VANCOUVER – A late field goal lifted the B.C. Lions to a 27-24 victory over the visiting Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Saturday.
Veteran kicker Sean Whyte sent a 24-yard attempt sailing through the uprights with 28 seconds left on the game clock to seal the decision in the back-and-forth contest.
Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke passed for 370 yards in his return from a shoulder injury, making good on 22 of his 39 attempts, including touchdown passes to Zander Horvath and Justin McInnis.
Horvath also drove in a major and Whyte made 2-of-3 field goal attempts for the Lions (3-5), who earned their first victory at BC Place this season.
The Ticats (3-6) got 239 passing yards from Harrison Frost, who went 20 on 33 attempts, including a TD toss to Kurleigh Gittens Jr. and a third-quarter interception in the first start of his CFL career.
Jake Dolegala added a pair of majors for Hamilton on short-yardage duty and Marc Liegghio made 1-of-2 field goal attempts, a 47-yard strike.
Frost filled in for veteran QB Bo Levi Mitchell, who remains sidelined after having surgery for an ankle injury he picked up against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on July 5.
Rourke sat out B.C.’s two previous games after injuring his left shoulder on the opening drive of the Lions’ loss to the Edmonton Elks on July 17.
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He was replaced in the lineup last week by rookie starter Kaidon Salter, who powered the team to a 35-19 victory over the Bombers with 96 passing yards and a touchdown, and 160 rushing yards.
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Rourke started off strong against the Ticats, steadily working the ball up the field on B.C.’s first possession of the game. Stationed at Hamilton’s seven-yard line, he tossed a pass to Horvath, who spun out of a tackle and landed in the end zone to give the Lions an early lead.
The Ticats responded midway through the quarter with a drive that saw Frost sail a 34-yard pass to Kenny Lawler and Keric Wheatfall followed up, driving it into the five-yard line. Hamilton was gifted more valuable yards when Lions defensive back Deontai Williams got called for unnecessary roughness, placing the ball on the one-yard line. Dolegala leaped into a pile on the goal line and touched for the major.
The visitors pulled ahead early in the second, thanks in part to Isaiah Wooden Jr.’s 42-yard punt return. Frost capped the series with a touchdown pass to Gittens Jr. and Liegghio’s convert gave the Ticats a 14-7 lead.
McInnis clawed back some crucial points for the Lions with just over two minutes left in the first half. Tangled up with defensive back Jamal Peters near the sideline, the Canadian receiver worked himself free in time to collect a long toss from Rourke and spring up the field unimpeded for a TD.
Liegghio put a bow on the frame with a 47-yard field goal that gave Hamilton a 17-14 lead going into the locker rooms.
The Lions answered with a patient stretch midway through the third, getting the ball up to the one-yard line. Horvath collected the ensuing snap and jumped up and over a mound of bodies for his second touchdown of the game to give B.C. a 21-17 advantage
Whyte tried to pad the lead with a 43-yard field goal in the final seconds of the frame but Mario Kendricks Jr. blocked the attempt.
The Lions got possession back on the next play when Darnell Sankey tipped Frost’s pass and Williams nabbed the loose ball for the interception. The defensive back made it 39 yards up the field before getting hauled down.
Whyte capitalized early in the fourth, booting a 33-yard field goal.
Hamilton continued to push and tied the score once again midway through the final quarter after Frost spotted Myron Mitchell well up field and hit him with a long lob for a 46-yard gain. Dolegala followed up with a one-yard rush up the middle for his second TD of the game.
The Ticats tried to level the score once again after Whyte’s strike, but were held to the midfield and Liegghio’s 57-yard field goal attempt as the final seconds ticked down was no good.
The result saw the two sides split the season series after the Ticats took a 41-27 win in Hamilton on June 19.
UP NEXT
Ticats: Host the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Saturday, Aug. 15.
Lions: Visit the Calgary Stampeders on Thursday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 8, 2026.
© 2026 The Canadian Press
