Nathan Rourke outstanding as Lions beat Elks in season opener
VANCOUVER — Nathan Rourke and the BC Lions got the best of Tre Ford and the Edmonton Elks with a 31-14 win on Saturday night to close out Week 1.
After Snoop Dogg rocked the pre-game show at BC Place, Rourke and the Leos took care of the rest with a dominant final two quarters to start the season with a win.
The pivot threw a trio of second-half touchdown passes – including two to Stanley Berryhill – and picked up important yards on the ground to lead BC to almost 450 yards from scrimmage.
Canadian receiver Justin McInnis and running back James Butler also scored as part of four straight touchdown drives by the Leos in the final 30 minutes.
Ford threw an interception to linebacker Ben Hladik but led two touchdown drives that were finished by backup quarterback Cody Fajardo on the ground as the Elks dropped to 0-1 to start the season.
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The Lions opened the game with a long drive led by Rourke and Butler, albeit one that didn’t end up in points. Faced with first-and-goal from the four-yard line, the Lions were stopped on three straight plays by the Elks for a turnover on downs.
BC’s defence forced a quick punt to give Rourke and co. another opportunity with good field position, but the Leos turned it over on downs once more, this time near midfield. Ford and the Elks were unable to fully capitalize on it though, punting the ball back to the home team after two plays and earning a single.
Rourke got the Lions back on the move with a 14-yard completion to receiver Jevon Cottoy and Butler got them across midfield by juking a defender in the box and exploding for 18 yards. A completion to Butler in the flat gained another first down and receiver Keon Hatcher caught a pass inside the red zone to give the Leos a chance to score their first points, but Cottoy could not come down with a pass that would have made it seven. Kicker Sean Whyte would come in and put the Lions ahead 3-1 with a 22-yard kick.
The Elks next possession started with an explosive play by their Canadian pivot. Ford dodged a blitzing Deontai Williams and found a wide open Arkell Smith for 50 yards. The quarterback would once again make something out of nothing by scrambling for 12 yards on second-and-nine to make it first-and-goal from the five. This time it was the Lions who raised the wall and kept the Elks out of the end zone with three consecutive stops. An offside penalty kept Edmonton’s offence on the field and Fajardo finished the job. A missed extra point put the score at 7-3 in favour of the visitors.
Elks’ kicker Vincent Blanchard missed a 49-yard try late in the second quarter as the Elks went into halftime leading by four.
Rourke and the Lions came out of the locker room roaring to open the second half, marching all the way down the field to score their first touchdown of the game. The pivot completed six straight passes, the final one a 34-yard lob to Berryhill that gave the home team their first lead of the night.
A 64-yard return by Smith gave the Elks a chance to answer quickly, but a sack by DeWayne Hendrix pushed the visitors back and forced a long field goal. Blanchard missed the attempt and returner Jermaine Jackson brought it out of the end zone to keep the Leos ahead 10-7.
Rourke showcased his elusiveness once more on the following drive, leading the Lions out of their own territory and across midfield, dodging a sea of Elks defenders on a couple of scrambles that combined for 35 yards. The pivot then switched over to the passing game by finding a streaking Berryhill open behind Edmonton’s secondary to extend the lead to 17-7 with the point after by Whyte.
Ford and the Elks answered with a long drive of their own. This time it was the Green and Gold pivot showing his moves by extending what seemed like a broken play and connecting with Justin Rankin deep. The running back caught the pass and juked a couple of Lions to move the ball all the way to the three-yard line in the final play of the third quarter. Fajardo once again handled goal-line duties and scored his second major of the night to cut the lead back to three points.
The Rourke-Berryhill connection showed up once more in the fourth with a 19-yard completion that kickstarted another scoring drive for the Orange and Black. The play was followed by two more first-down completions that set the Leos inside the red zone. The pivot then finished it off with an easy comeback connection to McInnis to stretch the lead back to 10.
Hladik almost scored a touchdown after jumping a pass over the middle by Ford and bringing it back to the Elks’ four-yard line. Butler took the gift from his linebacker and turned it into seven with his first touchdown back in Vancouver.
A would-be major on a kick return by Javon Leake was called back by an illegal block in the back penalty.
The Lions now go on the road to face the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Thursday, June 12. The Elks meanwhile have a bye week before their home opener in Week 3 against the Montreal Alouettes on Thursday, June 19.
