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Nathan Rourke threw four touchdown passes and the B.C. Lions beat the Saskatchewan Roughriders 31-24 on Friday night in Vancouver, improving to 8-6 and moving into second in the West Division.
The B.C. Lions beat the Saskatchewan Roughriders 31-24 on Friday night at BC Place in Vancouver, improving to 8-6 and moving into second place in the CFL West Division.
Nathan Rourke threw four touchdown passes for the Lions, finishing with 375 passing yards and 37 rushing yards. Keon Hatcher Sr. caught two of those majors, while Jevon Cottoy and Jermaine Jackson also found the end zone. Sean Whyte added a 14-yard field goal. The result gives B.C. a 2-1 edge in the three-game season series between the clubs.
Lions Climb Standings With Crucial Win
It could be a crucial tiebreaker for home-field advantage in the playoffs. Both teams are now 8-6. Six games into the season, the Lions were 1-5 and seemed poised to linger at the bottom of the standings all year. They have since clawed their way out of the hole.
Rourke said the team knew it controlled its own destiny going into this stretch. He added that any win, especially against a West team, is huge. He said the Lions want to continue to focus one game at a time and let the cards fall where they may. Lions head coach Buck Pierce said the result is big in the standings with the West as tight as it has been in recent years.
He added that when the Lions play at home, they feel they should win, and that has not changed. The Roughriders got some key pieces back on Friday, including running back A.J. Ouellette. He tallied 77 rushing yards and a touchdown in his return from a knee injury that sidelined him for seven games.
Trevor Harris had 302 passing yards for Saskatchewan and threw a touchdown to Dylan Djete in the second quarter. Kicker Dawson Hodge notched three field goals, including a 32-yard strike. Riders defensive back Marcus Sayles said the team just was not executing what it was supposed to execute. He said the Lions have a great team and great players, and they found a way to make some explosive plays, which was pretty much the difference.
Roughriders Loss Ends Playoff Hopes
The loss means Saskatchewan can no longer clinch a playoff spot this week. Sayles said every single game is frustrating when you lose because everyone is a competitor and wants to win. He said it is frustrating at times when they do not execute the way they expect. Sayles added that the Riders have more opportunities, with four more games to play.
He said however the dice roll, they will keep coming to practice, keep working, and it will keep going until it is all over. The visitors looked dangerous on their first possession, with Harris working his way up the field. Looking to connect with a teammate in the end zone, the quarterback sent a pass off the upright, and Saskatchewan settled for a 27-yard field goal to open the scoring. The Lions responded swiftly.
Rourke lobbed a massive pass up centre field to Stanley Berryhill III for a 56-yard gain, then followed with a toss to Hatcher in the end zone. Whyte's single-point convert gave the home side a 7-3 lead. The two sides traded field goals before Saskatchewan put up a major. With just over two minutes to go in the second quarter, Harris spotted Djete alone near the sideline and hit the unencumbered wide receiver with a 13-yard pass.
Djete darted over the goal line, and Hodge made the single to put the Riders back on top 13-10. The lead did not last until halftime. Rourke made five passes up the field to put B.C. at Saskatchewan's 19-yard line, then tossed a short ball to Hatcher, who avoided a tackle from Mike Rose en route to the end zone for his second major of the night.
Hatcher Reaches 1000 Yard Milestone
Whyte's convert gave the Lions a 17-13 lead with 16 seconds to go in the first half. Hatcher registered 66 receiving yards on the night and hit 1,015 for the season. It is the fifth season in his CFL career that the 32-year-old American receiver has surpassed the 1,000-yard mark. Rourke said he loves Hatcher and called him one of his favourite teammates of all time in his career.
He said Hatcher is a hard worker and great leader, and that he loves how he competes and his competitive nature, adding that he trusts him implicitly. Rourke also said that at this stage in Hatcher's career, everyone is looking for a reason not to have him around, and he continues to prove that he belongs.
The Lions boosted their advantage midway through the third after Rourke came up big with a giant pass to Justin McInnis that gave the home side a first down in the midfield. Saskatchewan head coach Corey Mace challenged the play for offensive pass interference, but after video review, officials upheld the call on the field. Rourke continued to push his team upfield and capped the drive with a pass to Cottoy just above the goal line for another touchdown.
Another single-point conversion from Whyte gave B.C. a 24-13 lead. The final play of the third quarter saw the Lions' defence stymie Harris and his side deep in B.C. territory. The Riders' short-yardage team tried to extend the drive but instead turned the ball over on downs. Pierce said the Lions' defence has been making stops when it needs to.
He said the biggest thing is that they are able to respond and analyze mistakes that were made and not hang on those mistakes, moving on to the next play. He said they are playing with a lot of energy and confidence right now and playing good, clean football. Saskatchewan continued to push but struggled to break through the Lions' back end.
Rourke Delivers Late Game Winner
Another field goal from Hodge, this time a 32-yard kick, made it 24-16 for B.C. midway through the fourth quarter. The crowd at BC Place jumped to their feet late in the final frame when Rourke scrambled out of the pocket under pressure, sprinted upfield and delivered a long bomb into the hands of McInnis.
The Canadian receiver was hauled down, but Rourke found Jermaine Jackson for yet another major on the next play to give the Lions a 31-16 lead. With just over two minutes left on the game clock, Saskatchewan finally made its way back into the end zone with a two-yard plunge from Ouellette. The Riders gave themselves a chance but could not complete the comeback. The game was played in Vancouver on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026.
The Canadian Press reported that Rourke was seen passing during the first half of the CFL football game.
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CTVNews:This story was compiled and edited by the HeadTopics newsroom and HT AI from the reports above.
B.C. Lions Saskatchewan Roughriders CFL Nathan Rourke CFL West Division
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