Rourke throws 3 TDs as B.C. Lions dump Edmonton Elks 31-14 in season
opener
Gemma Karstens-Smith
| The Canadian Press | Posted: June 8, 2025 6:06 AM | Last
Updated: 5 hours ago
Snoop Dogg performed for the announced crowd of 52,837; fans
expressed frustration over crowd management
Image | FBO CFL Elks Lions 20250607
Caption: B.C. Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke (12) throws the
ball as Edmonton Elks' Kobe Williams (0) watches during the
first half of a CFL football game in Vancouver, on Saturday,
June 7, 2025. (Ethan Cairns/The Canadian Press)
(BUTTON) Load Image
Open Image in New Tab
Nathan Rourke threw f324 yards and three touchdowns as the B.C.
Lions opened their CFL season with a 31-14 win over the
Edmonton Elks on Saturday.
The Canadian quarterback went 27-for-36 on his passing
attempts, linking up with Stanley Berryhill III twice in the
end zone. Justin McInnis caught his first touchdown of the year
and James Butler drove in another major.
Veteran kicker Sean Whyte, who played his first game under
rookie head coach Buck Pierce, contributed a 22-yard field goal
for the Lions.
Elks quarterback Tre Ford put up 178 passing yards, connecting
on 17 of his 27 attempts and throwing one interception. He was
sacked twice.
Image | FBO CFL Elks Lions 20250607
Caption: B.C. Lions' James Butler is tackled during the first
half of the game. (Ethan Cairns/The Canadian Press)
(BUTTON) Load Image
Open Image in New Tab
Cody Fajardo chalked up two short-yardage rushing majors for
Edmonton, who also have a first-year head coach in Mark Kilam.
Rapper Snoop Dogg performed for the announced crowd of 52,837
fans before kickoff.
The game got off to a promising start for the Lions with Rourke
and his teammates steadily working the ball up the field to
give B.C. a first down at Edmonton's two-yard line.
Chase Brice came in for short yardage duty and appeared to
stretch the ball into the end zone on third down. A review by
the command centre, though, determined the QB went down before
getting the ball across the line.
Ford struggled early, going 0-for-3 on his first attempts of
the game, before connecting with Zach Mathias for a six-yard
gain on his fourth attempt of the night.
Image | FBO CFL Elks Lions 20250607
Caption: Snoop Dogg performs before the Edmonton Elks and the
B.C. Lions play a CFL football game in Vancouver, on Saturday,
June 7, 2025. (Ethan Cairns/The Canadian Press)
(BUTTON) Load Image
Open Image in New Tab
Edmonton got on the board with just over three minutes left in
the first quarter when Cody Grace sent a 66-yard punt into the
end zone for a rouge.
B.C. again came within inches of a touchdown early in the game
when Rourke threaded a crisp pass to Jevon Cottoy directly
under the uprights. The Canadian receiver fumbled the ball,
then stared at his gloves in apparent disbelief.
Whyte posted the home side's first points of the night, booting
a 22-yard field goal to give the Lions a 3-1 lead.
The Elks took control again midway through the second quarter
when Fajardo muscled his way through traffic for a one-yard
rushing major. Vincent Blanchard missed the convert and
Edmonton went up 7-3.
Image | FBO CFL Elks Lions 20250607
Caption: B.C. Lions' Michael Couture runs onto the field before
the first half. (Ethan Cairns/The Canadian Press)
(BUTTON) Load Image
Open Image in New Tab
The score stood at the end of the first half after the Elks
kicker sent a 49-yard field goal attempt wide in the final
seconds of the frame.
B.C. came alive early in the second half, stringing together a
possession that ended with Rourke escaping the pocket, taking a
few steps and sailing a 34-yard pass to Berryhill in the end
zone.
Whyte made the convert and the Lions jumped out to a 10-7
advantage.
Edmonton had an opportunity to level the score minutes later
when Blanchard lined up for a 45-yard field goal, but the kick
again went wide.
Image | FBO CFL Elks Lions 20250607
Caption: B.C. Lions' Ezechiel Tieide (80) stops Edmonton Elks'
Arkell Smith (86) during the second half of the CFL football
game. (Ethan Cairns/The Canadian Press)
(BUTTON) Load Image
Open Image in New Tab
Rourke proved on the next possession that he's a dual threat,
rushing for 13 yards on one play and 22 on another.
He capped the drive with a 37-yard lob to Berryhill under the
uprights and another convert from Whyte increased the Lions'
lead to 17-7 midway through the third quarter.
Ford responded with some fast feet of his own in the dying
seconds of the third quarter. The 27-year-old Canadian deftly
darted around midfield to avoid multiple sack attempts and got
a 37-yard pass off to Justin Rankin, who similarly snuck past
several B.C. defenders before being felled at the three-yard
line.
Edmonton opened the fourth with Fajardo powering through
traffic for his second touchdown of the night. Blanchard sent
the convert through the uprights to cut the Elks' deficit to
three points.
* Legendary rapper Snoop Dogg performs ahead of B.C. Lions
home opener
B.C. kept pressing and launched a seven-play, 86-yard scoring
drive, capped by a 17-yard pass from Rourke to McInnis in the
end zone.
McInnis, who hails from Pierrefonds, Que., led the CFL in
receiving yards last season with 1,469.
The Lions defence got to work next with linebacker Ben Hladik
picking off Ford's pass and dashing 61 yards to put his team
back in prime scoring position.
B.C. capitalized with Rourke handing off to running back
Butler, who sprinted into the end zone for the home side's
fourth touchdown of the night. Another convert from Whyte put
the Lions ahead 31-14.
A massive 92-yard kickoff return by Javon Leake looked to cut
Edmonton's deficit midway through the fourth, but Elks
linebacker Josiah Schakel was called for an illegal block on
the play.
Fans voice frustration over long entry wait times
Some attendees expressed frustration on social media about
lengthy delays getting into the stadium ahead of the game.
Several fans said they waited in line for over an hour, with
some describing the situation as "chaotic" and "poorly
organized."
The B.C. Pavilion Corporation, which owns the venue, said the
largest influx of fans arrived just 30 minutes before Snoop
Dog's concert start time, leading to congestion at certain
gates.
Image | B.C. Place crowd
Caption: CBC News heard from attendees that there were
significant delays getting into B.C. Place, with some fans
reporting wait times of over an hour. (Kosta Syskakis)
(BUTTON) Load Image
Open Image in New Tab
"While our teams worked hard to get fans safely into the
building, and as efficiently as possible, there were wait times
at certain gates that averaged 10-20 minutes," it said in a
statement.
The organization said 95 per cent of attendees were inside by
the time Snoop Dogg went on stage.
The B.C. Lions also said all gates were open, and some had no
lines at all. The club said it had urged fans throughout the
week to arrive early.
More Stories Like This
The related links below are generated automatically based on
the story you’ve just read.
Loading...
CBC Lite is a low-bandwidth website. To see what's new, check
out our release notes. For high quality images, media,
comments, and other additional features visit the full version
of this story.
We and select advertising partners use trackers to collect some
of your data in order to enhance your experience and to deliver
personalized content and advertising. If you are not
comfortable with the use of this information, please review
your device and browser privacy settings before continuing your
visit. Learn more about Online Tracking and Privacy Choices.
* Corrections and Clarifications
* Terms of Use
* Reuse & Permission
* Privacy
* Accessibility
* Contact a Newsroom
* Submit Feedback
* Lite Help Centre
* Jobs
* RSS
