VANCOUVER – The BC Lions posted their lowest point total of the season, yet still managed a 17-12 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats to close out the doubleheader on Thursday night.
Despite the low scoring margin, BC quarterback Nathan Rourke still managed a respectable performance and helped his team win in Week 7. The young quarterback completed 22 of his 30 pass attempts, throwing for 250 yards and two touchdowns
Although Rourke threw two fumbled passes that led to interceptions, BC’s offense also seemed to have an unusually difficult time moving the ball at certain points in the game, something the junior acknowledged in an interview after TSN
“You know to be honest, what I feel right now is I don’t feel like I played well enough to win this game,” Rourke said. “I thought our defense did a great job, they have so many weapons and they did a great job holding them to 12 points.”
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Despite giving up 414 yards of offense, the Lions’ defense held the Tigers out of the end zone, allowing just 12 points and one touchdown in their win over Hamilton.
Rourke believes the loss to Winnipeg helped spark the performance of BC’s defensive unit in Week 7.
“I think they really took that loss to Winnipeg,” Rourke said of his defensive teammates. “They knew it wasn’t them and they showed us big, that’s a big defensive win right there. Offensively we have to do a better job and that starts with me.”
BC moves to 4-1 on the season, and Thursday’s game against the Ticats will end up being a win for the Lions, but Rourke knows there’s always room for improvement and admits there’s a bittersweet feeling around the win.
“I think at the end of the day a win is a win, especially against a great Hamilton team,” Rourke said. “But we have to play better if we’re going to get wins against some of these Western teams.
“I had some turnovers, missed throws that you can’t make and expect to win a football game in a pro league,” Rourke said. “So it’s a bittersweet feeling right now.”
As they look to build on their winning record, the Lions will travel to Regina in Week 8 to face the Saskatchewan Roughriders for the first time this year.