Bo Levi Mitchell tossed a one-yard touchdown to Kiondre Smith with 16 seconds to play, rallying the Hamilton Tiger-Cats to a thrilling 37-33 win over the host B.C. Lions in CFL action Sunday at B.C. Place.<\/p>\n
Mitchell finished with 389 yards passing and three TDs for the Ticats (5-2), who have won five games in a row. Smith caught a pair of touchdowns, with Brendan O’Leary-Orange and Jake Doleaga also counting majors. Kicker Marc\u00a0Liegghio added three field goals and four converts.<\/p>\n
Quarterback Nathan Rourke threw for 289 yards in a losing cause\u00a0for B.C. (3-5), with backup Jeremiah Masoli scoring a touchdown on a QB sneak. Running back James Butler added\u00a0115 yards and a pair of TDs for the Lions, with Sean Whyte booting four field goals and three extra points.<\/p>\n
After B.C.’s opening drive fizzled and they were forced to punt, the Ticats turned it over on their first play from scrimmage in the back-and-forth contest.<\/p>\n
Mitchell completed a short pass to Keaton Bruggeling, whose fumble was recovered by B.C.’s Travian\u00a0Blaylock at the Hamilton 19-yard line. The Lions took advantage, scoring on a three-yard Butler run for a TD, with Whyte converting to make it 7-0 just over five minutes into the contest.<\/p>\n
Liegghio\u00a0made it 7-3 on a 40-yard field goals midway through the quarter.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After big runs from Rourke and Butler, B.C. scored another major at 10:51, with former Ticat Butler then finding the end zone again, this time from five yards away. Whyte’s convert made it 14-3 after one quarter.<\/p>\n
The Lions had scored just 14 first-quarter points all season before Sunday’s contest.<\/p>\n
Hamilton pulled back within four points early in the second quarter, when six-foot-seven backup pivot\u00a0Dolegala scored on a quarterback sneak at 1:56.\u00a0Liegghio’s convert made it 14-10.<\/p>\n
Following a Butler fumble on a short pass in B.C. territory midway through the quarter, Liegghio added another field goal (his 32nd straight) from 12 yards out to make it 14-13.<\/p>\n
A 73-yard\u00a0catch-and-run by Hatcher then set up Whyte for a 21-yard field goal (his 27th in a row) with 1:47 left to make it 17-13.<\/p>\n
A spectacular end zone interception from B.C.’s Robert Carter Jr. with 57 seconds left led to White’s 33-yard field goal as time expired, giving the Lions a 20-13 margin at the break.<\/p>\n
Hamilton pulled even at 20-20 five minutes into the third quarter, finishing an impressive drive with a Mitchel shovel pass to Smith from nine yards out.\u00a0Liegghio added the convert.<\/p>\n
After another B.C. drive stalled deep in Hamilton territory, Whyte kicked a 12-yard field goal to put B.C. up 23-20 with 4:04 to play in the quarter.<\/p>\n
On the first play of the fourth quarter,\u00a0Liegghio’s\u00a023-yard field goal evened things at 23-23.<\/p>\n
With six minutes to play, Whyte connected from 45\u00a0yards out to give the Lions a 26-23 lead.<\/p>\n
After Hamilton got the ball back, running back Greg Bell fumbled near midfield, with B.C.’s Sione\u00a0Teuhema recovering. Two plays later, Rourke\u00a0hit Ayden Eberhardt with a beautiful 43-yard pass down to the Hamilton two-yard line.\u00a0Masoli carried it in from there for a touchdown, with Whyte’s conversion giving B.C. a 33-23 lead.<\/p>\n
Hamilton responded quickly, with Mitchell hooking up with O’Leary-Orange\u00a0from 44 yards out for a touchdown with 2:50 left in the fourth.\u00a0Liegghio’s convert brought the Ticats within 33-30.<\/p>\n
After the Lions forced to punt, Mitchell led the Ticats back down the field, culminating with the\u00a0one-yard TD pass to Smith.\u00a0Liegghio added the conversion to round out the scoring.<\/p>\n
NOTES: Coming into the game,\u00a0Mitchell and receiver Kenny Lawler were\u00a0the CFL\u2019s respective leaders in passing yards, receiving yards and touchdowns… Rourke did not toss any interceptions against\u00a0a Ticats defence that entered the game with a CFL-leading 11 picks… Smith finished with 14 catches for 138 yards… Keon Hatcher had five catches for 117 yards for the Lions… Both\u00a0Whyte\u00a0and\u00a0Liegghio are perfect on field goal tries this season… B.C. heads into a bye week, before an Aug. 7 rematch with the Ticats in Hamilton.<\/p>\n
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