Bakes' Game Takes | MTL 29 BC 48
The BC Lions picked up a big win over Montreal in front of 23,083 fans at Save-On-Foods Field at BC Place.
VANCOUVER- In what proved to be a rather spirited and chippy affair, the BC Lions received contributions from both sides of the ball in the final game of Saturday's CFL quadruple header. The home side prevailed 48-29, improving their record to 7-6. The result also keeps them tied with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers for third place in the West Division, two points back of the second-place Saskatchewan Roughriders ahead of a big clash here following a bye week for both teams.
Now for some Game Takes.
Balanced Attack Paves The Way For Sixth Win In Seven Outings
From big plays to extracurricular activity after whistles, this one had it all. And it took a defensive score from each side in a span of less than five minutes in the second quarter to really get this game going. After Casey Sayles' 43-yard interception return put them ahead 17-0, Davis Alexander answered with a touchdown pass to Tyson Philpot and then the visitors got another quick score when Tyrice Beverette's strip sack of Nathan Rourke led to a touchdown return from Mustafa Johnson. Suddenly, it was 17-13, and the heavyweight tilt was on. The Lions took a 31-23 lead into the break, courtesy of touchdowns from Keon Hatcher Sr. and a 14-yard scramble from Rourke. While not perfect, this was the offensive performance they'd been yearning for. Doing it against the CFL's best team should send a message.
"Yeah, it was better for sure. You know, I obviously broke the interception streak, which is great," said Rourke of his performance.
"Almost got it. Got real close there at the beginning there (on an end zone interception overturned by pass interference). I was just proud going into this game, going against coach (Als DC Noel) Thorpe. I've got a lot of respect for him and he's fun to go against. He's challenging to go against, just with all the different stuff he does. I feel like I get better as a player because I learned about football and I just love the way he sees the game. Obviously, he's been around the game forever. I feel pretty solid and got to continue to find ways to get completions. They came out and played. I'm really proud of our receivers stepping up and making some big plays there for me, drawing some penalties. I'm just glad we got down into the score zone in this game and we were able to put some points on the board."
The defence held the Alouettes to just a pair of field goals in the second half and made another big third-down stop when Darnell Sankey once again prevented short-yardage quarterback Terry Wilson from picking up one yard in the red zone. The middle linebacker is a big catalyst in the improvement for Mike Benevides' unit over these last two months. The Sayles defensive score is what really gave them life early.
"I believe they had max protection. I turned back around with Davis rolling out and saw the fullback come up and Levi Bell wrapped up Davis and I was in the right place at the right time," Sayles told bclions.com.
"We played great together as a defence and were really coming together well these last number of games. We're going to keep building from these last few games
The second half saw Zander Horvath score his second and third touchdowns of the night- great to see him back after his struggles last week- to ensure the Lions got out with the W. Overall, a fairly solid effort going into a bye.
"We responded when we needed to respond. I thought, especially in the first half, when you look at some of the field position we started with offensively and what they started with as well; we were able to keep pace, still get the ball in the end zone and then finish drives in the end zone," added Buck Pierce.
"I think we were five for five tonight in the score zone. So that's always going to help you."
Rourke finished the game 24 of 33 for 317 yards, one passing touchdown, one major on the ground and no interceptions. It appears number 12 is peaking at the right time.
"I think if I'm able to play clean football, I think I give ourselves a chance, our team a chance. That's ultimately what I want to do," added Rourke.
Key Stats
429- Net offence for Rourke and company. No doubt something to keep building on with five games to play.
394- Rourke's total yards, including his 77 on the ground.
19- Touchdowns on the season for Horvath. He is three shy of Cory Philpot's franchise record, set in 1995.
5 of 5- Pierce was correct: they were perfect in red-zone chances after failing to reach it last week.
36:59- The Lions owned the time of possession.
18- Total penalties in this game: 11 taken by Montreal. It was a rough one. A big moment came in the third quarter when Philpot appeared to hit Cristophe Beaulieu late out of bounds after a fumble return that was reversed. Players got into it on the Alouettes' sideline. Football is no doubt a passionate game.
Next Up
The Lions head into their third and final bye week of the regular season and will next host the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Friday, September 25, in the first of our Friday Night Lights games. The implications are huge after the 8-5 Riders dropped a 19-6 decision at Winnipeg earlier on Saturday.