Lions QB Roke throws a record 436 yards in British Columbia. Dominates Toronto Argonor 44-3

Vancouver — Nathan Rourke 436 yards and 4 touchdowns Throw and power British Columbia. On Saturday, the dominant 44-3 Lions defeated the Toronto Argonauts.

Rourke set a new record of passing the yard in the Canadian quarterback, surpassing the 427-yard mark set by Gerry Dattilio in 1981. He completed 39 of the 45 trials and was fired once.

Kicker Shaun White chipped in with a pair of Lions (2-0) field goals, including a 50-yard strike.

B.C.'s defense suffocated Argos (1-1) and kept McLeod Bethel Thompson to 178 yards. The Toronto quarterback connected in 15 of 21 attempts, threw one passcut, was fired twice, and was replaced in the second half of the fourth quarter.

Chad Kelly was relieved to throw two yards, complete one of the two attempts, and was fired once.

The only point of the night in Argos was to miss the 23-yard field goal from Boris Bead at the beginning of the second quarter.

Victory means BC We will start the CFL season with two wins for the first time since 2016.

The Lions had finished their goodbye week but didn't rust early in the match on Saturday and kicked off in eight plays68. -Yard scoring drive.

Roke scrambled from a collapsed pocket, picked up 11 yards and the first down, and capped the drive with a vivid 19-yard pass to Brian Burnham in the end zone. The veteran wide receiver bowed to the crowd twice after recording the first touchdown of the season.

B.C. defense units were tested in Toronto's first night possession. Davaris Daniels did his best on the tackle, and Bethel Thompson found Dejon Bresset on the Lions 1-yard line.

The Lions stood strong and refused all three visitors trying to sneak into the end zone. Toronto turned the ball down.

The phone questioned caused Lions to continue to take ownership in the second half of the first quarter.

Roke's 7-yard toss to Lucky Whitehead was determined to be incomplete, but British Columbia head coach Rick Campbell challenged and Cole was overturned and his side was on his side. It went down first.

Rourke fired a 46-yard bomb on Domini Climb in his next play, and Whyte capped the drive with a 21-yard field goal to raise the Lions to 10-0.

At the beginning of the second quarter, British Columbia cornerback Delvin Breaux knocked down a long toss from Bethel Thompson to Brandon Banks, and Argos coach Ryan Dinwoody gave a defensive pass. Insisted on his interference and made his own challenge. After review, authorities agreed and Toronto won its first down in British Columbia. 21 yard line.

Lions defender David Menardo dismissed Bethel Thompson in the next play, but Argos still scored on the drive and Bead reduced Toronto's deficit to 10-3 field goal. It was started.

Rourke increased the Lions cushion in the middle of the half, found Lime with a 19-yard bullet in the end zone, and won 9 plays and a 70-yard scoring drive.

B.C. White headed to the locker room 20-3 after finishing the second quarter with a 44-yard field goal.

In the first half and the second half, B.C. The lineback was flooded with injuries, but linebacker Bo Lokombo repelled James Butler and wide receiver Bryan Burnham, leaving the injured at the end of the game to the locker room. Whitehead also appeared to have an ankle injury, but remained in the match.

In the middle of the third frame, Winton McMannis pulled Roke around the centerfield for a loss of 7 yards. However, the Lions remained depressed and sent out White in an attempt to reach a 50-yard field goal. He kicks and B.C. 23-3 lead.

Lions defensive end Obum Gwacham seems to have dismissed Bethel Thompson and took some revenge on his next possession.

Roke's arched 29-yard toss to the wide open Jevonkotoy deep in the Red Zone set the third TD for British Columbia nights in the second half of the third quarter. Kottoy took a few quick steps in the end zone and aggregated the first major of the season.

In the last frame, Rourke reconnected with Rhymes, this time with a 24-yard toss. Located just outside the end zone, Rhymes easily completed the touchdown, with Lions leading 37-3.

B.C.'s Gary Peters joined Toronto's predicament in the middle of the fourth quarter and won Bethel Thompson's pass.

Lions full back David McKee (filled with an injured Butler's running back) muscularized the ball on the goal line in the second half of the fourth for the first CFL touchdown. .. A successful conversion from White gave the homeside a 44-3 lead.

Kelly was immediately fired by Menard when Bethel Thompson came to finish the game.

Lions will resume their activities on Thursday when they fight the Red Blacks in Ottawa. Argos will host Winnipeg Blue Bombers on July 4th.

Footnote: McKee took over Butler in the second half of the running back. And 90 rush yards were totaled. â € ¦ Argos offensive lineman Jonathan Samora dragged off the field after being injured during play in the middle of the fourth quarter. â € ¦ Saturday marked the 100th meeting between the two teams. Holds the 60-38-2 edge of the BC series.

This report by Canadian Press was first published on June 25, 2022.