BC Lions Sticking with Nathan Rourke at QB
After what has a below average return to the CFL, BC Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke will hold on to his job for a little bit longer.
TSN’s Farhan Lalji reported Sunday that the Lions are staying committed to Rourke being the starter moving forward.
The Lions have been on a bye after Rourke went 6-of-12 for 110 yards in their 33-17 loss to the Toronto Argonauts two weeks ago. He was benched in favor of Vernon Adams Jr., who Chase Brice would replace.
As expected, Nathan Rourke will be the @BCLions starting QB going forward. The team will have a walk through today, coming off a bye week. @SportsCentre pic.twitter.com/o0tTmfBiiq
— Farhan Lalji (@FarhanLaljiTSN) September 22, 2024
Rourke and the BC Lions were hoping for a better return to the CFL. He has completed 62.7% of his passes for 1,099 yards and four passing majors to seven interceptions. He’s had 155 rushing yards and three additional touchdowns in five games.
There was excitement around the return of Rourke as he was brought in the middle of the season to replace the injured Adams. Rourke was coming off a year-plus stint in the NFL for four teams.
CFL fans remember Rourke fondly after his stellar 2022 campaign which earned him a CFL Most Outstanding Canadian award. He finished that season with 3,349 yards passing and 25 touchdowns while adding 304 rushing yards and seven more majors in 10 games. The Lions made the playoffs that season despite Rourke missing time due to injury.
The pressure is on Rourke to perform better as the Lions sit two points behind the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the standings and have to finish with more points as the Bombers own the tiebreaker as won the season series against BC. Three of the last four matchups of the season for the Lions are against teams with losing records starting with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Friday night.
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ANTHONY MILLER