CALGARY–  It was the type of performance that can not only serve as a catalyst for the remaining stretch drive, but hopefully put the rest of the Canadian Football League on notice. The BC Lions came out roaring, played their own version of bully ball and never let the hometown Stampeders crawl back into it, taking down their Western rivals 52-23 on Friday night at McMahon Stadium. The win improves BC to 7-7 and to within two points of the 8-5 Stamps for second in the West Division.  Following a Toronto loss to Montreal, the Lions are also four points clear of the Argonauts in the race for a possible crossover. Now for some game takes.

Are You Not Entertained?

Simply put, this was a master class in domination. And Nathan Rourke was the dean of the program. The visitors jumped out to a 21-0 first-quarter lead, thanks in large part to a pair of interceptions off Vernon Adams Jr. Cristophe Beaulieu had the first takeaway with the Lions up 7-0 and then a second one from Micah Awe set up their second major of the opening 15 minutes. Robert Carter Jr. had another interception taken away on a dead ball that just grazed the upright with Calgary threatening to score a major.

Garry Peters then dropped one late in the first half that likely would have gone to the house. Still, they built a 28-7 lead at the break behind two Rourke rushing majors, another from Jeremiah Masoli and a Rourke touchdown toss to Justin McInnis.

After the break, they had an answer for every Calgary counterpunch, as Rourke rushed for a third touchdown and found McInnis for another before Zander Horvath, starting in place of the injured James Butler, rumbled for a 70-yard score to put the final exclamation point.  Just like last week’s impressive win over Ottawa featured complementary football, it was once again on display in this pivotal Western showdown.

“I think it was our best game as a team,” Rourke said after the win.

“We try to play complementary ball. Our D got us some turnovers early, which is huge.  We’ve got to do a better job capitalizing on those turnovers and getting points, but I think we just played much closer to our standard and much closer to our potential.  I don’t think we’re there yet, but I think we’re getting close. So, that’s exciting.”

Added Buck Pierce on what went well: “Execution. I think the guys understood the plan going in and they executed it. I thought that, versus a defence like that that really rallies to the ball, really runs to the ball well, are very sound, don’t give up a lot of big plays, it all starts up front. I thought our offensive line did a fantastic job tonight.”

And that’s more impressive, given the fact that they were without starting left tackle Jarell Broxton due to injury.

12 Chases More History

In the highly anticipated matchup between Rourke and Adams Jr., it was the young gun coming out on top. Adams Jr. left early in the third quarter after being called off by the injury spotter.

Rourke finished 20/24 for 331 yards and the five touchdowns. In the process, he reached two more major milestones. First, he broke legendary Russ Jackson’s single-season record for passing yards by a Canadian.  He sits at 3,935 yards on the season and surpassed the record that had stood since 1969. He later passed Doug Flutie for 8th on the Lions’ all-time passing list, currently sitting at 9,819 for his career. And counting..

“Russ Jackson is a legend in this league, ” added Rourke.

“Anytime you’re being brought up in the same conversation as him, it’s an honour. I’m happy it came on a win and happy we won’t talk about it now (laughs). We could talk about winning football games, but it’s certainly something that I’m proud of and honoured to be in conversation with.”

Are you surprised??#BCLions | #RoarAsOne https://t.co/pC6QL6jLUY

— BC LIONS (@BCLions) September 20, 2025

Key Numbers

527- the Lions net offence in this convincing win. They are operating at over 400 yards per game, a mark that hasn’t been accomplished since the 2010 Stampeders.

152– rushing yards for Horvath on 12 carries, giving him an average of 12.7 in his first CFL start.

147- receiving yards for Keon Hatcher Sr. to lead all players. He hauled in eight catches on eight targets.

10– sacks on the season for Mathieu Betts after two more in this win. He currently leads the CFL.

150– penalties were once again issues for the Lions as they committed 11 infractions for 150 yards. Not a sustainable way to operate and they know it must be fixed.

Quotable

“It just set the tone for us. We talked about playing as a team, all three phases. So, for our defence to come out there and set the tone, I think we just lit a fire between everybody. Offence got it rolling, special teams is going insane. You know, 24 (Patrice Rene) is making hella plays. I think it was just a tone setter.”- Defensive lineman Jonah Tavai on the defensive dominance early on.

Next Up

The Lions host the Toronto Argonauts next Friday at Save-On-Foods Field at BC Place. Kickoff is 7:00 pm. It’s our 5th annual Orange Shirt Day Game, paying respect to Canada’s National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. The first 10,000 fans will receive a free Orange Shirt, featuring our specially designed Indigenous logo. Tickets start at $19.

Matt Baker: mbaker@bclions.com