VANCOUVER — Halfway through the CFL season, quarterback Nathan Rourke believes his B.C. Lions still have obstacles to overcome — namely, their own mistakes.
The Lions (4-5) are coming off an overtime win against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats last week, but have seen some close games fall the other way this year thanks to one or two errant plays.
During the victory in Hamilton, B.C. took eight penalties for a total of 65 yards, and had a giveaway, a fumble and an interception.
“I really feel like for this team, throughout the entire year, the only people really who can get in our way are us, right?" Rourke said. "We've certainly had our fair share of penalties and dumb mistakes and bad decisions. And it seems, at the end of the day, that’s what’s stopping us more than the other team.
"So obviously, they're gonna make some plays and stuff like that, but I think we've done a good job managing that. We’ve just got to make sure that we clean up that stuff, and I think it'll be OK.”
All season long, the Lions have been growing, said first-year head coach Buck Pierce.
Now the team needs to learn from those lessons, he said.
"That's really what I hope that we've taken from it, is, ‘Hey, the past is the past. This is where we are. Understand where we are, understand what it takes for us to get better,’" he said.
"I think I've seen some growth, and I've seen some guys, some light bulbs start to come on a bit, which is good. But we need to just continue to lift the group up, and everybody else gets to that level.”
B.C.'s next chance to showcase its growth and climb the West Division standings comes Saturday when the Lions host the Montreal Alouettes (5-4).
The Als dropped a 23-22 decision to the Edmonton Elks last week and are looking to snap a two-game skid. They're also looking for their first win against the Lions since Sept. 9, 2022.
Montreal will turn to third-string quarterback Caleb Evans this week with both No. 1 Davis Alexander and backup McLeod Bethel-Thompson relegated to the six-game injured list.
Saturday will mark Evans' first start since July 25 of last year when he helped the Als to a 20-16 win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders. The 27-year-old American is 6-10 in his first 16 CFL starts, but hasn't ever started against B.C.
Alouettes head coach Jason Maas isn't concerned about swapping out another QB.
“We've won games with backups here, with guys that are second- and third-string quarterbacks here over the last three years," he said. "We did it already this year, we've done it with a backup quarterback, as people will say. … So you ask me where my belief comes from, it's been shown. We've won games, and that's all I need to see."
Facing a quarterback who hasn't played much brings some unique challenges for a defensive unit.
"We can't do as much tape on him, but we have enough to know what he's about," Lions defensive back Christophe Beaulieu said of Evans. "He likes travelling, so we'll take care of that, and we're ready to go. We're ready to go. Whatever he throws at us, we'll be ready.”
Montreal and B.C. have already met once this season with the Lions taking a 21-20 victory back on June 5, thanks to a walk-off field goal from Sean Whyte.
The visitors felt like they "got away with one" in that game, Rourke said.
"It was good to be able to execute down the stretch when we needed to and put together a drive. It was good to see," the QB said. "But ultimately, I know for me, I’ve got to play better. And this is a great opportunity to do so at home, where we haven't been our best either. So hopefully we can put it all together this weekend.”
MONTREAL ALOUETTES (5-4) AT B.C. LIONS (4-5)
Saturday, B.C. Place
NO RUSH: The Alouettes have been superb at limiting opponents' run games this season. Last week, the team held Edmonton running back Justin Rankin to zero yards on six attempts. Montreal is allowing a league low 4.4 yards per attempt on the ground in 2025.
HISTORY BOOKS: Montreal has traditionally struggled against B.C., particularly on the road. The Lions hold a 50-36-1 edge in all-time meetings between the two teams, and are 32-9-1 at home against the Als.
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE?: The Lions have lost three straight games at B.C. Place and are at risk of matching their longest home losing skid since 2021 when the team dropped four in a row.
--- With files from Daniel Rainbird in Montreal.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 15, 2025.
Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press
