Bakes' Game Takes | BC 24 TOR 17
David Dermer
They don't ask how, they ask how many.
TORONTO, It won't go down as a piece of art hanging in the Louvre, but when it came down to crunch time, the red-hot BC Lions delivered. A goal-line stand by Shaun Peterson Jr. was the final knockout punch and Sean Whyte kicked a franchise-record eight field goals that accounted for all of the points in a gritty 24-17 BC Lions victory over the Toronto Argonauts on Saturday afternoon.
The win moves the Lions to 9-6, two points clear of Saskatchewan and Calgary for second in the increasingly tight West Division. It was also their first victory at BMO Field since way back in early July of 2019, the five-game losing streak now over in the Big Smoke. Now for some game takes.
GRIT wins out!
A victory won't change the fact that this group acknowledges there are areas to clean up. Doing it after a win is just a much easier pill to swallow. Nathan Rourke and the offence moved the ball in spurts, but ultimately left too many opportunities out there. Thankfully, Whyte's leg and an opportunistic defence were able to do their part. In short, these are the types of results that teams have to prevail in come November. The Lions took one step closer to assuring themselves a spot in the playoff dance.
"Yeah, I mean the defence. You look at what they were able to do. At times, they were able to keep everything in front of them, which I thought was great," said Buck Pierce.
"And I mean, throughout the course of this last little stretch, they've been fantastic and it was fitting the way that that game ended up because of how well they played. You know, one-yard line defending everybody to the grass when it comes down to something like that. So couldn't be more proud of the group."
The stand from the one took place with 11 seconds to go and the visitors clinging to the seven-point lead. Darnell Sankey made a huge tackle on Nick Arbuckle on the play prior, setting up the do-or-die third down. The previous series for the defence saw an interception from T.J. Lee with the Argos pressing. A little too close for comfort, but they ultimately prevailed.
"We preach having grit and fighting for every yard, fighting for anything we can do to stop the game and win the game for our team. So it was nice that we came in clutch," Lee explained.
"I mean it's a mentality, you know, and it's an opportunity for them to score, but it's also an opportunity for us to stop them. So anytime we get on the field, our defence has the mindset that it's an opportunity, and we took advantage of it today."
Rourke finished the night 15 of 32 for 254 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions. This marked the first occasion the Lions won a game without scoring a touchdown since way back on September 5, 2014, in Ottawa, a 7-5 result in rainy weather. Whyte's field goal record broke a previous mark set by himself in July 2024 and twice by Lui Passaglia, in 1985 and 1998. You never want to settle for eight of them, but the Lions surely have one of the all-time greats should it be necessary.
"I feel like two out of three aspects of our team really played extremely well today. Offensively, you gotta do better than special teams, so you never like to rely on and put it up to other people when we want to control what's in our control. But a win is a win. That's a very good football team. Didn't play our best, so I don't forget that," explained Rourke.
You get the sense they won't be the third-best phase when they hit the field next week. Starting in place of the injured Chad Kelly, Arbuckle completed 27 of 33 pass attempts for 292 yards, a pair of touchdowns and two costly interceptions.
Key Stats
+3- The Lions held the advantage in the turnover game: interceptions by Lee and Deontai Williams plus the big play to seal it late.
57- The stout run defence allowed Toronto only 57 yards on the ground. A very big catalyst once again.
94- Jermaine Jackson led the way in receiving yards.
0-for-4- Half of Whyte's field goals came after failed attempts in the red zone.
32- Career interceptions for Lee. With the takeaway in Toronto, he moved past Dante Marsh into 6th spot in Lions history.
Next Up
The Lions host the 0-15 Ottawa REDBLACKS next Friday, October 9, in the Gravy Bowl presented by BC Turkey.
Kickoff is at 7:00 pm at Save-On-Foods Field at BC Place. The Backyard Party begins at 4:00 pm, where fans can enjoy an early turkey dinner as part of the festivities. Game tickets start at $19.