The 24-year-old quarterback threw for 477 yards on Saturday as his team routed the Edmonton Elks 46-14. The Victoria-born Rourke not only surpassed his own mark for most passing yards by a Canadian QB in a single game, he did so while completing 34 of 37 attempts with five touchdown passes. For good measure, he also added a seven-yard rushing touchdown. “He’s got the right mindset and attitude,” Lions head coach Rick Campbell said. “It’s not a rollercoaster, it’s just coming to work every day.” “I’m happy for him because he does things the right way and works hard and does all those things. So when guys do that and get rewarded for it, it’s good.” The QB’s stellar performance even drew praise from Elks coach Chris Jones. “It’s about as good a performance as I’ve ever seen,” he said. “He’s a very accurate passer. He’s very calm. He’s athletic enough to get around with his feet and throw the football and when he needs to run, he runs. He’s a tough competitor.” Rourke still saw room for improvement, saying there were places he could have picked a better spot for a pass on Saturday or a better lane to run. He admitted, however, that he is enjoying the success of the Lions (6-1). “Football is fun when things are going well. So I’m happy about that,” Rourke said. “But we’re going to keep going, keep building from it.” On the other side of the ball, the struggles continued for the Elks (2-6) on Saturday. Edmonton reinstated Taylor Cornelius at QB after Tre Ford was added to the six-game injured list Friday, but couldn’t solve a BC team that won 59-15 in Week 1 action. Cornelius threw for 183 yards, connecting on 15 of 26 attempts with one touchdown pass and one interception. He was fired five times. “We have to play better,” he said. Offensively, we have to put up more than 14 points a game against these guys and we have to keep the defense off the field. Both sides stuttered to start the game, with the Elks turning the ball over on their first two possessions and the Lions struggling with a fake field goal. BC took advantage of Edmonton’s second mistake when Rourke connected with Dominique Rimes on a two-yard touchdown pass to cap 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. “My team put me in a position to be able to make plays,” Rhymes said, adding that he’s just trying to match the play of teammates like wide receiver Bryan Burnham. “They just give me opportunities and I just try to be a good teammate and take advantage of my opportunities.” 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 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. He celebrated by hauling in six catches for 82 yards – and moved into fourth place on the Lions’ all-time receiving yards list. “(Burnham) had such an amazing career,” Rourke said. “He’s one of the great Lions of all time and to be able to be a part of his legacy is really cool for me. And I’m really happy for him and I’m glad to have him back.” Rourke finished the first half with 386 yards and five touchdown passes and BC went into the locker room up 37-7. The team still wanted to win the second half, Campbell said. “The CFL is a crazy league, in a good way,” the coach said. “You just never know what’s going to happen. The games aren’t over when the scores are what they are.” 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, he sprinted seven yards and shook off a Darron Carter hit to add a seven-yard rushing TD to his 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. “We played pretty well early and defended the drive,” Jones said of the Elks’ game. “But then as the game went on, we lost confidence in our ability to stay close to the receivers. And then they did a great job of not only passing the football, but high points and making some good catches.” 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. FOOTNOTES: Rourke’s 91.9 percent completion percentage was the third-highest in CFL history for at least 20 pass attempts. Ricky Ray holds the No. 1 and 2 spots with rates of 92 and 95 percent. … Elks punter Ryan Meskel made his CFL debut. … BC linebacker Ben Hladik recorded his first interception late in the fourth quarter.