The rookie CFL quarterback completed 34 of 37 attempts with five touchdown passes and added a 14-yard rush. Michael O’Connor came under center for the Lions (6-1) late in the fourth quarter, but didn’t record a single shot as BC opted to rush to close out the game. Edmonton (2-6) got Taylor Cornelius back at QB after Tre Ford was added to the six-game injured list Friday, but once again struggled against a BC team that won 59-15 in action on the 1 week. Cornelius threw for 183 yards Saturday, connecting on 15 of 26 attempts with a touchdown pass and an interception. He was fired five times. Maleek Irons added a rushing major for the Elks, who were coming off a bye week. Both sides fumbled to start the game, with the Elks turning the ball over on their first two possessions. The Lions capitalized on the second mistake. Rourke connected with Dominique Rimes on a two-yard touchdown pass, capping a 6-play, 49-yard scoring drive that put BC up 7-0 midway through the first quarter. Edmonton responded, driving steadily down the field before Cornelius escaped the pocket and fired a 19-yard bullet to Kenny Lawler in the end zone. The seven-play, 69-yard drive scored the Elks’ only points of the first half. e.g. The Lions started their next possession with a 49-yard pass from Rourke to Lucky Whitehead, who ran into Edmonton territory. The junior QB followed with a 16-yard toss to Keon Hatcher, then a 14-yard run. Before the end of the opening frame, he sailed another ball to Rhymes for a big one. The pair connected once again midway through the second when Rhymes, under pressure, leaped to roll in a 15-yard toss for his third TD of the game, a play that increased BC’s cushion to 20-7. Minutes later, Rourke found Whitehead open and the speedy receiver raced 37 yards down the field, outrunning Nafees Lyon for a 69-yard touchdown. BC then scored on its fifth straight possession when Whyte hit a 47-yard field goal. Rourke ended the half with another TD, finding Bryan Burnham along the sideline in the end zone with six seconds left in the half. The veteran receiver made sure to catch a leg for the major. Saturday’s game marked Burnham’s return to the lineup after suffering broken ribs and a collapsed lung in a crushing hit by Toronto Argonauts defensive back Zach Richardson on June 25. Rourke finished the first half with 386 yards and five touchdown passes and BC went into the locker room up 37-7. The club still had more to give. Early in the third, Lions linebacker Mathieu Betts sacked Cornelius for the second time in the game. Edmonton recorded a four-yard loss and BC added two punts on a safety. Rourke showed he has more than a good arm in the middle frame. Seeing a hole, the 24-year-old Canadian sprinted seven yards and shook off a Duron Carter hit to add a seven-yard rushing TD to complete the score line. The Elks looked poised to end the drought before the quarter closed, but Sione Teuhema spoiled the party with a sack. It was the fifth time the Lions took down Cornelius on the night. Irons finally got some points for the visitors early in the quarter, sprinting six yards into the end zone. The touchdown cut Edmonton’s deficit to 46-14. The Lions will be back in action next Saturday when they take on the Stampeders in Calgary. The Elks will host the Saskatchewan Roughriders later that evening. FOOTNOTE: Rourke broke his own record for passes by a Canadian quarterback in a single game. He reached the historic mark earlier this season. … Burnham had six catches for 82 yards and moved into fourth place on the Lions’ all-time receiving yards list. … Elks punter Ryan Meskel made his CFL debut. … BC linebacker Ben Hladik recorded his first career interception late in the fourth quarter. This report by The Canadian Press was first published on August 6, 2022.
