Backup pivot Quincy Vaughn scored a major of his own.
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A 55-yard kickoff return by Seven McGee gave the Lions great field position to start the game, but they ended up having to settle for three points by Sean Whyte after failing to gain a first down.
Rourke and the Lions had their backs against the wall later in the first quarter, starting a drive on their own four-yard line. The pivot gained a little breathing room with a quick completion to receiver Ayden Eberhardt, but a sack by defensive lineman Jaylon Hutchings forced BC to punt from the 10-yard line.
The ensuing return gave the Stampeders good field position to start the next drive, but they also were not able to turn it into seven points. Instead, it was kicker René Paredes tying the game with 1:28 left in the first quarter.
A screen pass to Jalen Philpot kickstarted what looked like would be a scoring possession for the visitors. No. 85 gained 15 yards to position the ball near midfield. From there, Mills added nine more on a run to set up second-and-one, which was converted into a first down by Quincy Vaughn. The Stamps were unable to advance further after a second down pass by Adams Jr. was batted down, which prompted the Red and White to punt back to BC. The kick landed in the end zone and rolled out of bounds, giving Calgary a 4-3 lead with 11:58 to play in the first half.
A promising BC possession later in the second quarter was seemingly stopped by back-to-back Calgary sacks, but an illegal contact penalty on second down kept the drive alive and gave BC a chance to break the stalemate. Rourke quickly connected with receiver Justin McInnis on the next play to move the ball all the way to Calgary’s 22-yard line. A strike to Hatcher Sr. made it first-and-goal from the eight-yard line, but a holding penalty sent BC back to the 18-yard line. It was no problem for Rourke and the offence, as the pivot quickly connected with Hatcher Sr. again to gain 16 yards and make it second-and-goal from the two. Jeremiah Masoli came in, and two plays later the Lions added six points via quarterback sneak to go ahead 10-4 with the point after halfway through the second quarter.
Adams Jr. and the Stampeders responded with a long scoring drive of their own. The pivot completed passes to Erik Brooks and Clark Barnes to gain 34 yards, then found Tevin Jones after scanning the field to advance to BC’s 22-yard line. Vaughn converted yet another short second down before BC’s defence made back-to-back plays to force Calgary to send in Paredes for his second attempt of the game. The veteran kicker split the uprights from 35 yards out to cut the lead to 10-7 with the clock showing 2:38 to go in the half.
The hosts kept the momentum going from their last scoring drive and marched down the field to add more points on their next possession. Rourke flicked the ball to Eberhardt on a scramble drill to gain a first down, then called his own number on the next play to move the ball across midfield. Hatcher Sr. gained more ground for BC with yards after the catch, but the drive stalled 31 yards away from the goal line. Whyte came in and pushed the lead to 13-7 with less than a minute left to play in the second quarter.
That was enough time for Calgary to march down the field. Adams Jr. immediately found Rhymes on a crosser and the veteran pass-catcher ran it all the way to the Lions’ 42-yard line. A quick pass to a sliding Philpot inched the Stamps closer, but a catch inbounds by Tevin Jones with the clock showing zeros ended the half without giving the visitors a chance to cut into the lead.
After a quick punt by Calgary to open the second half, Rourke and the Lions went to work to extend their lead. The pivot called his own number to gain 44 yards, before connecting with Eberhardt in the middle of the zones to make it first-and-goal. Rourke finished the job with his legs, keeping it on a read zone play and walking into the end zone to make it 20-7 with the convert. It was a four-play, 64-yard drive for the Lions.
The visitors kept fighting back, cutting into BC’s lead halfway through the third. This time it was the Philpot show. The National receiver caught an 11-yard pass to get things going, before adding 11 more on the ground. Adams Jr. then showed his rushing prowess by gaining 17 yards on the ground. Philpot capped things off with a touchdown catch on a post route to finish a five-play, 73-yard drive for the Stampeders that made it 20-14.
The surge didn’t last long for the Stampeders. Carter Jr. took the kickoff 95 yards the other way for a touchdown that halted their rally and put the Orange and Black ahead 27–14.
Calgary was determined to regain momentum on their next possession, driving back for another major. An offside penalty on special teams kept the drive alive for the Stampeders, and they made the most of it. Running back Dedrick Mills burst through the lines for a 43-yard gain that made it first-and-goal. Two plays later, the visitors were faced with third-and-goal from the two. Adams Jr. dropped back, pump faked, then found Barnes open in the end zone to once again cut the lead down to six with the point after by Paredes.
A quick punt by BC gave the Stamps a chance to add points to the board, and they took it. Adams Jr. found Barnes behind the secondary for a 40-yard gain, and Vaughn finished the job with a sneak that silenced the crowd at Save-on-Foods Field at BC Place. Paredes was unable to convert the point after attempt, keeping the score 27-27 with 7:51 left in the fourth quarter.
After a quick exchange of punts by both teams, BC had the ball on their own five-yard line with 3:03 left in the game, but could not get a first down. The Lions were forced to punt near their own end zone, but a fumble on the return gave BC a chance to take a late lead. That’s exactly what happened when Whyte converted a 39-yard attempt.
Calgary had a chance to put together a game-winning drive with under a minute left in the game. Adams Jr. went deep to Philpot and the Canadian pass-catcher made a clutch catch for a massive gain for the visitors. Two incompletions later, Paredes came in and tied the game with 29 seconds left.
Rourke and the Lions still had one more opportunity, and they capitalized. The pivot completed two passes, the final one a 26-yard strike to McInnis that positioned Whyte for the game-winning score.
With the walk-off field goal, the Lions secured a spot in next weekend’s Western Final against the Roughriders.