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B.C. Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke came up short on a potential game-winning drive on Saturday night in Regina, but he believes a missed call by the officials contributed to the loss.
Speaking to TSN post-game, the Canadian pivot confirmed he was frustrated by the result of the final series, but not due to the dropped pass on the last play.
“I was just confused a little bit about the play prior. Thought it was a defenceless receiver. It was a low hit in my opinion from my vantage point,” Rourke stated. “And then, was dealing with it throughout the game, just some hands to the face. Obviously, (head referee Justin McInnes) didn’t agree, and it’s too bad. I just thought there were a couple calls that didn’t go our way that I didn’t quite understand, but I’m sure we’ll get some clarity on that.”
On second-and-10 from the Saskatchewan 41-yard line with nine seconds remaining in the game, Rourke checked the ball down to James Butler for an eight-yard gain. The running back had his back turned to the defence and was hit in the legs immediately as the ball arrived by strongside linebacker Antoine Brooks Jr.
In 2025, the CFL added low hits on defenceless receivers to their list of unnecessary roughness offences, which result in a 15-yard penalty and an automatic first down. According to the rulebook, a tackle is deemed illegal when it is delivered “at or below the knees to a receiver who is in the act of catching a pass and who is in a vulnerable position.”
While Butler may have been considered vulnerable, Brooks’ first point of contact appeared to be on the thigh, though he proceeded at a downward angle that buckled the running back’s knees awkwardly. Rourke, who completed 24-of-37 passes for 330 yards while adding 59 yards and a major on the ground, clearly believed the hit came lower.
Head coach Buck Pierce did not address the non-call in his post-game availability, though he was disappointed by the result.
“You never want it to end that way,” he said. “Tried to get us down the field, thought Nathan did a good job of willing us to get into field position to potentially take a shot. Unfortunately, it didn’t turn out that way.”
B.C. was able to run one last play from the 33-yard line with zeros on the clock. The Lions needed a touchdown on the play, but Rourke was forced to throw underneath to fullback Jacob Bond, who dropped the deciding pass.
Bond, a former Canadian Junior Football League linebacker who only converted to offence last season and had never caught a CFL pass, was only in the game because the Lions had run out of healthy receivers. Seven McGee and Jevon Cottoy both left the game with injuries, leaving just four pass catchers available.
“The injury bug is not something that you can control, so we just had to react,” Rourke said. “Shout out to our guys. I think that’s why I’m still optimistic, even though it was a tough loss. We had some guys who showed a lot of heart, stepped up in some big situations.”
Had a penalty been assessed on the previous play against Brooks, the Lions would have been better situated to strike at the end zone with their limited resources. Instead, they fell 31-27 to the defending Grey Cup champions.
“I think we’re close. I think we’re very close,” Rourke said. “There’s a lot of good things to take away from this, and I’m glad that it’s only Game 1, because we’ve got a lot of things to improve on. We’ll see these guys two more times.”
The Lions (0-1) will return to action on Friday, June 19, when they visit the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (1-1). Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. EDT.
